Mickey Walls
Encyclopedia
Mickey K. Walls is a retired Thoroughbred
horse racing
jockey
who was a Champion in both the United States
and Canada
.
Mickey Walls grew up in Langley, British Columbia
, the son of Thoroughbred racehorse trainer
, Joe Walls. He began riding professionally in 1990 at age sixteen, first competing at Exhibition Park
in Vancouver. Immediately successful, in the fall he went east to Toronto
to ride at Woodbine Racetrack
and then at Greenwood Raceway
where he was the leading jockey at the Autumn Meet. For his performances, Walls was voted the Sovereign Award
as the 1990 Canadian Champion Apprentice Jockey
. http://www.jockeyclubcanada.com/previous.html
Still an apprentice in Canada, in 1991 Mickey Walls had a spectacular year, setting a Canadian record for most races won by an apprentice jockey with 231, and winning more races and garnering more purse money at Woodbine Racetrack than any jockey in history. At the Greenwood Raceway Spring Meet he won a second riding title. http://74.125.95.132/search?q=cache:fyDVtxf_AZUJ:www.woodbineentertainment.com/thoroughbred/thoro-guide/p50-56.pdf+%22Mickey+Walls%22&cd=16&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=ca His 1991 efforts saw him become the first apprentice jockey to be voted the Sovereign Award and the United States' Eclipse Award
in the same year. http://www.jockeyclubcanada.com/previous.html In addition, he was voted the overall Canadian Champion Jockey
.
As a result of a serious injury, 1992 proved to be a difficult year for Mickey Walls. Nevertheless, he was the leading jockey at the Greenwood Spring Meet before breaking a leg in a racing accident that kept him out of racing for the season. In 1993, he was again back in form and was the leading jockey at Woodbine Racetrack for a second time. In 1994 and 1995, Walls competed in the United States at various tracks including Arlington Park
, Churchill Downs
, Fair Grounds Race Course
, Keeneland
, and Santa Anita Park
. He returned to race in Canada in 1996 where he won the final two legs of the Canadian Triple Crown series, capturing the Prince of Wales Stakes
aboard Stephanotis then the Breeders' Stakes
on Canada's top turf runner and future Hall of Fame inductee, Chief Bearhart
. Among his other racing accomplishments, in 1999 Mickey Walls rode Woodcarver to victory in the Queen's Plate
, Canada's most prestigious race and the first leg of the Triple Crown series. http://horseracing.about.com/library/weekly/aa062799.htm
After years of struggling against weight gain
, in 2002 Walls retired but in 2003 attempted a short-lived comeback at Nad Al Sheba Racecourse
in Dubai
before retiring permanently.
In 2008, Mickey Walls was inducted in the British Columbia Thoroughbred Hall of Fame http://www.bchorseracinghalloffame.org/walls_mickey.html and was a nominee for the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame
in 2009. http://www.cthsont.com/news.php?news_item_id=570
Thoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed...
horse racing
Horse racing
Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...
jockey
Jockey
A jockey is an athlete who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing.-Etymology:...
who was a Champion in both the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
Mickey Walls grew up in Langley, British Columbia
Langley, British Columbia (district municipality)
The Township of Langley is a district municipality immediately east of the City of Surrey in southwestern British Columbia, Canada. It extends south from the Fraser River to the U.S. border, and west of the City of Abbotsford...
, the son of Thoroughbred racehorse trainer
Horse trainer
In horse racing, a trainer prepares a horse for races, with responsibility for exercising it, getting it race-ready and determining which races it should enter...
, Joe Walls. He began riding professionally in 1990 at age sixteen, first competing at Exhibition Park
Hastings Racecourse
Hastings Racecourse is a horse racing facility at Hastings Park in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Originally called East Park, it opened for business in 1889...
in Vancouver. Immediately successful, in the fall he went east to Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
to ride at Woodbine Racetrack
Woodbine Racetrack
Woodbine Racetrack is a Canadian racetrack for Thoroughbred horse races located at 555 Rexdale Blvd. in the city of Toronto, Ontario. It is the only horseracing track in North America which stages, or is capable of staging, thoroughbred and standardbred horseracing programs on the same day...
and then at Greenwood Raceway
Greenwood Raceway
Greenwood Raceway is a defunct horse racing facility in Toronto.Inaugurated in 1874 as Woodbine Race Course at the foot of Woodbine Avenue and Lake Ontario, it was owned and operated by two gentlemen named Pardee and Howell. Within a few years financial problems resulted in the property reverting...
where he was the leading jockey at the Autumn Meet. For his performances, Walls was voted the Sovereign Award
Sovereign Award
The Sovereign Award is given annually since 1975 by the Jockey Club of Canada to the outstanding horses and people in Canadian Thoroughbred racing.The most prestigious award for horses is Sovereign Horse of the Year....
as the 1990 Canadian Champion Apprentice Jockey
Sovereign Award for Outstanding Apprentice Jockey
The Sovereign Award for Outstanding Apprentice Jockey is an Canadian Thoroughbred horse racing honor. Created in 1975 by the Jockey Club of Canada., it is part of the Sovereign Awards program and is awarded annually to a jockey undergoing their apprenticeship....
. http://www.jockeyclubcanada.com/previous.html
Still an apprentice in Canada, in 1991 Mickey Walls had a spectacular year, setting a Canadian record for most races won by an apprentice jockey with 231, and winning more races and garnering more purse money at Woodbine Racetrack than any jockey in history. At the Greenwood Raceway Spring Meet he won a second riding title. http://74.125.95.132/search?q=cache:fyDVtxf_AZUJ:www.woodbineentertainment.com/thoroughbred/thoro-guide/p50-56.pdf+%22Mickey+Walls%22&cd=16&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=ca His 1991 efforts saw him become the first apprentice jockey to be voted the Sovereign Award and the United States' Eclipse Award
Eclipse Award
The Eclipse Award is an American thoroughbred horse racing award named after the 18th century British racehorse and sire, Eclipse. The Eclipse Awards, honoring the champions of the sport, are sponsored by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association , Daily Racing Form and the National Turf Writers...
in the same year. http://www.jockeyclubcanada.com/previous.html In addition, he was voted the overall Canadian Champion Jockey
Sovereign Award for Outstanding Jockey
The Sovereign Award for Outstanding Jockey is a Canadian thoroughbred horse racing honor given annually since 1975 by the Jockey Club of Canada. Part of the Sovereign Awards, the "Outstanding Jockey" laurel is similar to the Eclipse Award given to jockeys in the United States.Honourees:*1975 : Hugo...
.
As a result of a serious injury, 1992 proved to be a difficult year for Mickey Walls. Nevertheless, he was the leading jockey at the Greenwood Spring Meet before breaking a leg in a racing accident that kept him out of racing for the season. In 1993, he was again back in form and was the leading jockey at Woodbine Racetrack for a second time. In 1994 and 1995, Walls competed in the United States at various tracks including Arlington Park
Arlington Park
Arlington Park is a horse race track in the Chicago suburb of Arlington Heights, Illinois. Horse racing in the Chicago region has been a popular sport since the early days of the city in the 1830s, and at one time Chicago had more horse racing tracks than any other major metropolitan area...
, Churchill Downs
Churchill Downs
Churchill Downs, located in Central Avenue in south Louisville, Kentucky, United States, is a Thoroughbred racetrack most famous for hosting the Kentucky Derby annually. It officially opened in 1875, and held the first Kentucky Derby and the first Kentucky Oaks in the same year. Churchill Downs...
, Fair Grounds Race Course
Fair Grounds Race Course
Fair Grounds Race Course, often known as New Orleans Fair Grounds, is a thoroughbred racetrack and racino in New Orleans, Louisiana. It is operated by Churchill Downs Louisiana Horseracing Company, LLC....
, Keeneland
Keeneland
Keeneland is a Thoroughbred horse racing facility and sales complex in Lexington, Kentucky, USA. Operated by the Keeneland Association, Inc., it is also known for its reference library on the sport, which contains more than 10,000 volumes, an extensive videocassette collection, and a substantial...
, and Santa Anita Park
Santa Anita Park
Santa Anita Park is a thoroughbred racetrack in Arcadia, California, United States. It offers some of the prominent racing events in the United States during the winter and in spring. With its backdrop of the purple San Gabriel Mountains, it is considered by many as the world's most beautiful race...
. He returned to race in Canada in 1996 where he won the final two legs of the Canadian Triple Crown series, capturing the Prince of Wales Stakes
Prince of Wales Stakes
The Prince of Wales Stakes is a Canadian Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Fort Erie Race Track in Fort Erie, Ontario. Restricted to three-year-old horses bred in Canada, it is contested on dirt over a distance of a mile and three sixteenths . In 1959, the Prince of Wales Stakes became the...
aboard Stephanotis then the Breeders' Stakes
Breeders' Stakes
The Breeders' Stakes is a Canadian stakes race for Thoroughbred race horses first run in 1889. Since 1959 it has been the third race in the Canadian Triple Crown for three-year-olds...
on Canada's top turf runner and future Hall of Fame inductee, Chief Bearhart
Chief Bearhart
Chief Bearhart is a retired Canadian Thoroughbred racehorse and active sire. A turf specialist, he won six Sovereign Awards and was voted American Champion Male Turf Horse for 1997.-Background:...
. Among his other racing accomplishments, in 1999 Mickey Walls rode Woodcarver to victory in the Queen's Plate
Queen's Plate
The Queen's Plate is Canada's oldest thoroughbred horse race. It is run at a distance of 1¼ miles for 3-year-old thoroughbred horses foaled in Canada. The race takes place each summer in June or July at Woodbine Racetrack, Etobicoke , Ontario...
, Canada's most prestigious race and the first leg of the Triple Crown series. http://horseracing.about.com/library/weekly/aa062799.htm
After years of struggling against weight gain
Weight gain
Weight gain is an increase in body weight. This can be either an increase in muscle mass, fat deposits, or excess fluids such as water.-Description:...
, in 2002 Walls retired but in 2003 attempted a short-lived comeback at Nad Al Sheba Racecourse
Nad Al Sheba Racecourse
Nad Al Sheba Racecourse is a former Thoroughbred horse racing facility in Dubai, United Arab Emirates opened in 1986. It has a 2,200 metre left-handed dirt race track and a left-handed turf course of the same distance...
in Dubai
Dubai
Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...
before retiring permanently.
In 2008, Mickey Walls was inducted in the British Columbia Thoroughbred Hall of Fame http://www.bchorseracinghalloffame.org/walls_mickey.html and was a nominee for the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame
Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame
The Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame was established in 1976 at the Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario to honor those who have made a significant contribution to the sport of harness and thoroughbred horse racing in Canada....
in 2009. http://www.cthsont.com/news.php?news_item_id=570