Yves Saint-Martin
Encyclopedia
Yves Saint-Martin
Yves Saint-Martin (born 8 September 1941 in Agen
, Lot-et-Garonne
, France
) is a retired champion jockey
in French Thoroughbred horse racing
. He is widely considered one of the greatest riders in French racing history.
Saint-Martin won his first race on 26 July 1958 for Mme Suzy Volterra. He went on to be France leading jockey
fifteen times, winning the tile in 1960, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1981, and 1983.
In his career, Yves Saint-Martin won 3314 races worldwide of which 3275 were in France. He is tied with three others for most wins at four in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe
and holds the record for most wins in several other Group One
races including the Prix du Jockey Club
with nine.
At Laurel Park Racecourse near Baltimore, Maryland, Saint-Martin won the 1962 Washington, D.C. International aboard Match II
defeating both Carry Back
and the great Kelso
.
He won the French "Academie des sports" award Prix Claude Foussier in 1971 (about promotional actions for the worse's world)
Great Britain:
United States:
Retired, Yves Saint-Martin is an avid collector of vintage automobiles, owing classic models such as the Maserati
, Ford Mustang
, Rolls Royce
, and Aston Martin
. His son Eric is also a successful jockey who has raced in France and in Hong Kong
.
Yves Saint-Martin (born 8 September 1941 in Agen
Agen
Agen is a commune in the Lot-et-Garonne department in Aquitaine in south-western France. It lies on the river Garonne southeast of Bordeaux. It is the capital of the department.-Economy:The town has a higher level of unemployment than the national average...
, Lot-et-Garonne
Lot-et-Garonne
Lot-et-Garonne is a department in the southwest of France named after the Lot and Garonne rivers.-History:Lot-et-Garonne is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
) is a retired champion 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:...
in French Thoroughbred horse racing
Thoroughbred horse race
Thoroughbred horse racing is a worldwide sport and industry involving the racing of Thoroughbred horses. It is governed by different national bodies. There are two forms of the sport: Flat racing and National Hunt racing...
. He is widely considered one of the greatest riders in French racing history.
Saint-Martin won his first race on 26 July 1958 for Mme Suzy Volterra. He went on to be France leading jockey
French flat racing Champion Jockey
-Greatest jockeys in French flat races:# Yves Saint-Martin 15 seasons# Freddy Head 6 seasons# Cash Asmussen 5 seasons-Flat race Cravache d'Or in France:...
fifteen times, winning the tile in 1960, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1981, and 1983.
In his career, Yves Saint-Martin won 3314 races worldwide of which 3275 were in France. He is tied with three others for most wins at four in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe
Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe
The Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe is a Group 1 flat horse race in France which is open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 2,400 metres , and it is scheduled to take place each year, usually on the first Sunday in October.Popularly referred to as the...
and holds the record for most wins in several other Group One
Group One
Group One or Group 1 is the term used for the highest level of Thoroughbred and Standardbred stakes races in many countries. Group One races may be run under handicap conditions in Australia but in Europe weight-for-age conditions always apply. Races may be also restricted to age groups or a...
races including the Prix du Jockey Club
Prix du Jockey Club
The Prix du Jockey Club, sometimes referred to as the French Derby, is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies...
with nine.
At Laurel Park Racecourse near Baltimore, Maryland, Saint-Martin won the 1962 Washington, D.C. International aboard Match II
Match II
Match II was a French Thoroughbred racehorse who won major races in England, France and the United States and who was voted Horse of the Year in England...
defeating both Carry Back
Carry Back
Carry Back by Saggy out of Joppy, was an American Hall of Fame thoroughbred racehorse with a less than stellar pedigree but who nonetheless won many important graded stakes races including the 1961 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes. His racing colors were blue, silver hoops and sleeves...
and the great Kelso
Kelso (horse)
Kelso was an American thoroughbred race horse considered among the best racehorses of the 20th century. In the list of the top 100 U.S. thoroughbred champions of the 20th Century by The Blood-Horse magazine Kelso ranks 4th, behind only Man o' War , Secretariat and Citation...
.
He won the French "Academie des sports" award Prix Claude Foussier in 1971 (about promotional actions for the worse's world)
Major International Wins
Yves Saint-Martin won a number of prestigious races outside of France including each of the British Classic Races.Great Britain:
- Epsom OaksEpsom OaksThe Oaks Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred fillies. It is run at Epsom Downs over a distance of 1 mile, 4 furlongs and 10 yards , and it is scheduled to take place each year in early June....
(1962, 1976) - 2,000 Guineas (1974)
- 1,000 Guineas (1971, 1976)
- Epsom DerbyEpsom DerbyThe Derby Stakes, popularly known as The Derby, internationally as the Epsom Derby, and under its present sponsor as the Investec Derby, is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies...
(1963) - St. Leger StakesSt. Leger StakesThe St. Leger Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain which is open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Doncaster over a distance of 1 mile, 6 furlongs and 132 yards , and it is scheduled to take place each year in September.Established in 1776, the St. Leger...
(1976) - King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes (1962, 1976)
United States:
- Washington, D.C. International (1962)
- Breeders' Cup TurfBreeders' Cup TurfThe Breeders' Cup Turf is a Weight for Age Thoroughbred horse race on turf for three-year-olds and up. It is held annually at a different racetrack in the United States or Canada as part of the Breeders' Cup World Championships. The race's current title sponsor is Emirates Airlines.The forerunner...
(1984) - Breeders' Cup MileBreeders' Cup MileThe Breeders' Cup Mile is a Grade 1 Weight for Age stakes race for thoroughbred racehorses three years old and up, run on a grass course. It has been conducted annually as part of the Breeders' Cup World Championships since the event's inception in 1984...
(1986)
Retired, Yves Saint-Martin is an avid collector of vintage automobiles, owing classic models such as the Maserati
Maserati
Maserati is an Italian luxury car manufacturer established on December 1, 1914, in Bologna. The company's headquarters is now in Modena, and its emblem is a trident. It has been owned by the Italian car giant Fiat S.p.A. since 1993...
, Ford Mustang
Ford Mustang
The Ford Mustang is an automobile manufactured by the Ford Motor Company. It was initially based on the second generation North American Ford Falcon, a compact car. Introduced early on April 17, 1964, as a "1964½" model, the 1965 Mustang was the automaker's most successful launch since the Model A...
, Rolls Royce
Rolls-Royce (car)
This a list of Rolls-Royce motor cars and includes vehicles produced by:*Rolls-Royce Limited *Rolls-Royce Motors , which was owned by Vickers between 1980 and 1998, and after that by Volkswagen...
, and Aston Martin
Aston Martin
Aston Martin Lagonda Limited is a British manufacturer of luxury sports cars, based in Gaydon, Warwickshire. The company name is derived from the name of one of the company's founders, Lionel Martin, and from the Aston Hill speed hillclimb near Aston Clinton in Buckinghamshire...
. His son Eric is also a successful jockey who has raced in France and in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
.