The Bill Shoemaker Story

[@jenniferjeffers7967]

For all the joy you brought us Bill Shoemaker.....We love you..!!

[@leealexander3507]

I got so much advice from Bill over the years. He really helped me develop into a horseman from the time I was a pre-school child. He took time to help me learn everything from horse care to being a better rider and was highly complementary about the condition my class A welsh stallion was in. He even climbed on my stallion, the one I rode daily while I got on one of my colts and went for a ride with me now and then. I was so proud to have the greatest jockey ever ride my pony. I've known a lot of race riders who would have turned up their noses at the thought of riding a small child's pony even if I did have that pony fit enough to race or endurance ride. He was calm and kind to both horses and children. A very patient man. I admired and adored him. He's someone I'll never forget. Obviously I'm not a young person or I would have missed his first Derby win.

[@cherylgruver3285]

Johnny Longden

[@stevenwalker4423]

During Bill Shoemaker's Farewell Tour in 1989, I got to meet him at AK-SAR-BEN Race Track in Omaha, Nebraska, and he autographed my program. I placed his autograph with a photo I took of him riding in a race at AK-SAR-BEN that day and I still have the photo and autograph on my wall.

[@SOULRELIEF22]

LOVE JESUS! You MAY have a King James Bible. Don't let it grow dusty! JESUS is RETURNING SOON! If the Shoe loved JESUS, you can meet him in the air when JESUS RAPTURES us AWAY! It won't be long! GLORY!

[@lessadepern5126]

I met "The Shoe". I saw him ride many times at Belmont. He was tiny. Smallest Jockey I ever saw. Saw him win and saw him come in 3rd on Cougar II at Belmont,The Marlboro, 1974, against Secretariat and Riva Ridge. Meadow Stable prevailed. He won on Tartan Stable horse earlier in the day. One day he was riding at Belmont and was leaving the Jock's room in street clothes and I was just walking by. I was a young 20 year old blonde hotwalker and worked for Lucian Laurin. I recognized him instantly and must have had a startled look on my face like OMG that's Willie Shoemaker! He looked me right in the eye (he had steely focused eyes, like he's all business but),he gave me a big smile and said Hello young Lady and I said hi back. Never forget it.

[@juniorjohnson5961]

I've never met a jockey how big was he ?

[@lessadepern5126]

@@juniorjohnson5961 He was about 4'10" and weighed about 90 pounds. Had steely gray eyes. He was the smallest jockey i ever saw and I dated a 4'11" jockey weighing 103

[@kingsfan7614]

I had the honor of being a close friend of shoe and his family.My Dad rode with him for 20 years in California great man. We flew back to LA from Kentucky with him in 1988 after my pops won the Breeders cup Turf and he signed every autograph he was asked to sign Truly a privilege to watch him ride

[@odanerussell2012]

Kings Fan he is the best of all time.. ..

[@odanerussell2012]

I can learn some of Bill shoemaker professional style has a Prentice Jockey...

[@maryeleanorhill6725]

Horses were part of my family's culture. We had standard breds and my Gramps raised carriage horses. Going to the track was part of my life. I saw Johnny Longdon ride. And, the 'Shoe'. well that was artistry in a saddle. He seemed to live in the tempo of the horse under him. There was no scandal in his life. He was one of the great people who populate the sport of thoroughbred racing. I value my memory of seeing him ride.

[@sergiocruz5881]

I saw Billy Shoemaker many times, Dad use take the fam. to Santa Anita in the late 70s. Had a belt buckle with three jocky's on it and Billy was one of them!

[@believeinyourself7511]

I knew him personally. At Del Mar,Santa Anita Racetrack and Hollywood Park Racetrack. He was so kind and a gentle quiet man. And was really nice to,all us other riders.

[@Caroni100]

Good afternoon. You are a very lucky person. William "Bill" Shoemaker (1931-2003) was, is and will be one of the gratest (or the greatest) jockeys of all time. It is sad he left paralyzed from neck down in an absurd car accident after he retired from horse racing. Greetings from Venezuela

[@believeinyourself7511]

+Caroni100 Even being paralyzed he still trained racehorses from his wheelchair that he operated with a straw in his mouth to guide it. He was so kind to all of us at Santa Anita Racetrack,Arcadia,California.

[@believeinyourself7511]

Greetings to you.

[@williamhill7312]

John Forsythe was a great actor and a wonderful narrator, the Shoe was amazing

[@katherinehogan6622]

I am now a mere 68 yrs.old, & I feel as though seeing this fine documentary about the show, that I'm reliving my past! Wow, 800 or more races to his credit! I can't recall how many blue ribbons & my horse " kit " had won! We were different horse racers. I was a southern california champion barrel racer. Those against the clock & your fellow competitors. I was a southern Calif. Champion barrel racer. My dad bought me a horse at age 14. After that it was every week-end @ the stables!!! Each trail ride was 20 or 23 miles, going to the beach, part of the training to teach my horse how to not be skittish about nothing. But dad's horse did not fare as well, no comments on that. At the age of 16, when! I was worn out !!! The oldest of 2 younger sisters & ready to move on with my life, I did just that Bill shoemaker is a true legand!! A credit to his strength & abilities!!!

[@Caroni100]

"To be a jockey is to be an athlete" Virgilio Decán "Aly Khan" (1931 - ) Retired venezuelan horse racing caller. Greetings from Venezuela

[@eddiedeleon2425]

mine that bird Sir, written in sonnets of tears for it's painted colours not enough on that time, a mixture of laughter and and redeeming the OLD GUARD identity

[@hernandotorres1234]

Fabulous docementary, what bloke.

[@lindawild6568]

Shumaker was the best ever jockey in horse racing and he always respected his horses 🐎

[@terry7375]

The greatest of all time

[@leealexander3507]

He was a friend of my father so I knew him from the time I was a child. Great guy aside from being such a great rider. I learned a lot from him.

[@jamescraft8066]

I will never forget Shoe coming to Longacres when I was a kid to race on Big n Bad who trucked in for our 100k added Longacres MIle and won it tying the track record of 1:34. He jumped on an old (she was 7 or 8 years old) grey local mare named Silky Steel as a warm up in one of the earlier races ... He not only won, Silky Steel and he ran the fastest 6 furlongs of any horse that had raced at Longacres so far that year and the track had been open for 5 months AND all the sprint handicap races had been run that year already!! That galvanized my thoughts that very moment that Willy Shoemaker was a living legend!

[@sissyplatt2715]

James Craft

[@jameswinkle4116]

He rode a horse i groomed for bill mott in 198 named Never Better i will never forget that day Bill Shoemaker was the Greatest!!

[@jameswinkle4116]

1987

[@jameswinkle4116]

Sorry it was at Churhill Downs

[@Caroni100]

Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia´s quotation: "Referred to as "Bill", "Willie," and "The Shoe", William Lee Shoemaker was born in the town of Fabens, Texas. At 2.5 pounds (1.1 kg), Shoemaker was so small at birth that he was not expected to survive the night. Put in a shoebox in the oven to stay warm, he survived, but remained small, growing to 4 feet 11 inches (1.50 m) and weighing only 105 pounds (47.6 kg). His diminutive size proved an asset, as he went on to become a giant in thoroughbred horse racing despite being a high school dropout at El Monte High School.

[@roberthomiak5003]

Shoemaker was a great fiction writer. All horse 🐎 racing novels. Pretty good stuff.

[@donnygoldsworthy3068]

Hello, Willie the Shoe , rode at ( ready for this ) PLAY FAIR RACE COURSE IN SPOKANE WA. ... YES THE FEATURE RACE . DID HE WIN ? YES HE DID ! PART OF HIS GOING AWAY DEAL ,TO RETIRE . IT WAS PACKED AND IT WAS AWESOME . PLAY FAIR IS GONE NOW , TORN DOWN . THANKS WILLIE .

[@Caroni100]

Excelent documentary about Bill Shoemaker! Congratulations! I enjoyed a lot! Jockeys are men with nerves of steel! And William "Bill" Shoemaker was the bravest jockeys of all time!

[@nickperez7553]

he was he never backed down from a good fight I saw him ride John Henry at Arlington park in the 80s they were both living legends in there time thank God for Willie shoemaker he will be missed forever

[@leealexander3507]

Swap won the first Derby my father took me to.

[@newproduct8107]

Wow that was the glory days of racing

[@Caroni100]

"Ser jinete es ser atleta" Virgilio Decán "Aly Khan" (1931 - ) Ex narrador hípico venezolano. Saludos desde Venezuela.

[@tonyalafarr1454]

Willie was and is the greatest jockey of all time.

[@stevemccoy8138]

Swaps and The Shoe 1955 . Ellsworth - Chino CA

[@leealexander3507]

Bill was more than a jockey. He was a horseman.

[@juniorjohnson5961]

Why this doesn't have a million views i don't know 🏇

[@Caroni100]

¡Excelente documental acerca de Bill Shoemaker! ¡Felicitaciones! ¡Lo disfrutpe mucho! ¡Los jinetes son hombres con nervios de acero! ¡Y William "Bill" Shoemaker fue el jinete más valiente de todos! ¡Saludos desde Venezuela!

[@taxisteve929]

Misjudge the finish line in the Kentucky Derby to lose by a nose, and the owner STILL buys you a new Cadillac "for your honesty" not making excuses.....WOW....We could use a million owners like that today in the runners and the trotters!!

[@clydeb7713]

Auto wreck after he retired confined him to a wheel chair. Heart-felt moment at 42:05. R.I.P.

[@taxisteve929]

I agree. Was one of my favorite 5 jockeys, and after riding 40,000+ races, to lose your ability to walk in an accident is just horrible luck....I'm sure some will bring up alcohol, but I drove home with one eye open too many times to judge anyone. Some of us were lucky we survived, some not so lucky.

[@SOULRELIEF22]

I love him! 💞 I've come back from a shattered femur TOO! I KNOW about the rehab!

[@SOULRELIEF22]

I was 43! And GOD brought me healed me TOTALLY!! 🙏🙌💞

[@rinaldodelgallo4498]

According to pedigreequery.com: "[Cahill Road] Stumbled at the start of the Wood. The 17-hand colt bravely limped back to the winner's circle having torn his left front ankle. The injury sent him to stud early. At stud at Gainesway Farm/KY 1992-99; in 2000 standing at El Dorado Farm, Enumclaw WA. Died in 2010. Sired 26 stakes winners incl. 2 Champions. 362 winners of 1229 races earning $20,108,765."

[@Caroni100]

Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia´s quotation: "His career as a jockey began in his teenage years, with his first professional ride on March 19, 1949. The first of his eventual 8,833 career victories came a month later, on April 20, aboard a racer named Shafter V, at the Golden Gate Fields in Albany, California. In 1951, he won the George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award. At the age of 19, he was making so much money (as much as $2,500 each week) that Los Angeles Superior Court appointed attorney Horace Hahn as his guardian, with the consent of his parents"

[@roshakasravi1989]

How does little, but very big guy win 8,833 rides. That's AMAZING ! Shoemaker .ist of had NERVES OF STEEL. Old timers tall about "seeing John Henery" Wish I could of tail skimming photo finish seen WILLIE, riding o JOHN HENERY,OR

[@Caroni100]

Cita de Wikipedia, la enciclopedia libre: "Conocido cómo ´Bill´, ´Willie´y Él Zapato´, William Lee shoemaker nació en el pueblo de Fabens, Texas. Pesando 2.5 libras (1.1 kilogramos) Shoemaker era tan pequeño cuando nació que no se esperaba que sobreviviera a la noche. Puesto en una caja de zapatos en el horno para mantenerlo tibio, sobrevivió, pero se mantuvo pequeño, creciendo hasta 4 pies 11 pulgadas (1,50 metros) y pesando sólo 105 libras (47,6 kilogramos)"

[@mikeyates7931]

I'm tempted to say that , The Shoe was the greatest Jockey of his generation , but considering the length of his storied career , he was actually the greatest Jockey of a couple of generations - he was a great Jockey , but an even better Man

[@apbiggins8mm]

I new one other great jockey didn't win as many or rode as many but he sure had the balls unfortunately cancer took him I'll never forget him Weldon cloninger Jr great jockey and a better friend

[@Caroni100]

"Se necesitó un gran jiente para implantar el récord, y se necesitó un jinete más grande para romperlo" Fueron las palabras de Johnny Longden el día que Bill Shoemaker ganó su carrera número 6,033 en 1970

[@Caroni100]

Bill Shoemaker fue (y sigue siendo) el jinete más viejo en ganar el Derby de Kentucky. Tenía 54 años cumplidos cuando obtuvo la victoria en el Clásico de 1986, a lomos de Ferdinand.

[@davidrosado9642]

THE SHOE WAS MY IDOL. I USED TO BE A JOCKEY AND MY BROTHER NAMED ME WILLY SHOELACE.THAT WAS IN THE 60'S. I OWNED RACEHORSES AND NOW I'M A JUDGE IN RACES. RACING HAS BEEN GOOD TO ME. THANK GOD FOR HORSES!

[@robersire]

Several times I saw Willie hanging out with Victure Mature. That was quite a comparison.

[@roshakasravi1989]

Never saw him but on KZbin only ... I knew about his auto wreak .. life is soo unfair at times. For all of us this is true, but especially for a guy like Shoemaker to have overcome that second wreak while on filly ... than a auto wreak !?! Had too of been very hard on him.

[@roshakasravi1989]

Too much risk or just fate ?

[@lindawild6568]

NO ONE LIKE HIM EVER!

[@lindawild6568]

🐎🪙⚘️⚘️🐎

[@cherylgruver3285]

GOAT

[@Caroni100]

Cita de Wikipedia, la enciclopedia libre: "Su carrera cómo jinete empezó en sus años de adolescencia. con su primera monta profesional el 19 de Marzo de 1949. La primera de sus 8,833 victorias vino un mes después: el 20 de Abril a lomos del caballo Shafter V, en el Hipódromo Golden Gate Fields en Albany, Californai. En 1951, Shoemaker ganó el Premio ´George Wolff Memorial´. A la edad de 19, estaba ganando tanto dinero (unos US$ 2.500,00 por semana) que la Corte Superior de Los Ángeles nombró al fiscal Horace Hanh cómo su representante, previo consentimiento de sus padres"

[@josephgeorge7385]

i watched him ride at the fairgrounds one of the greats.

[@pharlap9]

Love Shoemaker......9 out of 10 times it's the jockey that gives the horse a chance of winning! Anyone remember the jockey on SmartyJones, he's the 1 in 10.

[@josegallegos175]

Stewart elliot and a good jockey but no shoe!

[@jock4hire]

Stewart Elliot

[@leealexander3507]

The best thoroughbred I ever owned was by Gallant Man out of Happy Cat. Maybe his dam was named Happy Kitten. I would have to dig out his papers and look. That was a long time ago.

[@Caroni100]

William Lee "Bill" Shoemaker ( 19 de Agosto, 1931 - 12 de Octubre, 2003) * Estatura: 1,51 mts * Peso: 44 kilos * 40.350 Salidas * 8.833 Primeros * 6.136 Segundos * 4.987 Terceros * $ 123.375.624 ganados * Jinete Campeón por Dinero Ganado en Estados Unidos 1951, 1953, 1953, 1954, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964 * Jinete Campeón por Carreras ganadas en Estados Unidos 1950, 1953, 1954, 1958, 1959 * Premio George Woolf Memorial Jockey 1951 * Premio Big Sport Turfdom 1969 * Premio Eclipse al Jinete del Año 1981 * Premio Eclipse al Mérito 1981 * Premio Mike Venezia Memorial 1990 * Exaltado al Museo Nacional de las Carreras y Salón del Fama en 1958 * Exaltado al Salón de la Fama del Hipódromo Fair Grounds, Louisiana en 1971 * Clásico Shoemaker Mile en Hollywood Park desde 1990 * Busto a escala 1:1 en el Hipódromo Santa Anita Park * Saludos desde Venezuela William Lee "Bill" Shoemaker (August 19, 1931 - October 12, 2003) * Height: 4 feet 11 inches * Weight: 97 pounds * 40.350 Starts * 8.833 Wins * 6.136 Seconds * 4.987 Thirds * $ 123.375.624 earned * 1951, 1953, 1953, 1954, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964 United States Champion Jockey by earnings * 1950, 1953, 1954, 1958, 1959 United States Champion Jockey by Wins * George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award 1951 * Big Sport Turfdom Award 1969 * Eclipse Award for Outstanding Jockey 1981 * Eclipse Award of Merit 1981 * Mike Venezia Memorial Award 1990 * Inducted to The National Musueum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1958 * Inducted to Fair Grounds Racing Hall of Fame in 1971 * Shoemaker Mile Stakes at Hollywood Park since 1990 * Lifesize bust at Santa Anita Park * Greetings from Venezuela

[@cherylgruver3285]

Johnny Longden

[@Caroni100]

Fue una verdadera lástima que poco después de retirarse, Bill Shoemaker quedara tetrapléjico en un absurdo accidente de tránsito ¡Y todo porque al parecer tomó unos tragos de más en el Club de Golf a donde solía acudir en sus ratos libres!

[@wbarn007]

Dang right I saw him ride his last ride 🙏✝️🙏

[@roshakasravi1989]

Wow ! 🐎🥕💗 STRATRIOUS & FRANKIE ! ... boggy grass too...

[@edwinhowell8044]

SHOEMAKER .WELLIE will POWER DID NOT FEAR DEATH, THAT'S A JOCKEY CONGRATULATIONS ONE IN A THRILLEN

[@watchgoose]

God give him rest.

[@hbunkley]

Secretariat

[@Williamjgary]

He is my godfather. My first name is William, named after him !

[@ottohenninger8954]

His legacy is marred by his drunken driving accident that left him a quadriplegic he never took responsibility he was never prosecuted because he got a worse punishment than any court could ever give life long paralysis.

[@jonhaynes1577]

Who makes you the judge of someone's punishment? Your just a sinner like everyone else in this life

[@nogames8982]

Ferdinand ended up at a slaughterhouse in Japan. What a reward for Kentucky Derby winner.

[@duquettebeats6312]

He looks like ken desourmeax father lol

[@deborahbodner4022]

T

[@laylaasaharrissec7055]

The discreet lake macropharmacologically present because composition findingsinitially fasten circa a axiomatic view. testy, uppity eye

[@weldonwenturine3395]

Please enlighten me about this post? I’m curious

[@SOULRELIEF22]

We are ONLY BORN to fall in LOVE with JESUS, THEN go HOME to live with HIM FOREVER! ALLELUIA! 🙏🙌

[@SOULRELIEF22]

St John 3:16! 💞 JESUS is RETURNING SOON! ALLELUIA! 🙏🙌 "And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire." Revelation 20:15! REPENT and RECEIVE JESUS as your LORD and SAVIOUR to have your name secured in His Book of Life! Time is winding up

[@SOULRELIEF22]

JESUS has prepared GLORIFIED bodies for us like HE has, to live in with HIM FOREVER! "Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is." 1 John 3:2! 1 Corinthians 15 explains how we are seeds right now, and we will be changed into immortal bodies to spend our lives in ETERNITY! Mr Shoemaker lived a VICTORIOUS life! He will CONTINUE to be victorious in ETERNITY if He loved JESUS! GOD OBVIOUSLY helped him! 🙏🙌💞