Did Red the Jockey Ever See His Parents Again
| Red Pollard | |
|---|---|
 Cherry-red Pollard with Seabiscuit | |
| Occupation | Jockey |
| Born | (1909-10-27)October 27, 1909 Edmonton, Alberta, Canada |
| Died | March vii, 1981(1981-03-07) (aged 71) Pawtucket, Rhode Isle |
| Major racing wins | |
| Dade County Handicap (1932) Prince of Wales Stakes (1933) King Edward Gold Loving cup (1933) Agua Caliente Handicap (1934) Governor's Handicap (1936) Bay Bridge Handicap (1936) World's Fair Handicap (1936) Bay Meadows Handicap (1937) Brooklyn Handicap (1937) Yonkers Handicap (1937) Butler Handicap (1937) Massachusetts Handicap (1937) San Juan Capistrano Handicap (1937) San Carlos Handicap (1937) Riggs Handicap (1937) San Antonio Handicap (1940) Santa Anita Handicap (1940) | |
| Honours | |
| Canadian Equus caballus Racing Hall of Fame (1982) | |
| Significant horses | |
| Gallant Sir, Pompoon, Seabiscuit | |
John M. "Red" Pollard (October 27, 1909 – March 7, 1981) was a Canadian horse racing jockey. A founding fellow member of the Jockeys' Order in 1940, Pollard rode at racetracks in the U.s.a. and is best known for riding Seabiscuit.
Family history [edit]
Red Pollard was the grandson of Michael Pollard, built-in ca. 1834 in Republic of ireland. Michael emigrated to New Jersey in 1850, moved to Illinois past 1855, and in 1863 married Irish immigrant Bridget Moloney. They moved to Iowa in 1870, where Red's father, John A., was born in 1875.
John A. immigrated to Edmonton, Alberta, in 1898. Later the turn of the century, he and his brother Frank founded the Pollard Bros Brickyard.
John G. "Red" Pollard was built-in in Edmonton in 1909. He spent his early on years in affluence, only the family brickyard was destroyed when the North Saskatchewan River flooded in 1915, instantly throwing the family into poverty.[1]
Career [edit]
Red Pollard stood 5 ft vii in (1.seventy 1000) and weighed 115 lb (52 kg), which is considered big for a jockey.[one] In 1933, Pollard rode in Ontario at the Fort Erie racetrack. Early in his career, he lost the vision in his correct eye due to a traumatic encephalon injury. This injury occurred when he was hit in the head by a rock thrown up past another horse during a training ride. Because he would not take been immune to ride had the full extent of his injury been known, he kept his vision loss a secret for the rest of his riding career.[2]
Down and out in Detroit in 1936, Pollard was hired by horse trainer Tom Smith to ride Charles Southward. Howard's Seabiscuit.[2] The squad's first stakes win came in the 1936 Governor's Handicap. Pollard and Seabiscuit won numerous important races, including the 1937 Brooklyn Handicap at Onetime Aqueduct Racetrack in New York City, the 1937 Massachusetts Handicap at Suffolk Downs in Boston, and famously lost by a nose at the 1937 Santa Anita Handicap. Pollard and Seabiscuit were considered by most every bit the all-time pairing of race horse and jockey in the US at that time. In 1940, Pollard jockeyed the then seven-yr-old Seabiscuit to a win in the Santa Anita Handicap at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. It was Seabiscuit's last race. Pollard rode Seabiscuit 30 times with 18 wins - all of them stakes or handicaps.
Following the 1940 season, Pollard bought a firm in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. Pollard connected to ride into the 1950s, mostly in New England. Eventually, he became a jockey's valet at Narragansett Park in Rhode Island.[three]
Honors, awards, and portrayals [edit]
In 1982, Pollard was inducted into the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame.
Actor Tobey Maguire portrays Pollard in the 2003 picture show Seabiscuit.[1]
Personal life [edit]
Besides the previously referenced damage to his vision, Pollard was known for other severe injuries that he suffered.[2] In February 1938, Pollard fell while racing on Fair Knightess, another horse owned by Howard. His chest was crushed by the weight of the falling fauna, and his ribs and arm were broken. He had extensive surgery, and nearly did non survive. He recovered, and was working again by the July of the aforementioned year, when he had a compound fracture in his leg from a runaway horse. When he had nearly recovered, while walking the hills of Howard'south manor, he broke his leg again when he stepped into a pigsty. Howard, who idea of Pollard every bit a son, paid for his hospital stays throughout their time together.
While recuperating from his July 1938 injuries, Pollard vicious in love with his nurse, Agnes Conlon.[2] They were married the post-obit year and had two children, Norah and John.
Pollard died on March 7, 1981, in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. He is buried at Notre Dame Cemetery, a mile n of Narragansett Park racetrack, beside his wife.
See likewise [edit]
- List of Canadian sports personalities
References [edit]
- ^ a b c "ESPN.com - Page2 - How existent is the reel Seabiscuit?".
- ^ a b c d "Biography: Cherry Pollard". Seabiscuit . American Experience. WGBH, PBS. 2003. Retrieved November 13, 2012.
- ^ Hillenbrand, Laura (2001). Seabiscuit: An American Legend .
- Hillenbrand, Laura Seabiscuit: An American Fable
- John "Red" Pollard at the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame
External links [edit]
- Red Pollard bio on pbs.org
- Tribute article by Pollard's Daughter
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Pollard