George Woolf was one of the most highly acclaimed horse racing jockeys in his era. He was inducted into numerous honorary institutions after his death, including the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame, the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, and Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame. He passed away in 1946 due to a racing accident.
The Racing Career of George Woolf
George Woolf was nicknamed “The Iceman” by his fans and other horse racing jockeys because he was so patient in waiting for the perfect moment to spur his horse on and because he was so calm before even the most important horse racing events.
He was born to horse people, with his mother having been a trick rider in a circus while his father competed in rodeos. Thus, he learned to ride when he was a child and began competing in various horse races as a teenager in Alberta and Montana.
He began his professional Canadian and American Thoroughbred horse racing career in 1928, with his first race being in Vancouver. He raced for a short time in Tijuana, Mexico and then moved to Arcadia, California, where he would race for the remainder of his life.
Bad Luck
Santa Anita Park became his home base and he soon became one of the leading horse jockeys of his era. While gaining a reputation as one of the best horse racing jockeysin American thoroughbred horse racing, Woolf discovered he had type 1 diabetes. Luckily, the discovery of insulin a few years earlier ensured that this diagnosis would not be fatal. However, he did have to regulate his weight in such a way that he wasn’t forced to lose weight quickly, which would have affected his ability to manage his condition.
Because he was so successful, he only accepted a few mounts every week, so that he only rode in 150 to 200 American thoroughbred horse racing events per year, compared to the thousands other horse racing jockeys took part in. Despite a short career and running so few races, George Woolf came in victorious in 97 important stakes races throughout the U.S., including the American Derby, the Belmont Futurity Stakes, and the Hollywood Gold Cup Stakes.
Gorge Woolf made history when he won the first $100,000 American Thoroughbred horse racing event—the Santa Anita Handicap—in 1935 on Azucar. He also won the Preakness Stakes in 1936 and came in second twice at the Kentucky Derby.
However, what George Woolf is most remembered for is his amazing performance in 1938 when riding the people's favorite, Seabiscuit. He listened to advice from Seabiscuit's injured jockey, Red Pollard, which brought him the win against the favorite, War Admiral that was also a U.S. Triple Crown winner. Whenever he was asked, George Woolf always replied that Seabiscuit was the best horse he had ever raced.
The End of George Woolf's Racing Career
George Woolf's American thoroughbred horse racing career came to a close on January 4th, 1946. The day before he was racing at Santa Anita Park, and when he rounded the clubhouse turn, he fell of his mount. The concussion he suffered led to his death the next day. Other horse racing jockeys in the race claimed they didn’t see any event which could have caused the fall, which led people to assume it may have been his diabetes that led to a dizzy spell.
George Woolf was considered one of the best horse racing jockeys in North America. He was loved by his fans and highly respected by his peers, which is why the George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award was created in his honor.
The Racing Career of George Woolf
George Woolf was nicknamed “The Iceman” by his fans and other horse racing jockeys because he was so patient in waiting for the perfect moment to spur his horse on and because he was so calm before even the most important horse racing events.
He was born to horse people, with his mother having been a trick rider in a circus while his father competed in rodeos. Thus, he learned to ride when he was a child and began competing in various horse races as a teenager in Alberta and Montana.
He began his professional Canadian and American Thoroughbred horse racing career in 1928, with his first race being in Vancouver. He raced for a short time in Tijuana, Mexico and then moved to Arcadia, California, where he would race for the remainder of his life.
Bad Luck
Santa Anita Park became his home base and he soon became one of the leading horse jockeys of his era. While gaining a reputation as one of the best horse racing jockeysin American thoroughbred horse racing, Woolf discovered he had type 1 diabetes. Luckily, the discovery of insulin a few years earlier ensured that this diagnosis would not be fatal. However, he did have to regulate his weight in such a way that he wasn’t forced to lose weight quickly, which would have affected his ability to manage his condition.
Because he was so successful, he only accepted a few mounts every week, so that he only rode in 150 to 200 American thoroughbred horse racing events per year, compared to the thousands other horse racing jockeys took part in. Despite a short career and running so few races, George Woolf came in victorious in 97 important stakes races throughout the U.S., including the American Derby, the Belmont Futurity Stakes, and the Hollywood Gold Cup Stakes.
Gorge Woolf made history when he won the first $100,000 American Thoroughbred horse racing event—the Santa Anita Handicap—in 1935 on Azucar. He also won the Preakness Stakes in 1936 and came in second twice at the Kentucky Derby.
However, what George Woolf is most remembered for is his amazing performance in 1938 when riding the people's favorite, Seabiscuit. He listened to advice from Seabiscuit's injured jockey, Red Pollard, which brought him the win against the favorite, War Admiral that was also a U.S. Triple Crown winner. Whenever he was asked, George Woolf always replied that Seabiscuit was the best horse he had ever raced.
The End of George Woolf's Racing Career
George Woolf's American thoroughbred horse racing career came to a close on January 4th, 1946. The day before he was racing at Santa Anita Park, and when he rounded the clubhouse turn, he fell of his mount. The concussion he suffered led to his death the next day. Other horse racing jockeys in the race claimed they didn’t see any event which could have caused the fall, which led people to assume it may have been his diabetes that led to a dizzy spell.
George Woolf was considered one of the best horse racing jockeys in North America. He was loved by his fans and highly respected by his peers, which is why the George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award was created in his honor.
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