Oliver Eric Guerin (October 23, 1924 – March 21, 1993) was an American Hall of Fame jockey.
Eric Guerin was born in
Maringouin, Louisiana, in
Cajun
The Cajuns (; French: ''les Cadjins'' or ''les Cadiens'' ), also known as Louisiana ''Acadians'' (French: ''les Acadiens''), are a Louisiana French ethnicity mainly found in the U.S. state of Louisiana.
While Cajuns are usually described as ...
backwater country, twenty-four miles west of
Baton Rouge. He was the son of an impoverished Cajun
blacksmith
A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects primarily from wrought iron or steel, but sometimes from other metals, by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut (cf. tinsmith). Blacksmiths produce objects such as gates, gr ...
. His older cousin Norman Leblanc had become a jockey, then a
horse trainer
A horse trainer is a person who tends to horses and teaches them different disciplines. Some of the responsibilities trainers have are caring for the animals' physical needs, as well as teaching them submissive behaviors and/or coaching them for e ...
, and in 1938 the fourteen-year-old Guerin quit school to go to work for his cousin at the
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.
As early as 1838 Bernard de Marigny, Ju ...
in
. For two years, the teenager cleaned out horse stalls and began learning to ride by exercising horses. He then signed a contract to work for a
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...
businessman's stable, a job that afforded him the opportunity to travel to
racetrack
A race track (racetrack, racing track or racing circuit) is a facility built for racing of vehicles, athletes, or animals (e.g. horse racing or greyhound racing). A race track also may feature grandstands or concourses. Race tracks are also use ...
s around the country. Before long, his contract was sold to another stable owner, a common practise at the time, and Guerin began his career as a
thoroughbred horse racing
Thoroughbred racing is a 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 jump racing, the latter known as National Hunt racing in ...
jockey in 1941 at sixteen at
Narragansett Park
Narragansett Park was an American race track for Thoroughbred horse racing in Pawtucket, Rhode Island.
Beginnings
On May 18, 1934, Rhode Island voters approved a measure legalizing parimutuel betting by an almost 3 to 1 margin. The following day, ...
near
Pawtucket, Rhode Island
Pawtucket is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 75,604 at the 2020 census, making the city the fourth-largest in the state. Pawtucket borders Providence and East Providence to the south, Central Fal ...
. Riding for a top stable proved to be Guerin's big break as a year later he was the United States' leading apprentice jockey. Within a few years, he was a highly regarded jockey on the
East Coast racing circuit and in 1944 was involved in a racing rarity when he was part of a triple
dead heat
A dead heat is a rare situation in various racing sports in which the performances of competitors are judged to be so close that no difference between them can be resolved. The result is declared a tie and the competitors are awarded a joint ra ...
for first place in the Carter Handicap at
Aqueduct Racetrack.
Known for his cool head and steady hand, Guerin was hired by cosmetics magnate
Elizabeth Arden
Elizabeth Arden (born Florence Nightingale Graham; December 31, 1881 – October 18, 1966) was a Canadian-American businesswoman who founded what is now Elizabeth Arden, Inc., and built a cosmetics empire in the United States. By 1929, s ...
to ride for her
Maine Chance Farm
Maine Chance Farm was an American Thoroughbred horse racing stable in Lexington, Kentucky owned by cosmetics tycoon Elizabeth Arden.
Elizabeth Arden raced under the '' nom de course'' "Mr. Nightingale" until 1943 when she adopted the name Main ...
. Teamed up with future Hall of Fame
trainer Tom Smith, he rode
Jet Pilot to victory in the 1947
Kentucky Derby. His reputation soon led to a lucrative contract offer from
Alfred G. Vanderbilt II to join his
Sagamore Stable. There, working with another future Hall of Fame trainer,
Bill Winfrey, Guerin scored numerous important victories, notably with
Champion
A champion (from the late Latin ''campio'') is the victor in a challenge, contest or competition. There can be a territorial pyramid of championships, e.g. local, regional / provincial, state, national, continental and world championships, a ...
fillies
A filly is a female horse that is too young to be called a mare. There are two specific definitions in use:
*In most cases, a ''filly'' is a female horse under four years old.
*In some nations, such as the United Kingdom and the United States, t ...
Bed o'Roses and
Next Move
{{Infobox racehorse
, horsename = Next Move
, image =
, caption =
, sire = Bull Lea
, grandsire = Bull Dog
, dam = Now What
, damsire = Chance Play
, sex = Filly
, foaled = 1947
, country = United States
, colour = Brown
, breed ...
.
In 1952, thoroughbred racing gained a multitude of new fans when the
Kentucky Derby was broadcast on television for the first time. That year, Guerin rode
Native Dancer through an undefeated season with the colt earning the
Eclipse Award
The Eclipse Award is an American Thoroughbred horse racing award named after the 18th-century British racehorse and sire, Eclipse.
An Eclipse Award Trophy is presented to the winner in each division that is made by a few small selected American ...
as Champion 2-year-old and was voted Horse of the Year and American Champion in two of the three major polls. Much publicity surrounded the Sagamore team as the 1953 racing season got under way. For the final prep race leading up to the Kentucky Derby, American fans for the first time were able to watch the live telecast of the
Grade 1
First grade (also called Grade One, called '' Year 2'' in England or Primary 2 in Scotland) is the first grade in elementary school and the first school year after kindergarten. Children are usually 6–7 years old in this grade.
Examples by ...
Wood Memorial Stakes
The Wood Memorial Stakes is an American flat Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds held annually in April at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, Queens, New York. It is run over a distance of 1 1/8 miles (9 furlongs) on dirt. The Wood Memorial ...
. Through the new type of personalized racing coverage that began introducing jockeys to a nationwide audience,
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...
broadcaster
Win Elliott interviewed Guerin after he rode the still-undefeated Native Dancer to victory.
Guerin and Native Dancer appeared invincible as they headed to
Churchill Downs for the first of the
U.S. Triple Crown races. Shocked fans, both in the stands and on television, watched as the colt finished second after being bumped by another horse early in the race. Native Dancer never lost another race and went on to capture the next two legs of the Triple Crown series, the
Preakness Preakness may refer to:
* The Preakness or Preakness Stakes, an American flat thoroughbred horse race held in Baltimore, Maryland
* Preakness (horse), an American thoroughbred racehorse from Preakness Stables
* Preakness, New Jersey, a section of W ...
and
Belmont Stakes. The following year Guerin rode Native Dancer to the
Eclipse Award for Horse of the Year honors, and for himself, made it back-to-back Belmont wins by riding
High Gun
High Gun (foaled 1951 in Kentucky) was an American Champion Thoroughbred racehorse.
Background
His sire, Heliopolis, was a two-time Leading sire in North America. His dam was Rocket Gun whose damsire was Man o' War.
Trainer Max Hirsch purchased ...
to victory in the 1954 classic.
In 1972, Guerin was still riding when he was elected to the
National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame. Three years later, at age fifty-one, after a thirty-four-year career that produced 2,712 winners, he retired. After moving to
Fort Lauderdale, Florida in 1989, Guerin worked as a mutuels clerk at
Calder Race Course and
Gulfstream Park
Gulfstream Park, owned by The Stronach Group, is a Thoroughbred race track, casino and outdoor entertainment and shopping destination in Hallandale Beach, Florida. Thoroughbred horse racing occurs year-round, defined by three distinct race meets ...
.
In 1991, Guerin was inducted into the
Fair Grounds Racing Hall of Fame The Fair Grounds Racing Hall of Fame was created in 1971 by the Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans, Louisiana
Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the Un ...
.
He developed a blood disorder and died of heart complications in 1993 at sixty-eight. His ashes were spread amongst the flower beds in the winner's circle at Gulfstream Park.
Guerin's Hall of Fame contemporary,
Eddie Arcaro
George Edward Arcaro (February 19, 1916 – November 14, 1997), was an American Thoroughbred horse racing Hall of Fame jockey who won more American classic races than any other jockey in history and is the only rider to have won the U.S. Triple ...
, asserted: "There was no better rider than Eric."
Miami Herald – March 22, 1993
/ref>
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Guerin
1924 births
1993 deaths
Cajun jockeys
American jockeys
United States Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame inductees
People from Maringouin, Louisiana