Frank Catrone, Jr. (August 12, 1906 – March 7, 1985) was an American

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 t ...

jockey A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing. The word "jockey" originated from England and was used to describe the individual ...

, who is best known for winning the 1965

Kentucky Derby The Kentucky Derby is a horse race held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States, almost always on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The competition is a Grade I stakes race for three-year ...

as a trainer. Catrone stood tall. While selling newspapers at a stand outside

Saratoga Race Course Saratoga Race Course is a Thoroughbred horse racing track located on Union Avenue in Saratoga Springs, New York, United States. Opened in 1863, it is often considered to be the oldest major sporting venue of any kind in the country, but is actua ...

Saratoga Springs, New York Saratoga Springs is a city in Saratoga County, New York, United States. The population was 28,491 at the 2020 census. The name reflects the presence of mineral springs in the area, which has made Saratoga a popular resort destination for over 2 ...

, the diminutive 17-year-old was offered the chance to train to be a jockey by future U.S. Racing Hall of Fame trainer

Sam Hildreth Samuel Clay Hildreth (May 16, 1866 – September 24, 1929) was an American Thoroughbred horse racing Hall of Fame trainer and owner.Texan 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 bo ...

Emerson F. Woodward's Valdina Farms. Among his successes for Valdina, Catrone won the 1942

Derby Trial Stakes The Pat Day Mile Stakes is a Grade II American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds held on dirt over a distance of one mile scheduled on Kentucky Derby Day at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. The current purse is $500,000. History ...

with Valdina Orphan, who then finished third to winner

Shut Out Shut Out may refer to: * Shutout In team sports, a shutout ( US) or clean sheet ( UK) is a game in which one team prevents the other from scoring any points. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as ...

in the

. Following Emerson's death in a May 1943 auto accident, Catrone trained for several owners until 1948 when he was hired by William G. Helis, Sr. whose colt Spartan Valor would be described by Catrone as the best horse he had trained up to that time. By 1964, Catrone was the secondary trainer behind Clyde Troutt for the breeding/racing stable of

Dan and Ada Rice Daniel F. Rice (1896–1975) and his wife Ada L. Rice (1898–1977) were American business people, thoroughbred racehorse owners and breeders, and philanthropists. Dan Rice was educated in the public school system of Chicago, Illinois and spent t ...

. When the Rices decided to race at

Santa Anita Park Santa Anita Park is a Thoroughbred racetrack in Arcadia, California, United States. It offers some of the prominent horse racing events in the United States during early fall, winter and in spring. The track is home to numerous prestigious races ...

over the winter of 1964–65, one of the horses Catrone brought West was a colt named

Lucky Debonair Lucky Debonair (May 2, 1962 – July 10, 1987) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse best known for winning the 1965 Kentucky Derby. Background He was bred by owners Dan and Ada Rice of Wheaton, Illinois at their Danada Farm satellite operation ...

who had made only one start at age two at the

Atlantic City Race Course The Atlantic City Race Course (ACRC), formerly the Atlantic City Race Track, was a Thoroughbred horse race track located in the Mays Landing section of Hamilton Township, in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The track is located off the ...

, where he finished out of the money. In 1965,

gave Catrone his greatest success in racing, winning the

Santa Anita Derby The Santa Anita Derby is an American Grade 1 thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds run each April at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. It is currently run at a distance of miles on the dirt and carries a purse of $400,000. It is on ...

, the

Blue Grass Stakes The Blue Grass Stakes, currently the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes due to sponsorship by the Toyota Motor Corporation, is a horse race for 3-year-old Thoroughbreds held annually in April at Keeneland Racecourse in Lexington, Kentucky. The race is run ...

and the

. In 1966, Lucky Debonair won California's most famous race, the

Santa Anita Handicap The Santa Anita Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually in early March at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. It is a Grade I race for horses four years old and up and was once considered the most important race for old ...

. Catrone continued to train for the Rice stable until Dan Rice died in 1975 and his widow, Ada, disbanded the racing stable.Forest Preserve District of DuPage County article on Dan and Ada Rice titled ''A Thoroughbred Dynasty''
Retrieved July 20, 2017

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Catrone, Frank 1906 births 1985 deaths American jockeys American horse trainers Sportspeople from New Haven, Connecticut