Jean (John) B. LeBlanc (born November 23, 1939 in Rogersville, New Brunswick) is a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

retired

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 ...

in Thoroughbred horse racing. He competed at many of the top racetracks in the United States but for most of his career was based in

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

where he was commonly known as John, the English language translation for his name. LeBlanc is best known for riding Jean-Louis Lévesque's

La Prevoyante La Prevoyante (1970–1974) was a Canadian-bred thoroughbred race horse elected to the Racing Halls of Fame in the United States and Canada. Background La Prevoyante was bred and owned by Jean-Louis Lévesque. Her sire was Buckpasser, a son ...

through an undefeated 1972 campaign in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

. An inductee in both the

Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame The Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame was established in 1976 to honour those who have made a significant contribution to the sport of harness and Thoroughbred horse racing in Canada. It is located at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario. The H ...

and U.S. Racing Hall of Fame, the

filly 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 ...

won all twelve of her starts under LeBlanc en route to be voted the 1972 Eclipse Award as

American Champion Two-Year-Old Filly The American Champion Two-Year-Old Filly is an American Thoroughbred horse racing honor awarded annually to a female horse in Thoroughbred flat racing. It became part of the Eclipse Awards program in 1971. The award originated in 1936 when both t ...

, the National Turf Writers Association's U.S. Horse of the Year and the

Sovereign Award {{refimprove, date=October 2021 The Sovereign Award is given annually since 1975 by the Jockey Club of Canada to the outstanding horses and people in Canadian Thoroughbred racing. The most prestigious award for horses is Sovereign Horse of the Y ...

as the

Canadian Horse of the Year The Canadian Horse of the Year is a thoroughbred horse racing honour given annually since 1951 by the Jockey Club of Canada. It is the most prestigious honour in Canadian thoroughbred horse racing. Part of the Sovereign Awards program since 1975, ...

Canadian and U.S. Triple Crown

A winner of 1,466 races during his career, John LeBlanc was the jockey chosen by trainer Lucien Laurin to ride

Angle Light Angle Light (April 18, 1970 – unknown) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who defeated the champion Secretariat in the 1973 Wood Memorial Stakes. Background Angle Light was bred by Howard B. Noonan and Runnymede Farm and was purchased and ...

, Secretariat's entrymate in the 1973

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 ...

. Among his other career highlights, LeBlanc won four Canadian Triple Crown races, taking back-to-back runnings of the Breeders' Stakes in 1968 and 1969 and the

Prince of Wales Stakes The Prince of Wales Stakes is a Canadian Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Fort Erie Race Track in Fort Erie, Ontario. Restricted to only three-year-old horses bred in Canada, it is contested on dirt over a distance of miles (1.9 km; ...

in 1972 and 1984. In 2006, LeBlanc received the Avelino Gomez Memorial Award, an honor given to a jockey in Canada who has made a significant contribution to the sport of Thoroughbred horse racing.May 25, 2006 Bloodhorse.com article titled "LeBlanc Receives Avelino Gomez Memorial Award"
/ref>

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Leblanc, John B. 1939 births Living people Avelino Gomez Memorial Award winners Canadian jockeys People from Northumberland County, New Brunswick