Emory Lavelle "Buddy" Ensor (April 27, 1900 – November 13, 1947) 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 ...

Hall of Fame A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or Wiktionary:fame, fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actu ...

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 ...

Biography

A native of

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

, Lavelle Ensor got his first professional riding job in 1918 with future Hall of Fame trainer H. Guy Bedwell. A naturally gifted talent, in 1918 he won a number of important races including the

Coaching Club American Oaks The Coaching Club American Oaks is a race for thoroughbred three-year-old fillies and the second leg of the Triple Tiara of Thoroughbred Racing. Originally run at Belmont Park, the Grade I $500,000 stakes race was moved to Saratoga Race Course in 2 ...

Saratoga Special Stakes The Saratoga Special Stakes is an American grade II thoroughbred horse race run annually in mid-August at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. The race is for two-year-olds willing to race six furlongs on the dirt. With its first ru ...

and the

Potomac Handicap The Potomac Handicap was an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually in the latter part of September at Havre de Grace Racetrack in Havre de Grace, Maryland. Open to three-year-old horses, it was raced on dirt at a distance of a mile-and-a-si ...

when it was held at

Laurel Park Racecourse Laurel Park, formerly Laurel Race Course, is an American thoroughbred racetrack located just outside Laurel, Maryland which opened in 1911. The track is miles in circumference. Its name was changed to "Laurel Race Course" for several decades unt ...

. Within two years he had twice won five races on a single day and in 1920 he led all American jockeys with a 31% winning percentage. Ensor competed in the

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 ...

only twice, his best result a third in 1932 with Liz Whitney's colt, Stepenfetchit. Lavelle Ensor's career was plagued by

alcohol abuse Alcohol abuse encompasses a spectrum of unhealthy alcohol drinking behaviors, ranging from binge drinking to alcohol dependence, in extreme cases resulting in health problems for individuals and large scale social problems such as alcohol-relat ...

and his misconduct eventually led to his suspension by

The Jockey Club The Jockey Club is the breed registry for Thoroughbred horses in the United States and Canada. It is dedicated to the improvement of Thoroughbred breeding and racing and fulfills that mandate by serving many segments of the industry through its s ...

. In the early 1930s he returned to racing for a few years then came back to the track again in 1942. He retired permanently in 1945 with a career 21.1 winning percentage and in 1962 he was inducted posthumously in the

National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame was founded in 1950 in Saratoga Springs, New York, to honor the achievements of American Thoroughbred race horses, jockeys, and trainers. In 1955, the museum moved to its current location on Union Av ...

. Lavelle Ensor was married to Daisy Bennett (1902–1976) and they made their home in

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 ...

. They are buried together in Saratoga Springs's

Greenridge Cemetery Greenridge Cemetery is a historic cemetery in Saratoga Springs, New York. Notable burials * Seymour Ainsworth (1821–1890) * George Sherman Batcheller (1837–1908) * George S. Bolster (1913–1989) * Charles Brackett (1892–1969) * Edgar T. ...

References

External links

Lavelle Ensor at the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame
* *
December 5, 1942 article in ''The New Yorker'' titled ''The Race Track'' by G. F. T. Ryall on Lavelle Ensor's alcoholism and riding comeback
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ensor, Lavelle 1900 births 1947 deaths American jockeys United States Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame inductees Sportspeople from Maryland Alcohol abuse in the United States Burials at Greenridge Cemetery