Otto Wonderly (c. 1878 - April 2, 1905) was a Canadian

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are c ...

horse racing Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic p ...

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 ...

from

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 ...

who competed in his native Canada and in the United States where he died from a racetrack accident. Before embarking on a riding career, Wonderly worked as a newsboy for the Grand Trunk Railway. He was riding at a track in

Windsor, Ontario Windsor is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada, on the south bank of the Detroit River directly across from Detroit, Michigan, United States. Geographically located within but administratively independent of Essex County, it is the souther ...

when some prominent Canadian horsemen recognized his natural talent and arranged for him to go to the United States. There, he was placed under contract by

James Ben Ali Haggin James Ben Ali Haggin (December 9, 1822 – September 12, 1914) was an American attorney, rancher, investor, art collector, and a major owner and breeder in the sport of Thoroughbred horse racing. Haggin made a fortune in the aftermath of the Cal ...

, one of America's preeminent horsemen and owner of the renowned Elmendorf Farm in

Lexington, Kentucky Lexington is a city in Kentucky, United States that is the county seat of Fayette County, Kentucky, Fayette County. By population, it is the List of cities in Kentucky, second-largest city in Kentucky and List of United States cities by popul ...

. Haggin paid Wonderly $15,000 for second call on his services for eight months. He would later ride for a

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

based stable and as well would ride in the United States and Canada for leading Canadian owner,

Joseph E. Seagram Joseph Emm Seagram (April 15, 1841 – August 18, 1919) was a Canadians, Canadian Distilled beverage, distillery founder, politician, philanthropist, and major owner of thoroughbred racehorses. Early life Joseph Seagram was born April 15, 1841 at ...

Career highlights

On July 25, 1901, Wonderly won four races in a row on a six-race card at

Fort Erie Racetrack Fort Erie Race Track is a horse racing facility in Fort Erie, Ontario, Canada, that opened on June 16, 1897. The racetrack is often referred to as "the border oval" because of the track's proximity (barely a mile as the crow flies) to the U.S. bo ...

. Another highlight of Wonderly's career came on June 14, 1902 at the

Sheepshead Bay Race Track Sheepshead Bay Race Track was an American Thoroughbred horse racing facility built on the site of the Coney Island Jockey Club at Sheepshead Bay, New York. Early history The racetrack was built by a group of prominent businessmen from the New Yo ...

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

when he won the most prestigious race in the United States for horses of all ages. For owners Fred C. McLewee and Diamond Jim Brady, Wonderly captured the famous

Suburban Handicap The Suburban Stakes is an American Grade II Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. Open to horses age three and older, it is now run at the mile distance on dirt for a $700,000 purse. Named after the City and Su ...

aboard Gold Heels in race record time on an off track in front of more than 50,000 spectators.

Death

Riding freelance in 1905, on April 1 Wonderly was exercising a horse at Montgomery Park Race Track in Memphis, Tennessee when he was thrown to the ground that caused severe head injuries. He passed away the following day St. Joseph's Hospital. His body was shipped to his family in

London, Ontario London (pronounced ) is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada, along the Quebec City–Windsor Corridor. The city had a population of 422,324 according to the 2021 Canadian census. London is at the confluence of the Thames River, approximate ...

for interment.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wonderly, Otto Canadian jockeys American jockeys Jockeys who died while racing Sports deaths in Tennessee Sportspeople from Ontario Canadian emigrants to the United States 1870s births 1905 deaths Year of birth uncertain