Robert B. Watson (1913–1997) was a

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 ...

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 ...

. He was born in Aberdeen, Scotland, the son of Helen Booth and her husband, Alexander Watson. In his youth, the family emigrated to

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where they settled in the city of

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

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 Alexander Watson became involved in Thoroughbred racing. Alexander's sister, Georgina, married Ross Robertson, and they too emigrated to the

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. Their son, Alfred Robertson, was also a highly successful jockey who was inducted in the U.S. Racing Hall of Fame. In 1937, amidst rumours of race-fixing, Bobby Watson was one several jockeys whose licence was revoked by the Canadian Racing Association for what was deemed to be "suspicious behaviour." Reinstated, in 1939 he began winning important races at

Old Woodbine Race Course Greenwood Raceway (originally Woodbine Race Course) was a horse racing facility in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. History Woodbine Race Course Inaugurated in 1874 as Woodbine Race Course at the foot of Woodbine Avenue and Lake Ontario, it was owned an ...

and, according to his induction biography at the

, "Watson absolutely dominated horse racing in Ontario in the 1940s." Watson won a total of nine of the Classic races that would later form the official Canadian Triple Crown series including all three in 1945 aboard

Uttermost {{Infobox racehorse , horsename = Uttermost , image = , caption = , sire = Soleil Du Midi , grandsire = Teddy , dam = Uppermost , damsire = Cohort , sex = Stallion , foaled = 1942 , country = Canada , colour = Bay , breeder = Harr ...

. As well, he is the only three-time winner of the prestigious

Canadian Championship The Canadian Championship (french: Championnat canadien) is an annual soccer tournament contested by premier Canadian professional teams. The winner is awarded the Voyageurs Cup and Canada's berth in the CONCACAF Champions League. It is contest ...

, doing it in consecutive years. Bobby Watson retired from riding in the 1950s, ending a career that spanned more than 25 years. He served as an Ontario

racing steward In sport, racing is a competition of speed, in which competitors try to complete a given task in the shortest amount of time. Typically this involves traversing some distance, but it can be any other task involving speed to reach a specific goa ...

for the

Jockey Club of Canada The Jockey Club of Canada was formed in 1973 to oversee thoroughbred horse racing in Canada. Based in Toronto, Ontario, the club is responsible for the annual Sovereign Awards program and the Canadian Graded Stakes Committee. Founding members: * C ...

in the 1970s and 1980s.

References

* Cauz, Louis E. ''The Plate'' (1984) Deneau Publishers
Robert Watson at the Canadian Horse Racing and Hall of Fame
{{DEFAULTSORT:Watson, Robert B. 1913 births 1997 deaths Canadian jockeys Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame inductees British emigrants to Canada Sportspeople from Aberdeen Sportspeople from Toronto