Robert Lee Baird (November 17, 1920 - December 16, 2005) was an American

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 ...

and trainer in

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 ...

and a decorated soldier who served with General Patton’s Third Army in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

with which he landed on

Utah Beach Utah, commonly known as Utah Beach, was the code name for one of the five sectors of the Allied invasion of German-occupied France in the Normandy landings on June 6, 1944 (D-Day), during World War II. The westernmost of the five code-named la ...

D Day The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on Tuesday, 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during World War II. Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as D ...

. Robert Lee Baird was often referred to as "Bobby" and usually recorded in racing sheets as R. L. Baird. His career began in 1937 but would be interrupted for three and a half years of wartime military service during which he was awarded four Purple Hearts. It ended with his retirement in 1982 with 3,749 career wins. For the final three years in racing, Baird worked as a trainer and then as an agent for his son, jockey Edward Thomas Baird who was often recorded as E. T. Baird. Baird rode 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 ...

five times, the last coming in 1978 which made the then fifty-seven-year-old the oldest jockey ever to compete in the first leg of the U. S. Triple Crown series. Also in that race was sixteen-year-old

Steve Cauthen Steve Cauthen (born May 1, 1960) is a retired American jockey. In 1977 he became the first jockey to win over $6 million in a year working with agent Lenny Goodman, and in 1978 he became the youngest jockey to win the U. S. ...

, the youngest jockey to ever ride in the Kentucky Derby who became its youngest winner aboard

Affirmed Affirmed (February 21, 1975 – January 12, 2001) was a champion American Thoroughbred racehorse who is the eleventh winner of the American Triple Crown. Affirmed was well known for his famous rivalry with Alydar, whom he met ten times, includi ...

. In 1975 Baird was inducted into the

Fair Grounds Racing Hall of Fame The Fair Grounds Racing Hall of Fame was created in 1971 by the Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans, Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the Uni ...

.1975 Press Photo Jockey Robert L. Baird Inducted at Fair Grounds Hall of Fame
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Baird, Robert L. 1920 births 2005 deaths United States Army personnel of World War II American jockeys American horse trainers People from New Waverly, Texas