Roscoe Troxler (June 15, 1883 - July 7, 1976) 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 ...

in the sport of thoroughbred horse racing who began riding in his early teens and by age fifteen was making an impression competing at the Crescent City Jockey Club's Fair Grounds Race Course in

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

. He was born in

Nashville Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...

in 1883 and was orphaned by the age of 10. He rode for and was apprenticed by T.P. Hayes, the owner of

Donerail Donerail (1910 – after 1918) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse that was the upset winner of the 1913 Kentucky Derby. His win stands as the biggest longshot victory in the history of the Kentucky Derby. Going off at 91–1, Donerail provi ...

. He went on to ride for another two decades during which time he had two mounts 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 ...

, winning in 1906 aboard

Sir Huon Sir Huon (foaled 1903 in Kentucky) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse that was the winner of the 1906 Kentucky Derby and Latonia Derby. Sir Huon was named after a character in the German opera Oberon and was bred at George J. Long's stud fa ...

and finishing second on Governor Gray in 1911. Troxler won his second American Classic in 1913, capturing the

Belmont Stakes The Belmont Stakes is an American Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbreds run at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. It is run over 1.5 miles (2,400 m). Colts and geldings carry a weight of ; fillies carry . The race, nicknamed Th ...

with H. P. Whitney's Prince Eugene in which he set a new track record of 2:18 flat for one and three-eighths miles. Recognized for his ability to handle inexperienced two-year-olds, Roscoe Troxler rode at tracks across the United States as well as the 1916-17 winter meet at Agua Caliente Racetrack in

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Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

where he had victories with nineteen of his fifty-seven mounts for a 33% winning percentage.

As a trainer

Roscoe Troxler retired from riding in 1920 after seriously injuring himself in a fall at

Pimlico Race Course Pimlico Race Course is a thoroughbred horse racetrack in Baltimore, Maryland, most famous for hosting the Preakness Stakes. Its name is derived from the 1660s when English settlers named the area where the facility currently stands in honor of Ol ...

. He then worked as a trainer until retiring in 1953. As a trainer, he enjoyed his best success with El Mono in 1948 at Florida's Hialeah Park Race Track. A four-year-old colt owned by Daniel Lamont of Altoona, Pennsylvania, El Mono won the McLennan Handicap and then the Widener Handicap in track record time beating U.S. Triple Crown Champion and future

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 ...

inductee

Assault An assault is the act of committing physical harm or unwanted physical contact upon a person or, in some specific legal definitions, a threat or attempt to commit such an action. It is both a crime and a tort and, therefore, may result in crim ...

plus another Hall of Fame inductee, Armed. Thoroughbred racing was a way of life for Roscoe Troxler and in his nineties he was still working six days a week as a steward's aide at racetracks in the South Florida metropolitan area.''Palm Beach Daily News'' - April 24, 1974
/ref> He retired in May 1976, a few weeks before his ninety-third birthday and died at his home in

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

on July 7.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Troxler, Roscoe 1883 births 1976 deaths American jockeys Sportspeople from Miami Sportspeople from Nashville, Tennessee