Samuel Anthony Boulmetis Sr. (February 17, 1927 - May 30, 2021) was an American thoroughbred horse racing

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 ...

who was inducted into 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 ...

in 1973. The Hall's induction biography says that "His peers described him as an honest and intelligent rider, qualities he later demonstrated as a racing official and state steward for New Jersey." Born in

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore was d ...

, the son of a Greek tailor, Sam Boulmetis began his involvement in the

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 ...

industry as a stable hand at Laurel Park Racecourse in Laurel, Maryland. He began riding professionally in late 1948 and earned his first win in 1949 at Garden State Park then went on to win that year's riding championship at Monmouth Park Racetrack. He repeated as the leading jockey at Monmouth Park in 1953, 1955, and 1956. The winner of numerous important races, Boulmetis won the Arlington Classic twice and the prestigious

Washington, D.C. International Stakes The Baltimore Washington International Turf Cup is an American Grade III invitational horse race run over one mile. Inaugurated in 1952, it was raced at Laurel Park Racecourse on the turf in Laurel, Maryland, at a distance of miles (12 furlongs ...

and Canadian International Stakes, forerunners to the Breeders' Cup races which drew the best horses to the United States and Canada from around the world. For owner Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney, he rode Fisherman in the 1956 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp Racecourse in Paris, France. Among the other notable horses he rode was Hall of Fame inductee Tosmah with whom he won seven stakes races. In the 1955 Massachusetts Handicap, Boulmetis rode Helioscope to a track record time of 2:01 for 1¼ miles on dirt, unbroken as of 2008. Throughout his career Sam Boulmetis raced primarily at tracks on the

East Coast of the United States The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, the Atlantic Coast, and the Atlantic Seaboard, is the coastline along which the Eastern United States meets the North Atlantic Ocean. The eastern seaboard contains the coa ...

. He retired from riding after the 1966 season and in 1969 was appointed a steward at Monmouth Park Racetrack in Oceanport, New Jersey. He retired in 2004 from his duties as a racing official and state steward for the

State of New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware Ri ...

. His son, Sam Boulmetis Jr., followed in his footsteps, becoming a professional jockey in 1973 and riding until 1981 when a racing accident left him paralyzed from the waist down. Sam Jr. is now a steward at

Philadelphia Park Racetrack Parx Casino and Racing (formerly Philadelphia Park Racetrack and Casino) is a thoroughbred horse racing venue and the largest casino gaming complex in Pennsylvania. Parx is located in Bensalem Township in Bucks County, northeast of the city of P ...

. Sam Boulmetis' nephew is jockey Tony Black.

References

Sam Boulmetis Sr. at the United States National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame

* [http://www.thoroughbredtimes.com/national-news/2004/May/31/Edwards-succeeds-Boulmetis-as-steward-at-Monmouth.aspx May 31, 2004 ''Thoroughbred Times'' article titled ''Edwards succeeds Boulmetis as steward at Monmouth'']

{{DEFAULTSORT:Boulmetis, Sam Sr. 1927 births 2021 deaths American jockeys United States Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame inductees Sportspeople from Baltimore American people of Greek descent