Wayne Danforth Wright (August 21, 1916 – March 11, 2003) was an American Hall of Fame and National Champion

Thoroughbred horse racing Thoroughbred racing is a sport and industry involving the racing of Thoroughbred horses. It is governed by different national bodies. There are two forms of the sport – flat racing and jump racing, the latter known as National Hunt racing in ...

jockey who won all three of the

Triple Crown Triple Crown may refer to: Sports Horse racing * Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing * Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing (United States) ** Triple Crown Trophy ** Triple Crown Productions * Canadian Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing * Tri ...

races in different years. Wayne Wright began riding in his small town of

Rexburg, Idaho Rexburg is a city in Madison County, Idaho, United States. The population was 39,409 at the 2020 census. The city is the county seat of Madison County and its largest city. Rexburg is the principal city of the Rexburg, ID Micropolitan Statist ...

, and by age ten was riding in area fairground races. He began his professional career at age fourteen at a racetrack in

Reno, Nevada Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada-California border, about north from Lake Tahoe, known as "The Biggest Little City in the World". Known for its casino and tourism industry, Reno is the ...

, where he got his first win on July 15, 1931. Soon his skills saw him move to the race with the best on the

New York State New York, officially the State of New York, is a state in the Northeastern United States. It is often called New York State to distinguish it from its largest city, New York City. With a total area of , New York is the 27th-largest U.S. stat ...

racing circuit where in 1934 he was the United States Champion Jockey by earnings and won the first of his three Triple Crown races. In 1936 he again led all American jockeys in earnings, winning stakes races on the U.S. East Coast plus in

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

where he won the West's most prestigious races at

Santa Anita Park Santa Anita Park is a Thoroughbred racetrack in Arcadia, California, United States. It offers some of the prominent horse racing events in the United States during early fall, winter and in spring. The track is home to numerous prestigious races ...

, the

Santa Anita Derby The Santa Anita Derby is an American Grade 1 thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds run each April at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. It is currently run at a distance of miles on the dirt and carries a purse of $400,000. It is one ...

and

Santa Anita Handicap The Santa Anita Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually in early March at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. It is a Grade I race for horses four years old and up and was once considered the most important race for o ...

. In 1939, Wright appeared in the

Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production studio that is a member of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which is one of the Big Five studios and a subsidiary of the mu ...

film, ''Columbia World of Sports: Jockeys Up'' in which future

National Radio Hall of Fame The Radio Hall of Fame, formerly the National Radio Hall of Fame, is an American organization created by the Emerson Radio Corporation in 1988. Three years later, Bruce DuMont, founder, president, and CEO of the Museum of Broadcast Communicati ...

and American Sportscasters Hall of Fame inductee

Bill Stern Bill Stern (July 1, 1907 – November 19, 1971) was an American actor and sportscaster who announced the nation's first remote sports broadcast and the first telecast of a baseball game. In 1984, Stern was part of the American Sportscaster ...

went to Santa Anita Park and spent the day visiting the stables and meeting with several jockeys, trainers, and horses.

Triple Crown wins

At age seventeen, Wayne Wright won his first Classic race, taking the 1934 Belmont Stakes with

Peace Chance Peace Chance (1931 – 1951) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 1934 Belmont Stakes, the third leg of the U.S. Triple Crown series. Peace Chance was bred and raced by Joseph E. Widener and trained by Pete Coyne, who had ...

. The following year he got his best result out his other four Belmont rides when he finished third on Rosemont. Wright had six mounts in the Kentucky Derby, finishing second in 1936 and third in 1935 before winning the race in 1942 aboard

Shut Out Shut Out may refer to: * Shutout, a game in which one team prevents the opposing team from scoring * ''Shut Out'' (album), a 1977 album by Paul Jabara * "Shut Out" (song), a 1977 song by Paul Jabara and Donna Summer * "Shutout", a song by The Walk ...

. Wright got the ride on Shut Out after Greentree Stable's star jockey

Eddie Arcaro George Edward Arcaro (February 19, 1916 – November 14, 1997), was an American Thoroughbred horse racing Hall of Fame jockey who won more American classic races than any other jockey in history and is the only rider to have won the U.S. Triple ...

chose to ride the stable's top colt

Devil Diver Devil Diver (1939–1961) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse. He was twice voted American Champion Older Male Horse. Background Devil Diver was foaled at Mrs. Payne Whitney's Greentree Stable in Lexington, Kentucky. A bay colt by S ...

who finished sixth. Wayne Wright also had six rides in the

Preakness Stakes The Preakness Stakes is an American thoroughbred horse race held on Armed Forces Day which is also the third Saturday in May each year at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. It is a Grade I race run over a distance of 9.5 furlongs () o ...

. In addition to his win in the 1945 Preakness Stakes on Polynesian, of his five other rides he had second-place finishes in 1935 and in 1937.

Aboard two Triple Crown champions

Wayne Wright was recognized as one of the best jockeys in North America and as such two owners and their trainers entrusted their Triple Crown champions to him. In 1935, Wright rode the Triple Crown winner Omaha to a win in the

Dwyer Stakes The Dwyer Stakes is an American Grade III stakes race for three-year-old thoroughbred racehorses held annually at Belmont Park racetrack in Elmont, Long Island, New York. Run in early July, it is open to three-year-old horses and is raced over a ...

and the

Arlington Classic The Arlington Classic Stakes is a Grade III American Thoroughbred horse race for three year old horses over a distance of miles on the turf held annually in late May at Arlington Park race track near Chicago. History The event was inaugurat ...

. In 1937, after Charley Kurtsinger was sidelined with an injury, Wright rode Triple Crown champion

War Admiral War Admiral (May 2, 1934 – October 30, 1959) was a champion American Thoroughbred racehorse who is the fourth winner of the American Triple Crown. He was also the 1937 Horse of the Year and well known as the rival of Seabiscuit in the 'Match ...

to victory in the 1938

Jockey Club Gold Cup The Jockey Club Gold Cup, established in 1919, is a thoroughbred flat race open to horses of either gender three-years-old and up. It has traditionally been the main event of the fall meeting at Belmont Park, just as the Belmont Stakes is of the s ...

Whitney Handicap The Whitney Stakes (run as the Whitney Handicap through 2013 and still sometimes referred to as such) is an American Grade 1 stakes race for Thoroughbred racehorses three years of age and older run at a distance of miles. The current purse is $1, ...

and

Saratoga Cup The Saratoga Cup was an American Thoroughbred horse race open to horses of either sex age three and older although geldings were not eligible from 1865 through 1918. Between 1865 and 1955 it was hosted by Saratoga Race Course, in Saratoga Springs ...

Retirement

Battling weight gains throughout his career, Wayne Wright retired from riding in 1950. He then spent some time training horses until 1956 when he and his wife Nadia purchased an farm next to where his sister lived near

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by metr ...

Smith Valley, Nevada Smith Valley is a census-designated place (CDP) in Lyon County, Nevada, United States. The population was 1,603 at the 2010 census. Geography Smith Valley is located in southwestern Lyon County at (38.819204, -119.355912), occupying the valle ...

. Eighty-six-year-old Wayne Wright died in 2003 in hospital at

Yerington, Nevada Yerington is a city in Lyon County, Nevada, United States. The population was 3,048 at the 2010 census. It is the current county seat of Lyon County, with the first county seat having been established at Dayton on November 29, 1861. It is na ...

. In 2016, Wayne Wright received Thoroughbred racing's highest honor with induction into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame.National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame bio for Wayne D. Wright
Retrieved September 3, 2016

References

External links

March 19, 2003 Obituary for Wayne Wright at ''The Record-Courier'', NevadaMarch 13, 2003 Obituary for Wayne Wright at ''Thoroughbred Times''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wright, Wayne D. 1916 births 2003 deaths American jockeys American Champion jockeys United States Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame inductees People from Rexburg, Idaho People from Lyon County, Nevada