Edward J. Delahoussaye (born September 21, 1951) is a retired American

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 ...

jockey from

New Iberia New Iberia (french: La Nouvelle-Ibérie; es, Nueva Iberia) is the largest city in and parish seat of Iberia Parish in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The city of New Iberia is located approximately southeast of Lafayette, and forms part of the Laf ...

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

. He began his career in 1968 and ten years later became the top American jockey with 384 wins. He has won the Kentucky Derby in two consecutive years, riding Gato Del Sol in 1982 and

Sunny's Halo Sunny's Halo (February 11, 1980 – June 3, 2003) was a Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 1983 Kentucky Derby. In 1986, Sunny's Halo was inducted into the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame. Background Foaled at Oshawa, Ontario, Sunny's Halo wa ...

in 1983 after finishing second in the 1981 Derby. In addition to his wins at the Kentucky Derby, he won the 1988

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 ...

and the 1988 and 1992 Belmont Stakes as well as seven

Breeders' Cup The Breeders' Cup World Championships is an annual series of Grade I Thoroughbred horse races, operated by Breeders' Cup Limited, a company formed in 1982. From its inception in 1984 through 2006, it was a single-day event; starting in 2007, ...

races. Eddie Delahoussaye was awarded the

George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award The George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award has been presented by Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California, annually since 1950 to the thoroughbred horse racing jockey in North America who demonstrates high standards of personal and professional condu ...

in 1981. He 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 Un ...

in 1991 and in 1993 into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame. He retired from horse racing in January 2003 as a result of injuries to his head and neck suffered in a fall at

Del Mar Racetrack The Del Mar Fairgrounds is a event venue in Del Mar, California. The annual San Diego County Fair is held here, which was called the Del Mar Fair from 1984 to 2001. In 1936, the Del Mar Racetrack was built by the Thoroughbred Club with foundi ...

. Over his 34-year career, he is the 15th winningest jockey, with 6,384 races won. In terms of monetary winnings, he is also 15th all time, having earned $195,881,170 in his career. In 2006 Delahoussaye wrote the

preface __NOTOC__ A preface () or proem () is an introduction to a book or other literary work written by the work's author. An introductory essay written by a different person is a '' foreword'' and precedes an author's preface. The preface often close ...

to ''Santa Anita Morning Rhapsody'', by photographer-author Karen S. Davis, a book that documents morning thoroughbred racetrack training. "All of the moments that define the morning at Santa Anita are captured in the stunning photography of this book," he wrote. "Morning at Santa Anita racetrack is like no other time or place on earth." Eddie Delahoussaye remains active in the horse racing industry and is a member of the board of directors of the Edwin J. Gregson Foundation and a Commissioner of the Louisiana Racing Commission.

References

Eddie Delahoussaye Retires, About.com

Eddie Delahoussaye at the United States' National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame

Thoroughbred Times 2002 article on Eddie Delahoussaye's election to the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame
* Davis, Karen S., ''Santa Anita Morning Rhapsody'', "Preface" by Eddie Delahoussaye, Highland Press, San Rafael, CA, 2006, .

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Delahoussaye, Eddie Cajun jockeys American jockeys United States Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame inductees 1951 births Living people