Joseph A. Notter (June 21, 1890 - April 10, 1973) was an American Hall of Fame

Champion A champion (from the late Latin ''campio'') is the victor in a challenge, contest or competition. There can be a territorial pyramid of championships, e.g. local, regional / provincial, state, national, continental and world championships, a ...

jockey and winner of two of the American Classic Races. A native of

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, Joe Notter rode prominently in the first decades of the 20th century. Statistics from his racing career as a jockey are limited but it is known that he was working as a stable boy at age ten and was riding and winning at age thirteen. He developed a reputation as a good handler of young horses and rode winners in several important stakes races for two-year-old horses including three wins in the important Hopeful Stakes. During his career, Joe Notter rode U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductees Maskette and Colin for owner James R. Keene plus

Regret Regret is the emotion of wishing one had made a different decision in the past, because the consequences of the decision were unfavorable. Regret is related to perceived opportunity. Its intensity varies over time after the decision, in regard ...

and Whisk Broom II for

Harry Payne Whitney Harry Payne Whitney (April 29, 1872 – October 26, 1930) was an American businessman, thoroughbred horse breeder, and member of the prominent Whitney family. Early years Whitney was born in New York City on April 29, 1872, as the eldest son ...

. 1908 would be Notter's most successful earnings year when he won purses totalling $464,322 which smashed the existing record and remained unmatched for another fifteen years. Aboard Colin in the 1908 Belmont Stakes, Notter misjudged the finish line and eased the horse up. At the time, he was six lengths in front and still won by a head over the onrushing Fair Play. In the 1957 Kentucky Derby, jockey

Bill Shoemaker William Lee Shoemaker (August 19, 1931 – October 12, 2003) was an American jockey. For 29 years he held the world record for total professional jockey victories. Early life Referred to as "Bill", "Willie," and "The Shoe", William Lee Sho ...

would make the same mistake with

Gallant Man Gallant Man (March 20, 1954 – September 7, 1988) was a thoroughbred racehorse, named for a horse in a Don Ameche movie. He was one of the most successful racehorses foaled outside the United States with his near miss in the 1957 Kentuck ...

and lose the race. In 1913 Notter became the first jockey to win the New York Handicap Triple when he rode Whisk Broom II to victory in the Metropolitan, Suburban and Brooklyn Handicaps. He rode in the Kentucky Derby three times, winning it in 1915 aboard

, the first filly to ever win the Classic, and took second place in 1918 on the Woodburn Stud colt, Escoba. Notter competed 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 ...

only once, finishing twelfth in the 1910 edition. Notter battled weight problems and after 1908 limited himself to dieting enough to be able to ride in selected stakes races. He retired in 1923 having won fifty-six important stakes races then turned to training for a time before working as a racing official. Joe Notter was inducted in the United States' Racing Hall of Fame in 1963.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Notter 1890 births 1973 deaths American jockeys American Champion jockeys American horse trainers United States Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame inductees Sportspeople from Brooklyn