Francis O'Neill (1886–1960) was an American

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 ...

jockey who won top

stakes races A stake is a large wooden or metal implement designed to be driven into the ground and may refer to: Tools * Archer's stake, a defensive stake carried by medieval longbowmen * Survey stakes, markers used by surveyors * Sudis (stake) (Latin for " ...

in the United States but whose career was cut short by the catastrophic impact of the

Hart–Agnew Law The Hart–Agnew Law was an anti-gambling bill passed into law by the Legislature of the State of New York on June 11, 1908. It was an amalgam of bills enacted as Chapter 506 and 507 which were sponsored by conservative Assemblyman Merwin K. Har ...

anti-betting legislation. He had no choice but to find work in Europe and in 1908, he and trainer Fred Burlew went to race in Europe from a base in France where they had much success. O'Neill won three

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

and four

French Classic Races The French Classic Races are a series of Group One Thoroughbred horse races run annually on the flat. The races were instituted in the nineteenth century, taking the British Classic Races as a model. In the original scheme, one race, the Poule d' ...

and was the annual Champion Rider in France eleven times in fourteen years. Among notable owners, O'Neill rode for the American

William Kissam Vanderbilt William Kissam Vanderbilt I (December 12, 1849 – July 22, 1920) was an American heir, businessman, philanthropist, and horse breeder. Born into the Vanderbilt family, he managed his family's railroad investments. Early life William Kissam Vand ...

and French owner Baron Edouard A. de Rothschild.

References

1886 births 1960 deaths American jockeys British jockeys French jockeys United States Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame inductees People from Harvey County, Kansas {{US-horseracing-bio-stub