- Eugene James
Horseracing personalities infobox
name = Eugene James
caption =
occupation =Jockey
birthplace =Louisville, Kentucky ,United States
birth date = 1913
death date = June 10, 1933
career wins = Not found
race =New Orleans Handicap (1931)Mardi Gras Handicap (1931)Kentucky Oaks (1931)Kentucky Derby (1932)Preakness Stakes (1932)
Matron Stakes (1932)
awards =
honours =
horses =Cousin Jo ,Burgoo King
updated = March 27, 2007Eugene James (
1913 -June 10 ,1933 ) was an American Thoroughbred horse racingjockey .Born in
Louisville, Kentucky , James was a very promising young jockey who began racing in 1930 at age seventeen. According to TIME magazine, he "made a sensation" in his first season of racing. Although he didn't start until June, his 138 wins that year ranked him fourth among allNorth America n jockeys. Among his first major wins he guided thefilly Cousin Jo to victory in the 1931Kentucky Oaks .In 1932, Eugene James was the jockey for
Burgoo King , a colt owned by the prominent horseman Col. Edward R. Bradley ofIdle Hour Stock Farm . James rode Burgoo King to victory in both theKentucky Derby andPreakness Stakes . The horse was not entered in theBelmont Stakes .Unfortunately, Eugene James had problems maintaining his weight and suffered from
bulimia that became so severe he had to stop riding. While he was not racing, he was inChicago ,Illinois in June 1933 when the season atArlington Park andHawthorne Race Course was in full swing. During the evening of June 10th, the twenty-year-old James and two friends went to Chicago's popular Oak Street Beach onLake Michigan where he wentswimming , and drowned.Eugene James is buried in the Resthaven Cemetery in Louisville, Kentucky.
References
* [http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,789377-2,00.html June 19, 1933 TIME magazine article on the death of Eugene James]
* [http://www.thoroughbredtimes.com/weekly-feature-articles/2005/May/14/Kentucky-Derby-winning-jockey-has-short-career-mysterious-death.aspx May 14, 2005 Thoroughbred Times comprehensive story on Eugene James]
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.