Conn McCreary

Conn McCreary
Occupation	Jockey
Born	June 17, 1921 Rush Tower, Missouri, U.S.
Died	June 29, 1979
Career wins	1,263
Major racing wins, honours and awards
Major racing wins
Alabama Stakes (1941, 1943) Blue Grass Stakes (1941, 1949) Breeders' Futurity Stakes (1941) Clark Handicap (1941, 1949) Ladies Handicap (1941, 1943, 1951) Cowdin Stakes (1942, 1951) Fall Highweight Handicap (1942, 1956) Hopeful Stakes (1942) Sanford Stakes (1942, 1945, 1954) Schuylerville Stakes (1942) Spinaway Stakes (1942) Jockey Club Gold Cup (1943, 1958) Pimlico Futurity (1943) Peter Pan Stakes (1943) Queens County Handicap (1943, 1945) Saratoga Special Stakes (1943) Test Stakes (1943, 1949) Tremont Stakes (1943, 1945) Acorn Stakes (1944, 1956) Black-Eyed Susan Stakes (1944) Coaching Club American Oaks (1944) Hanshin Cup Handicap (1944) Adirondack Stakes (1945) San Juan Capistrano Handicap (1945) Travers Stakes (1945) Diana Handicap (1946, 1947, 1954, 1956) Monmouth Handicap (1946) Aqueduct Handicap (1947) Massachusetts Handicap (1947) Metropolitan Handicap (1948) Ashland Stakes (1949) Ben Ali Handicap (1949, 1953) Molly Pitcher Handicap (1951) Vosburgh Stakes (1951, 1954) Dwyer Stakes (1952) Matron Stakes (1952) Vagrancy Handicap (1952, 1955) Widener Handicap (1952) Arlington Handicap (1953) Lawrence Realization Stakes (1953) Arlington Matron Stakes (1954) Sport Page Handicap (1954, 1956) Washington Park Futurity (1954) Discovery Handicap (1955) Arlington Classic (1957) Withers Stakes (1957) Brooklyn Handicap (1959) American Classic Race wins: Kentucky Derby (1944, 1951) Preakness Stakes (1944, 1952)
Honours
United States' Racing Hall of Fame (1974)
Significant horses
Princequillo, Pensive, Devil Diver, Armed, Twilight Tear, Stymie, Count Turf, Blue Man, Searching

Conn N. McCreary (June 17, 1921 - June 29, 1979) was a United States Hall of Fame jockey and trainer in Thoroughbred horse racing who won four American Classic Races.

Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Conn McCreary began his professional career in 1937 and got his first win the next year at Chicago's Arlington Park. In 1941 he earned the first of his many important wins when he rode Our Boots to victory in the Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland Race Course over the heavily-favored Whirlaway. In the ensuing Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes, McCreary and Our Boots finished eighth and third respectively to winner Whirlaway who went on to win the U.S. Triple Crown with a victory in the Belmont Stakes. Three years later aboard the Calumet Farm colt, Pensive, McCreary himself came within a few feet of winning the U.S. Triple Crown. After victories in the Derby and Preakness, he finished second by a half a length to William Ziegler, Jr.'s colt, Bounding Home. In 1951, McCreary won his second Kentucky Derby with 14:1 outsider, Count Turf then the following year won his second Preakness Stakes with Blue Man.

A fan favorite for the drama of his come-from-behind tactics, Conn McCreary won numerous Graded stakes races at tracks across the United States including prestige events such as the San Juan Capistrano, Blue Grass Stakes, Jockey Club Gold Cup and Travers Stakes. Among the top quality horses he rode were four Hall of Fame inductees, Devil Diver, Armed, Bric A Bac, and Stymie.

Retired from riding in 1960, Conn McCreary took up training for a time. He then worked as a publicity agent for a racetrack before becoming the manager of Golden Hawk Farm in Ocala, Florida where he was employed at the time of his death in 1979.

Conn McCreary was inducted in the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1974.

References

• Conn McCreary at the United States' National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame
• Conn McCreary's Kentucky Derby charts