Wayne D. Wright

Wayne D. Wright
Wayne D. Wright
	Wright, circa 1943
Occupation	Jockey
Born	August 21, 1916; Rexburg, Idaho
Died	March 11, 2003 (aged 86); Yerington, Nevada
Major racing wins
	Belmont Futurity Stakes (1934); Champagne Stakes (1934, 1935); Derby Trial Stakes (1934); Jerome Handicap (1934, 1940); Saranac Handicap (1934); Walden Stakes (1934, 1935); Arlington Classic (1935, 1938); Dwyer Stakes (1935, 1940); Manhattan Handicap (1935); Narragansett Special (1935); Saratoga Cup (1935); Spinaway Stakes (1935); Withers Stakes (1935, 1945); Gazelle Handicap (1936); Santa Anita Derby (1936); Santa Anita Handicap (1936); Laurel Futurity (1937); Maryland Handicap (1937) ; Travers Stakes (1937); Fashion Stakes (1938, 1939); Flash Stakes (1938); Jockey Club Gold Cup (1938); Toboggan Handicap (1938, 1946); Whitney Handicap (1938); Matron Stakes (1940); Wood Memorial (1942); Remsen Stakes (1943); Wilson Stakes (1943); Jersey Handicap (1944, 1946); Comely Stakes (1945); Edgemere Handicap (1945); Great American Stakes (1945); William Penn Stakes (1948) American Classic Race wins:; Kentucky Derby (1942); Preakness Stakes (1945); Belmont Stakes (1934)
Racing awards
	United States Champion Jockey by earnings; (1934, 1936)
Honors
	National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame (2016)
Significant horses
	Blue Peter, Burning Star, Peace Chance, Omaha, Firethorn, Pompoon,; War Admiral, Shut Out, Polynesian

Wayne Danforth Wright (August 21, 1916 – March 11, 2003) was an American Hall of Fame and National Champion Thoroughbred horse racing jockey who won all three of the Triple Crown races in different years.

Wayne Wright began riding in his small town of Rexburg, Idaho, and by age ten was riding in area fairground races. He began his professional career at age fourteen at a racetrack in Reno, Nevada, where he got his first win on July 15, 1931. Soon his skills saw him move to the race with the best on the New York State racing circuit where in 1934 he was the United States Champion Jockey by earnings and won the first of his three Triple Crown races. In 1936 he again led all American jockeys in earnings, winning stakes races on the U.S. East Coast plus in California where he won the West's most prestigious races at Santa Anita Park, the Santa Anita Derby and Santa Anita Handicap.

In 1939, Wright appeared in the Columbia Pictures film, Columbia World of Sports: Jockeys Up in which future National Radio Hall of Fame and American Sportscasters Hall of Fame inductee Bill Stern went to Santa Anita Park and spent the day visiting the stables and meeting with several jockeys, trainers, and horses.^[1]

^ "Columbia World of Sports: Jockeys up (Short 1939) - IMDb".

[1] "Columbia World of Sports: Jockeys up (Short 1939) - IMDb".

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