Eddie Arcaro Remembered

1916 - 1997

Eddie Arcaro, one of the all-time greatest jockeys, passed away Friday November 14, 1997. There has already been several wonderful articles written to summarize his career which I will link to below, so as a tribute to him I decided to put up a few photos and a video from my collection. Farewell Eddie, we will miss you.

Whirlaway and Eddie in the winner's circle of the 1941 Kentucky Derby

Whirlaway - Eddie Arcaro up

Assault - Eddie Arcaro up

Postcard of Citation and Eddie after winning the Kentucky Derby

Nashua with Eddie up and owner William Woodward, Jr.

Eddie on Nashua after winning the match race with Swaps.
Watch a video of the race optimized for 28.8K or 56K connections. This video was done from an original newsreel film that I own.

Kelso after his first Horse of the Year season with Eddie up.

There were several games put out with Eddie's endorsement. This one is Eddie Arcaro Sweepstakes from 1954.

Fan Remembrances

Stacey Rodriguez
I just wanted to share a memory I have of Eddie Arcaro. When I was in junior high, one of my teachers happened to live next door to Eddie. I wrote up a list of questions (very amateurish), and my teacher gave them to Eddie and asked if he would be kind enough to answer them. He answered each and every one of the questions, regardless of how silly they may have been, and then he signed his name after the final question on the last page. I will always think of him as a man who was generous enough to take the time for a young horse racing fan. I am saddened to hear of his passing.

David Balin
I wanted to share a memory of Eddiie Arcaro, affectionately known as "Banana Nose".

Looking at the posted photo of a cheap claiming race at Belmont Park in 1959 I saw "the master" out over the winning horse's shoulder, extending his whip under the horse's chin to coax his nose to the wire first.

Thanks for the memories Banana Nose.

Lovingly,
David Balin

• Arcaro bio from the Racing Hall of Fame
• Arcaro obituary - from Fallight.com
• Top 100 Athletes of the Century bio - Arcaro is #66 on the list, nice article.
• Jockeys' Guild Leads the Way for Safety - Eddie was one of the founders of the Jockeys' Guild.
• Whirlaway - Eddie's first Triple Crown winner
• Citation - Eddie's second Triple Crown winner
• The Horses of Calumet Farm - Eddie rode many of these horses

All photos from my personal collection.

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