Fred William Hooper (October 6, 1897 – August 4, 2000) was an American

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are ...

racehorse owner and

breeder A breeder is a person who selectively breeds carefully selected mates, normally of the same breed to sexually reproduce offspring with specific, consistently replicable qualities and characteristics. This might be as a farmer, agriculturalist, ...

. He was a member of

The Jockey Club The Jockey Club is the breed registry for Thoroughbred horses in the United States and Canada. It is dedicated to the improvement of Thoroughbred breeding and racing and fulfills that mandate by serving many segments of the industry through its s ...

, an honorary director of the

Breeders' Cup The Breeders' Cup World Championships is an annual series of Grade I Thoroughbred horse races, operated by Breeders' Cup Limited, a company formed in 1982. From its inception in 1984 through 2006, it was a single-day event; starting in 2007, ...

, and one of the founders of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association and one of its first presidents.

Early years

Born in

Cleveland, Georgia Cleveland is a city in White County, Georgia, located northeast of Atlanta and southeast of Chattanooga, Tennessee. Its population was 3,410 at the 2010 census (up from 1,907 in 2000). It is the county seat of White County. Cleveland is home to ...

, Hooper quit school in the eighth grade and worked as a schoolteacher, a carpenter, a riveter, a prizefighter and a potato farmer. He would make his fortune in the heavy construction business. He bought near

Montgomery, Alabama Montgomery is the capital city of the U.S. state of Alabama and the county seat of Montgomery County. Named for the Irish soldier Richard Montgomery, it stands beside the Alabama River, on the coastal Plain of the Gulf of Mexico. In the 202 ...

and started breeding champion

Hereford cattle The Hereford is a British breed of beef cattle originally from Herefordshire in the West Midlands of England. It has spread to many countries – there are more than five million purebred Hereford cattle in over fifty nations worldwide. The bre ...

and eventually horses. He later built the Circle H Farm, an horse breeding operation in Ocala, Florida.

Thoroughbred Racing

Hooper won the 1945 Kentucky Derby with his first thoroughbred, Hoop Jr. In his 50 years as a horse-breeder, Hooper bred or raced the winners of more than one hundred stakes races. Among his other notable horse were U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductees Precisionist and

Susan's Girl Susan's Girl (1969–October 18, 1988) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse, bred and owned by Fred W. Hooper. She was the first American filly to earn over $1,000,000. Racing career Racing as a two-year-old in 1971, Susan's Girl came up agains ...

. In 1975 and again in 1982, Fred Hooper was voted the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Breeder. In 1992, he was voted the

Eclipse Award Of Merit The Eclipse Award of Merit is part of the American Eclipse Awards in Thoroughbred horse racing. The industry's highest honor, it is presented to an individual or entity displaying outstanding lifetime achievement in, and service to, the Thoroughbre ...

, the industry's highest honor. In 1995 he was inducted in the Calder Race Course Hall of Fame. Fred Hooper was responsible for bringing top Latin American riders to the United States. Hall of Fame jockeys Laffit Pincay Jr.,

Braulio Baeza Braulio Baeza (born March 26, 1940) is an American Thoroughbred horse racing Hall of Fame jockey and one of the master Thoroughbred jockeys of our time. In 1963, he was the first Latin American jockey to win the Kentucky Derby. Baeza began his ra ...

, and

Jorge Velásquez Jorge Velásquez (born December 28, 1946 in Chepo, Panama) is a thoroughbred horse racing Hall of Fame jockey. Jorge Velasquez's career in thoroughbred racing began in his native Panama but as a teenager moved to the United States. In 1967 he won ...

all got their start with him.

Death

Hooper died at the age of 102 in Ocala, Florida. The Fred W. Hooper Handicap at

Gulfstream Park Gulfstream Park, owned by The Stronach Group, is a Thoroughbred race track, casino and outdoor entertainment and shopping destination in Hallandale Beach, Florida. Thoroughbred horse racing occurs year-round, defined by three distinct race meets ...

is named in his honor.

References

* * Bowen, Edward L. '' Legacies of the Turf: A Century of Great Thoroughbred Breeders'' (2003) Eclipse Press {{DEFAULTSORT:Hooper, Fred W. 1897 births 2000 deaths American centenarians Men centenarians American racehorse owners and breeders Owners of Kentucky Derby winners Eclipse Award winners People from Cleveland, Georgia

Early years

Thoroughbred Racing

Death

See also

References