Abigail Fuller (born 1959) is an American retired
Thoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a list of horse breeds, horse breed developed for Thoroughbred racing, horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thorough ...
jockey
A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase (horse racing), steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing. The word "jockey" originated from England and was used ...
who primarily competed between the early 1980s and early 2000s. While competing in
graded stakes race
A graded stakes race is a thoroughbred horse race in the United States that meets the criteria of the American Graded Stakes Committee of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA). A specific grade level (I, II, III or listed) is th ...
s, Fuller won two Grade III events, one Grade II event and four Grade I events. Fuller won the majority of her graded stakes with
Mom's Command
Mom's Command (March 14, 1982 – February 3, 2007) was a multiple Graded stakes race, Grade I-winning American Thoroughbred race horse. In a two-year career, she won eleven of her sixteen races. In 1985, she was voted American Champion Three-Ye ...
between 1984 and 1985. Fuller was the 1985
Filly Triple Crown
The Triple Tiara of Thoroughbred Racing, formerly known as the Filly Triple Crown, is a set of three horse races in the United States which is open to three-year-old fillies. Presently the only official Triple Tiara is the three race series in N ...
champion with her wins at the
Mother Goose Stakes
The Mother Goose Stakes is an American thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old fillies held at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. Raced on dirt in late October, the race currently offers a purse of $250,000. Inaugurated in 1957 at a mile and a s ...
,
Acorn Stakes
The Acorn Stakes is an American Grade I race at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York for three-year-old Thoroughbred fillies. It is raced on dirt over a distance of one mile and a sixteenth with a current purse of $500,000. It is the first leg of the ...
and the
Coaching Club American Oaks
The Coaching Club American Oaks is a race for thoroughbred three-year-old fillies and the second leg of the Triple Tiara of Thoroughbred Racing. Originally run at Belmont Park, the Grade I $500,000 stakes race was moved to Saratoga Race Course i ...
.
Other graded events that Fuller won with Mom's Command were the 1984
Astarita Stakes
The Astarita Stakes was an American Thoroughbred horse race run between 1946 and 2005 at New York's Aqueduct Racetrack in South Ozone Park, Queens and at Belmont Park in Elmont. Open to two-year-old fillies, it was a sprint race contested on di ...
, the 1985
Comely Stakes
The Comely Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually at Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens, New York. Open to three year old fillies, it is raced on dirt over a distance of one mile. The Grade III event offers a purse of $200,000.
...
and the 1985
Alabama Stakes
The Alabama Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race open to three-year-old fillies. Inaugurated in 1872, the Grade I race is run over a distance of one and one-quarter miles on the dirt track at Saratoga Race Course. Held in mid August, i ...
. In 1989, Fuller won the
Seneca Handicap with Fuller's Down as her last graded stakes event victory. During her career, Fuller had 582 wins while collecting over $US5 million in prize winnings.
Early life and education
In 1959 or 1960, Fuller was born in
Boston, Massachusetts
Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
. Growing up, Fuller undertook
horseback riding
Equestrianism (from Latin , , , 'horseman', 'horse'), commonly known as horse riding (Commonwealth English) or horseback riding (American English), includes the disciplines of riding, driving, and vaulting. This broad description includes the u ...
training throughout her childhood and teens.
Career
When Fuller was eighteen years old, Fuller become a
show jumper
Show jumping is a part of a group of English riding equestrian events that also includes eventing, hunters, and equitation. Jumping classes are commonly seen at horse shows throughout the world, including the Olympics. Sometimes shows are li ...
and equestrian teacher. She then worked as a
stable hand
A groom or stable boy (stable hand, stable lad) is a person who is responsible for some or all aspects of the management of horses and/or the care of the stables themselves. The term most often refers to a person who is the employee of a stable ...
before transitioning to horse racing in November 1982. In 1983, Fuller had her first career racing victory at a
Suffolk Downs
Suffolk Downs is a former Thoroughbred race track in East Boston, Massachusetts, United States. The track opened in 1935 after being built by Joseph A. Tomasello for a cost of $2 million. It was sold in May 2017 to a developer who plans to cre ...
event. As an
apprentice jockey, Fuller remained at Suffolk Downs before moving to
Oaklawn Park
Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort, formerly Oaklawn Park Race Track, is an American thoroughbred racetrack and casino in Hot Springs, Arkansas. It is the home to "The Racing Festival of the South", a four-day series of races that concludes with the ...
in early 1984. While in
Arkansas
Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the West South Central region of the Southern United States. It borders Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, Texas to the southwest, and Oklahoma ...
, Fuller went to
Keeneland, Kentucky for a single race before her apprenticeship was to end in August 1984.
Following a third-place finish at the
Frizette Stakes
The Frizette Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race for two-year-old fillies raced annually at Belmont Park in October. It is currently a Grade I stakes race at a distance of one mile. The Frizette is the female counterpart of the Champagn ...
in late 1984,
Gregg McCarron Gregg may refer to:
People
* Gregg (given name), including a list of people with the given name
* Gregg (surname), including a list of people with the surname
Places
* Gregg, Missouri, U.S.
* Gregg County, Texas, U.S.
* Gregg River, Alberta, Canad ...
took Fuller's place at the
Selima Stakes
The Selima Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually at Laurel Park Racecourse in Laurel, Maryland. Raced in late November, it is open to two-year-old fillies and is raced on turf.
History
Inaugurated in 1926, it is named for ...
. When
her father could not find a jockey for the 1985
Hollywood Starlet Stakes
The Starlet Stakes is a Grade II American Thoroughbred horse race for two-year-old fillies run over a distance of one and one sixteenth miles ( furlongs) on the dirt held annually in early December at Los Alamitos Race Course in Cypress, California ...
, he chose Fuller to compete at the race. At Hollywood Starlet, Fuller finished in fifth place. During these two years, Fuller won six
graded stakes race
A graded stakes race is a thoroughbred horse race in the United States that meets the criteria of the American Graded Stakes Committee of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA). A specific grade level (I, II, III or listed) is th ...
s with
Mom's Command
Mom's Command (March 14, 1982 – February 3, 2007) was a multiple Graded stakes race, Grade I-winning American Thoroughbred race horse. In a two-year career, she won eleven of her sixteen races. In 1985, she was voted American Champion Three-Ye ...
ranging from Grade III to Grade I. In Grade II and Grade III events, Fuller won the 1984
Astarita Stakes
The Astarita Stakes was an American Thoroughbred horse race run between 1946 and 2005 at New York's Aqueduct Racetrack in South Ozone Park, Queens and at Belmont Park in Elmont. Open to two-year-old fillies, it was a sprint race contested on di ...
and the 1985
Comely Stakes
The Comely Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually at Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens, New York. Open to three year old fillies, it is raced on dirt over a distance of one mile. The Grade III event offers a purse of $200,000.
...
.
She also had a second-place finish at the 1985
Test Stakes
The Test Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race open to three-year-old fillies and run each summer at the Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. It is contested at a distance of seven furlongs on the dirt and is an influentia ...
during the Grade II event.
At Grade I events, Fuller finished in first at the 1985
Alabama Stakes
The Alabama Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race open to three-year-old fillies. Inaugurated in 1872, the Grade I race is run over a distance of one and one-quarter miles on the dirt track at Saratoga Race Course. Held in mid August, i ...
. That year, Fuller became the
Filly Triple Crown
The Triple Tiara of Thoroughbred Racing, formerly known as the Filly Triple Crown, is a set of three horse races in the United States which is open to three-year-old fillies. Presently the only official Triple Tiara is the three race series in N ...
champion of 1985 with Mom's Command. Her Triple Crown was achieved with her wins at the
Mother Goose Stakes
The Mother Goose Stakes is an American thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old fillies held at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. Raced on dirt in late October, the race currently offers a purse of $250,000. Inaugurated in 1957 at a mile and a s ...
,
Acorn Stakes
The Acorn Stakes is an American Grade I race at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York for three-year-old Thoroughbred fillies. It is raced on dirt over a distance of one mile and a sixteenth with a current purse of $500,000. It is the first leg of the ...
and
Coaching Club American Oaks
The Coaching Club American Oaks is a race for thoroughbred three-year-old fillies and the second leg of the Triple Tiara of Thoroughbred Racing. Originally run at Belmont Park, the Grade I $500,000 stakes race was moved to Saratoga Race Course i ...
.
[ By winning these three Grade I events, Fuller became the first woman to ever win the Filly Triple Crown.][ With Fuller's Folly in 1988, Fuller had a Grade III win at the Seneca Handicap and a Grade III runner-up at the Niagara Handicap.
After being injured with a ]spinal fracture
A spinal fracture, also called a vertebral fracture or a broken back, is a bone fracture, fracture affecting the vertebrae of the spinal column. Most types of spinal fracture confer a significant risk of spinal cord injury. After the immediate tr ...
in January 1992, Fuller left horse racing in April 1992 to become a publicist at Suffolk Downs
Suffolk Downs is a former Thoroughbred race track in East Boston, Massachusetts, United States. The track opened in 1935 after being built by Joseph A. Tomasello for a cost of $2 million. It was sold in May 2017 to a developer who plans to cre ...
. In May 1996, Fuller returned to horse racing and began to race in Delaware Park Delaware Park may refer to:
*Delaware Park-Front Park System, the Buffalo, New York park and parkway system listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
* Delaware Park, New Jersey, a CDP in Warren County, New Jersey.
*Delaware Park Racetrac ...
. Following a 2002 retirement, Fuller worked in Florida as a horse trainer in the mid-2000s.[ In August 2011, Fuller restarted her racing career after participating in a charity horse race event earlier in the year.] In November 2011, Fuller was a Grade III runner-up with Trip for A.J. at the My Charmer Handicap. After her last event in 2014, Fuller had 582 wins and over $5 million in prize winnings.
Personal life
Fuller is married and has three children, one of whom is from a previous marriage.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fuller, Abigail
Year of birth uncertain
American female jockeys
American jockeys
Living people
Sportspeople from Boston
21st-century American women
Year of birth missing (living people)