Basil B. James (May 18, 1920 – April 10, 1998) was a two-time American National Champion jockey.

Biography

Born in

Loveland, Colorado The City of Loveland is the home rule municipality that is the second most populous municipality in Larimer County, Colorado, United States. Loveland is situated north of the Colorado State Capitol in Denver and is the 14th most populous city ...

, Basil James became a jockey in

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...

while in his teens and in 1936 at age sixteen he led all U.S. jockeys with 245 wins. After a successful 1937, in January 1938 he was suspended for ninety days after "grabbing Herb Litzenberger during the running of the seventh race" at

Santa Anita Park Santa Anita Park is a Thoroughbred racetrack in Arcadia, California, United States. It offers some of the prominent horse racing events in the United States during early fall, winter and in spring. The track is home to numerous prestigious races ...

. Once he served his suspension, James continued winning and in 1939 was the

United States Champion Jockey by earnings There is recognition for the United States Champion Jockey by earnings but no formal award is given to the jockey whose mounts earned the most purse money in American Thoroughbred racing.Indian Broom Indian Broom (foaled 1933 in Virginia) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who on April 11, 1936 set a track and World record for a mile and one-eighth on dirt at California's Tanforan Racetrack and who returned the next year on December 4, 19 ...

to a

World record A world record is usually the best global and most important performance that is ever recorded and officially verified in a specific skill, sport, or other kind of activity. The book '' Guinness World Records'' and other world records organizati ...

time for a mile and one-eighth on dirt at California's Tanforan Racetrack. In an interview several days later, James said that Indian Broom could have gone even faster as he had "never made a move" with the colt. Basil James finished 1936 as the

United States Champion Jockey by wins There is no formal championship award given to the jockey who won the most races in United States Thoroughbred racing. However, it is a prestigious accomplishment always on any jockey's résumé and widely reported on by the various media.

and in 1939 would be the

Alsab Alsab (1939–1963) was an American Hall of Fame Thoroughbred racehorse. Background Alsab was bred in Kentucky by Thomas Piatt. His sire was Good Goods, and his dam was Winds Chant. Buyers were not interested in him, and Alsab was sold in 194 ...

who was voted U. S. 2-Year-Old and 3-Year Old Champion male horse. Aboard Alsab he won the 1942 Preakness Stakes setting a new race record and winning by a length ahead of the second place finisher, but his career was interrupted later that year as a result of his

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

service with the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

. When he returned to racing in 1946, Basil James continued to win major stakes races on the

New York State New York, officially the State of New York, is a U.S. state, state in the Northeastern United States. It is often called New York State to distinguish it from its largest city, New York City. With a total area of , New York is the List of U.S. ...

circuit. He retired from riding in 1956 but came back again in 1959 then in 1963 joined the staff at

Longacres Racetrack Longacres was a Thoroughbred horse racetrack in Renton, Washington, United States. Owned by the Gottstein/Alhadeff family and operated by the Washington Jockey Club for the vast majority of its existence, the racetrack was the home of Thor ...

near

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is a port, seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the county seat, seat of King County, Washington, King County, Washington (state), Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in bo ...

where he worked for the next thirty years. Suffering from Alzheimer's disease, Basil James was living in a

nursing home A nursing home is a facility for the residential care of elderly or disabled people. Nursing homes may also be referred to as skilled nursing facility (SNF) or long-term care facilities. Often, these terms have slightly different meanings to i ...

Des Moines, Washington Des Moines ( ) is a city in King County, Washington, United States. The population was 32,888 as of the 2020 census. The city is located on the east shore of Puget Sound, near the center of the Seattle metropolitan area. It is bordered by t ...

when he died in 1998.

Recognition

Basil James plaque in Washington Racing Hall of Fame at Emerald Downs - 30 June 2021

In 1967 Basil James was inducted into the

State of Washington Sports Hall of Fame State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * '' State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our ...

for his accomplishments in the sport of horse racing."Horse Racing Inductees"
''

''. Retrieved 2021-07-01. In 2005 he was inducted into the Washington Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame in the jockey category."Washington Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame inductees announced"
''auburn-reporter.com''. 2010-07-09. Retrieved 2021-07-01. James was inducted into the Washington Horse Racing Hall of Fame, including a plaque in his honor displayed in the Hall of Fame housed at

Emerald Downs Emerald Downs is a Thoroughbred racetrack in Auburn, Washington, located a half mile east of Highway 167. It is named after Seattle, the Emerald City. History Emerald Downs first opened its doors to race fans on June 20, 1996, with the inaugu ...

, for his performance as a jockey."Washington Hall of Fame"
''

''. Retrieved 2021-07-01. In 2019, the ''

Times Herald-Record The ''Times Herald-Record'', often referred to as ''The Record'' or ''Middletown Record'' in its coverage area, is a daily newspaper published in Middletown, New York, covering the northwest suburbs of New York City. It covers Orange, Sullivan ...

'' highlighted Basil James' win riding Alsab at the 1942 Preakness Stakes as an event of importance in the history of

sport Sport pertains to any form of competitive physical activity or game that aims to use, maintain, or improve physical ability and skills while providing enjoyment to participants and, in some cases, entertainment to spectators. Sports can, ...

s that took place on the date 9 May."This Date in Sports History - May 9"
''

''. 2019-05-09. Retrieved 2021-07-01.

References

Basil James at the Washington Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame
{{DEFAULTSORT:James, Basil 1920 births 1998 deaths American jockeys American Champion jockeys United States Army personnel of World War II People from Loveland, Colorado United States Army soldiers