Earl Harold Sande (November 13, 1898 – August 19, 1968) was an American

Hall of Fame A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or Wiktionary:fame, fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actu ...

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 ...

and

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 ...

horse trainer A horse trainer is a person who tends to horses and teaches them different disciplines. Some responsibilities trainers have are caring for the animals' physical needs, as well as teaching them good behaviors and/or coaching them for events, which ...

Early life in South Dakota

Born in

Groton, South Dakota Groton is a city in southeastern Brown County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 1,380 at the 2020 census. History Groton was platted in 1881. The city was named after Groton, Massachusetts. A post office has been in operation a ...

, Earl Sande started out as a bronco buster in the early 1900s but then became a successful

American quarter horse The American Quarter Horse, or Quarter Horse, is an American breed of horse that excels at sprinting short distances. Its name is derived from its ability to outrun other horse breeds in races of or less; some have been clocked at speeds up to ...

rider before switching to

horse racing Horse racing is an equestrian performance activity, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its bas ...

in 1918.

Career

Sande joined Cal Shilling and Johnny Loftus as a contract rider for Commander

J. K. L. Ross Commander John Kenneth Leveson "Jack" Ross, Order of the British Empire, CBE (31 March 1876 – 25 July 1951) was a Canadian businessman, sportsman, thoroughbred horse racing, racehorse owner/breeder, and philanthropist. He is best remembered ...

. In 1919, he tied an American record with six wins on a single racecard at Havre de Grace Racetrack. He went on to ride for noted owners such as Harry F. Sinclair, and Samuel D. Riddle and was the leading money-winning jockey in the United States in 1921, 1923, and again in 1927. He won both the

Belmont Stakes The Belmont Stakes is an American Graded stakes race, Grade I stakes Thoroughbred racing, race for three-year-old Thoroughbreds run at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. It is run over the worldwide classic distance of . Colt (horseracing), Colt ...

five times and the

Jockey Club Gold Cup The Jockey Club Gold Cup, established in 1919, is a thoroughbred flat race, held at the Saratoga Race Course in the United States, that is open to horses of either gender three-years-old and up. It has traditionally been the main event of the fal ...

on four occasions, the

Kentucky Derby The Kentucky Derby () is an American Graded stakes race, Grade I stakes Thoroughbred racing, race run at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. The race is run by three-year-old Thoroughbreds at a distance of . Colt (horse), Colts and geldin ...

three times and the

Preakness Stakes The Preakness Stakes is an American thoroughbred horse race held annually on Armed Forces Day, the third Saturday in May at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland (except in 2026 when it will move to Laurel Park (race track), Laurel Park dur ...

once. In 1923, he won 39 stakes races for Harry F. Sinclair's Rancocas Stable, ten of which were on ultimate Horse of the Year winner Zev, including the Kentucky Derby, Belmont Stakes, and a match race against England's

Epsom Derby The Derby Stakes, more commonly known as the Derby and sometimes referred to as the Epsom Derby, is a Group races, Group 1 flat Horse racing, horse race in England open to three-year-old Colt (horse), colts and Filly, fillies. It is run at Ep ...

winner

Papyrus Papyrus ( ) is a material similar to thick paper that was used in ancient times as a writing surface. It was made from the pith of the papyrus plant, ''Cyperus papyrus'', a wetland sedge. ''Papyrus'' (plural: ''papyri'' or ''papyruses'') can a ...

. Sande's most famous wins came aboard

Gallant Fox Gallant Fox (March 23, 1927 – November 13, 1954) was a champion American Thoroughbred horse racing, racehorse who is the second winner of the United States Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing, American Triple Crown. In a racing career which la ...

in 1930 when he won the U.S. Triple Crown. Sande's fame was such that he was immortalized in a number of poems by

Damon Runyon Alfred Damon Runyon (October 4, 1880 – December 10, 1946) was an American journalist and short-story writer. He was best known for his short stories celebrating the world of Broadway theatre, Broadway in New York City that grew out of the Proh ...

Retirement

Following his retirement in 1932, Earl Sande remained in the industry as a trainer. In 1938 he was the United States' leading trainer and by the mid-1940s owned and operated his own racing stable. In 1955, Earl Sande was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame. His life story was told in the 2004 book by Richard J. Maturi titled "''Triple Crown Winner: The Earl Sande Saga''" (). Earl Sande died in 1968 in a

Jacksonville, Oregon Jacksonville is a city in Jackson County, Oregon, United States, approximately west of Medford, Oregon, Medford. It was named for Jackson Creek, which flows through the community and was the site of one of the first placer deposit, placer gold cl ...

nursing home.''Milwaukee Sentinel'' - Aug 21, 1968
/ref>

References

Earl Sande's biography at the United States National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame
1898 births 1968 deaths American jockeys American Champion jockeys United States Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame inductees People from Groton, South Dakota Sportspeople from Brown County, South Dakota {{US-horseracing-bio-stub