John Linus McAtee (October 5, 1898 – November 15, 1963) was an

American Hall of Fame The Hall of Fame for Great Americans is an outdoor sculpture gallery located on the grounds of Bronx Community College (BCC) in the Bronx, New York City. It was the first such hall of fame in the United States. Built in 1901 as part of the Un ...

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 ...

Thoroughbred horse racing Thoroughbred racing is a sport and Horse industry, industry involving the Horse racing, racing of Thoroughbred horses. It is governed by different national bodies. There are two forms of the sport – flat racing and jump racing, the latter know ...

Biography

Born in

Frenchtown, New Jersey Frenchtown is a borough in Hunterdon County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Frenchtown is located along the banks of the Delaware River on the Hunterdon Plateau, northwest of the state capital of Trenton. As of the 2020 United States census ...

on October 5, 1898, he went by his middle name, Linus, but was nicknamed "Pony" by friends and would be called that by some in the press. While still an

apprentice Apprenticeship is a system for training a potential new practitioners of a Tradesman, trade or profession with on-the-job training and often some accompanying study. Apprenticeships may also enable practitioners to gain a license to practice in ...

, he rode for Commander J. K. L. Ross in Canada then was aboard his colt Damrosch for the win in the 1916

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 ...

. Called one of the best riders of his era by the

National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame was founded in 1950 in Saratoga Springs, New York, to honor the achievements of American thoroughbred horse racing, Thoroughbred race horses, jockeys, and Horse trainer, trainers. In 1955, the museum ...

, McAtee developed into a superior tactician who won two

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 ...

s and who was the United States Champion Jockey in money earned for 1928.Churchill Downs Incorporated. kenuckyderby.com Annual Leading Jockeys
Retrieved June 23, 2018 After retiring from racing in 1932, a comeback attempt three years later ended after he suffered a serious foot injury. In 1956, he was inducted in the United States' Racing Hall of Fame. McAtee died on November 15, 1963.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McAtee, J. Linus 1898 births 1963 deaths American jockeys American Champion jockeys United States Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame inductees People from Frenchtown, New Jersey