Ralph P. Neves (August 26, 1916 – July 7, 1995) was an American Hall of Fame jockey in

Thoroughbred horse racing Thoroughbred racing is a sport and industry involving the 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 known as National Hunt racing in ...

. Born in

Cape Cod, Massachusetts Cape Cod is a peninsula extending into the Atlantic Ocean from the southeastern corner of mainland Massachusetts, in the northeastern United States. Its historic, maritime character and ample beaches attract heavy tourism during the summer mont ...

, Neves won 3,772 races, including 173 stakes, and was elected to the Racing Hall of Fame in 1960. His long career was interrupted only by several injuries and service in the

United States Army Cavalry The United States Cavalry, or U.S. Cavalry, was the designation of the mounted force of the United States Army by an act of Congress on 3 August 1861.Price (1883) p. 103, 104 This act converted the U.S. Army's two regiments of dragoons, one ...

during

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 ...

; a serious back injury suffered in the war bothered him during the rest of his career. He retired in 1964. In the early part of his career Neves rode 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 ...

and

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 ...

. By the mid-1930s, he was considered one of the top west coast riders, known for his cocky self-confidence.

Death and "resurrection"

He is best known for an incident at

Bay Meadows Racetrack Bay Meadows was a horse racing track in San Mateo, California from 1934 until 2008, in the San Francisco Bay Area in the United States. History Built on the site of an old airfield, Bay Meadows Racecourse was the longest continually operating ...

San Mateo, California San Mateo ( ; ) is a city in San Mateo County, California, on the San Francisco Peninsula. About 20 miles (32 km) south of San Francisco, the city borders Burlingame, California, Burlingame to the north, Hillsborough, California, Hillsboro ...

on May 8, 1936. After being thrown from his horse, Flannikins (another newspaper account says it was Lady Valorous in the third race), he was pronounced dead due to heart failure after a hasty examination and sent to the local hospital, where the track physician administered a shot of

adrenaline Adrenaline, also known as epinephrine, is a hormone and medication which is involved in regulating visceral functions (e.g., respiration). It appears as a white microcrystalline granule. Adrenaline is normally produced by the adrenal glands and ...

to the heart. Neves made it back to the racetrack and demanded to be allowed to ride the rest of his mounts that day (he was not permitted to do so until the next day). The story has been told many times since, familiar to many jockeys, and as a result has gathered a number of variations. Two different doctors have been said to have given the key injection in two different places, and even Neves' Hall of Fame plaque states incorrectly that he won five races the following day. Instead, Neves would go on to ride four winning horses on May 14. The incident was covered extensively in local newspapers at the time; the ''

San Francisco Examiner The ''San Francisco Examiner'' is a newspaper distributed in and around San Francisco, California, and published since 1863. Once self-dubbed the "Monarch of the Dailies" by then-owner William Randolph Hearst, and flagship of the Hearst Corpora ...

'' is particularly remembered for the headline "Neves, Called Dead in Fall, Denies It." After his fall, new safety regulations were instituted. Nevertheless, Neves suffered several more injuries in falls, including vision problems, and required

brain surgery Neurosurgery or neurological surgery, known in common parlance as brain surgery, is the medical specialty concerned with the surgical treatment of disorders which affect any portion of the nervous system including the brain, spinal cord and peri ...

in 1959. Still known for his individualistic style, he was suspended frequently throughout his career, including a five-day suspension for "careless riding" in 1961, after his Hall of Fame induction. Among his other accomplishments, Ralph Neves rode six winners on October 24, 1961 at Bay Meadows Racetrack. In 1954 he was voted the

George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award The George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award has been presented by Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California, annually since 1950 to the thoroughbred horse racing jockey in North America who demonstrates high standards of personal and professional conduc ...

. In addition to his induction in the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, he was elected to the Washington Racing Hall of Fame

At the time of his retirement in mid-1963 he was one of only eight riders with at least 3000 wins. Ralph Neves was living in

San Marcos, California San Marcos ( ; Spanish for "St. Mark") is a city in the North County region of San Diego County, California. As of the 2020 census, the city's population was 94,833. It is the site of California State University San Marcos. The city is border ...

at the time of his death in 1995. He was survived by his ex-wife, Midge Neves, and their three children, Gary, Craig, and Cathy.

References

External links

Career summary
National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame.
Bay Meadows Racetrack official website history - ''The death and resurrection of Ralph Neves''
* Tougaw, Jason.
The One You Get: Portrait of a Family Organism
'. {{DEFAULTSORT:Neves, Ralph 1916 births 1995 deaths American jockeys United States Army personnel of World War II United States Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame inductees Sportspeople from Barnstable County, Massachusetts People from San Marcos, California Sportspeople from San Diego County, California American people of Portuguese descent

Death and "resurrection"

See also

References

External links