Samuel William Renick (May 14, 1910 – October 16, 1999) was an American jockey during the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s. He was a founder of the

Jockeys' Guild The Jockeys' Guild Inc. is an American trade association based in Lexington, Kentucky, representing thoroughbred horse racing and American quarter horse professional jockeys. The organization filed for Chapter 11 protection from creditors in ban ...

. After his career ended, Renick became one of television's first racing announcers.

Early life

Renick was born on May 14, 1910, and grew up in

The Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New ...

. At the age of thirteen he ran away from home and went to

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

Fair Grounds Race Course Fair Grounds Race Course, often known as New Orleans Fair Grounds, is a thoroughbred racetrack and racino in New Orleans, Louisiana. It is operated by Churchill Downs Louisiana Horseracing Company, LLC. As early as 1838 Bernard de Marigny, ...

Racing career

Renick began his racing career at the age of sixteen. He eventually became a contract rider for

Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt Jr. Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt Jr. (September 22, 1912 – November 12, 1999) was a British-born member of the prominent Vanderbilt family, Vanderbilt railroad family, and a noted figure of American thoroughbred horse racing. He was the youngest-ever me ...

and

Harry Warner Harry Morris Warner (born Hirsz Mojżesz Wonsal; December 12, 1881 – July 25, 1958) was an American studio executive, one of the founders of Warner Bros., and a major contributor to the development of the film industry. Along with his three yo ...

; racing for Vanderbilt on the East Coast and Warner on the West Coast. Renick was one of America's leading jockeys during the 1930s and 1940s and won a number of

stakes races Stake may refer to: Entertainment * '' Stake: Fortune Fighters'', a 2003 video game * '' The Stake'', a 1915 silent short film * "The Stake", a 1977 song by The Steve Miller Band from ''Book of Dreams'' * ''Stakes'' (miniseries), a Cartoon Netw ...

Jockeys' Guild

After Renick broke his leg during a race, he and friend and fellow jockey

Eddie Arcaro George Edward Arcaro (February 19, 1916 – November 14, 1997), was an American Thoroughbred horse racing Hall of Fame jockey who won more American classic races than any other jockey in history and is the only rider to have won the U.S. Tri ...

began discussions that led to the creation of

, which aimed to gain some protections for jockeys, who did not have insurance or medical protection, and their families, in case of injury or death. During the early years of the Guild, Renick would usually act as master of ceremonies for the organization's fundraising dances, shows, and dinners.

Broadcasting

After Renick's career as a jockey ended, Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt suggested that he go into broadcasting due to his talkative nature. His first broadcasting job was as

Clem McCarthy Clem McCarthy (September 9, 1882 – June 4, 1962)DeLong, Thomas A. (1996). ''Radio Stars: An Illustrated Biographical Dictionary of 953 Performers, 1920 through 1960''. McFarland & Company, Inc. . P. 173. was an American sportscaster and pu ...

's color commentator on races from

Belmont Park Belmont Park is a major thoroughbred horse racing facility in the northeastern United States, located in Elmont, New York, just east of the New York City limits. It was opened on May 4, 1905. It is operated by the non-profit New York Raci ...

for the NBC television network. In 1952, Renick served as an announcer for the first network television broadcast of the

Kentucky Derby The Kentucky Derby is a horse race held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States, almost always on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The competition is a Grade I stakes race for three-yea ...

. He set the scene for the race, delivered advertising pitches, and performed prerace interviews. In 1954 he called the

Preakness Stakes The Preakness Stakes is an American thoroughbred horse race held on Armed Forces Day which is also the third Saturday in May each year at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. It is a Grade I race run over a distance of 9.5 furlongs ...

for

CBS Television CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...

with

Fred Capossela Fred "Cappy" Capossela (1902–April 3, 1991) was an American thoroughbred race track announcer. Early life and career Capossela was born in Brooklyn in 1902. He got his start in thoroughbred racing in 1926 as a writer for the ''New York Evening P ...

and

Mel Allen Mel Allen (born Melvin Allen Israel; February 14, 1913 – June 16, 1996) was an American sportscaster, best known for his long tenure as the primary play-by-play announcer for the New York Yankees. During the peak of his career in the 1940s, ...

. He also broadcast races from New York and Florida as a color commentator on the "Race of the Week" and "Schaefer Circle of Sports" with Capossela and

Win Elliot Irwin Elliot Shalek (May 7, 1915 – September 17, 1998), better known as Win Elliot, was an American television and radio sportscaster and game show host. He was best known for his long tenures as a play-by-play broadcaster of NHL New York Ran ...

, "Racing From Aqueduct" with Elliot, and as the host of his own show, "Racing with Renick". Renick had a small role in the 1958 motion picture, ''

Wind Across the Everglades ''Wind Across the Everglades'' is a 1958 film directed by Nicholas Ray. Ray was fired from the film before production was finished, and several scenes were completed by screenwriter Budd Schulberg, who also supervised the editing. Chris Fujiwar ...

''.''Los Angeles Times'' August 17, 1994 article titled-subtitled "Thoroughbred Racing - Horse tales
Retrieved August 3, 2018

Death

Renick died on October 16, 1999, at his home in

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the List of co ...

from complications of a severe stroke that he had suffered the previous winter.

External links

Film clip: Jockey Sammy Renick as "Loser" in ''Wind Across the Everglades'' (1958

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Renick, Sam 1910 births 1999 deaths American jockeys American horse racing announcers American actors Jewish American sportspeople Sportspeople from the Bronx Sportspeople from Manhattan 20th-century American Jews