Loftus, "Johnny" (John P.)
Horse Racing
b. Oct. 13, 1896, Chicago, IL
d. March 20, 1976
Loftus's brief, brilliant career as a jockey unfortunately ended under a cloud of suspicion when the Jockey Club refused to issue him a license in 1920. No official explanation was given, but there is no question that race stewards suspected Loftus of throwing the 1919 Sanford Stakes, when Man o'War suffered the only loss of his career, finishing second to Upset.
Actually, Loftus was probably the victim of circumstances. After a false start, he was still bringing Man o'War back to the line when the starting signal was given, so he had to turn the horse around to get into the race. He was then boxed in behind Upset, the eventual winner, and Golden Broom. Loftus was forced to take Man o'War two horses wide for a stretch drive and, in the 3/4-mile sprint, he just didn't have enough track left to catch Upset.
Loftus began jockeying in 1912, and his first major victory came in the 1916 Kentucky Derby aboard George Smith. He rode War Cloud to a win in the 1918 Preakness and in 1919 he became the first jockey to win the triple crown, guiding Sir Barton to victories in the Kentucky Derby, Preakness, and Belmont.
In 1919, he also rode Man o'War to 9 wins in 10 starts, and he led in earnings with $252,707, winning 65 of 177 starts.
His career as a jockey ended with the loss of his license, Loftus became a fairly successful trainer and jockey instructor. He was technical advisor for the 1950 movie, Man o'War.
In 11 years as a jockey, Loftus rode 580 winners of 2,449 mounts, a 23.7 winning percentage.