Atkinson, "Ted" (Theodore F.)
Horse racing
b. Sept. 18, 1911, Toronto, ON
d. May 5, 2005
Atkinson was known both as a tough, competitive jockey and as an intelligent, articulate person with a lot of class. Fellow jockeys called him the "Professor." Sportswriter Joe Palmer wrote of him, ". . . while he cannot come in ahead of the horse, he can be depended upon to get as much out of his mounts as heredity and the trainer have put in."
He grew up in upstate New York and began racing at twenty-one, a rather late age. Atkinson's best years were 1944 and 1946. He led in wins and purses both years, with 287 victories and $899,101 in 1944, 233 victories and $1,036,825 in 1946, when he became the first jockey to surpass $1 million in a year.
In 1949, Atkinson rode Capot to a Preakness win in a record time of 1:56.0, and he also won the Belmont with Capot. A back injury forced him to retire in 1959. He ranks 24th in races won with 3,795 in 23,661 starts. His horses earned $17,449,360.