Day, Patrick
Horse racing
b. Oct. 13, 1953, Brush, CO
During his 32 years as a jockey, there was always at least one another jockey who overshadowed Day in the public eye. Yet Day won four Eclipse Awards as the best jockey of the year, second only to Laffit Pincay's five.
Day's childhood ambition was to be a professional rodeo cowboy. He did spend two years on the rodeo circuit after graduating from high school in 1971 and was then persuaded to become a jockey because of his size. He was the leading rider at Sportsman's Park and Hawthorne and then went to New York to race in 1976. However, he didn't like the city and went back to riding in the Midwest.
Day first drew national attention in 1982, when he and Angel Cordero Jr. battled for top jockey honors literally to the last day of the season. Day won by two. He won his first Eclipse Award in 1984, after he rode Wild Again to victory in the first Breeder's Cup Classic. He won the others in 1986, 1987, and 1991.
Day won a triple crown race for the first time in 1985, aboard Tank's Prospect in the Preakness. He took the Belmont on Easy Goer in 1989, the Preakness with Summer Squall in 1990, and the Kentucky Derby with Lil E. Tee in 1992. In 1994, he won two triple crown races, the Preakness and Belmont, aboard Tabasco Cat, and he made it three straight Preakness wins aboard Timber Country in 1995 and Louis Quatorze in 1996. He won the Belmont for a third time in 2000, on Commendable.
On August 8, 2002, Day rode With Anticipation to victory in the Sword Dancer Invitational Handicap at Saratoga, surpassing Chris McCarron as the all-time leader in earnings.
Early in his career, Day had problems with drug and alcohol abuse. However, he conquered those problems, became a born-again Christian, and served as the official spokesman for the Racetrack Chaplaincy of America.
In early 2005, Day underwent hip surgery, ending his record streak of riding in the Kentucky Derby for 21 consecutive years. Day's last win came July 10 at Churchill Downs. After finishing second in the Delaware Handicap a week later, he took some time off and then announced his retirement.
Day ranks fourth all-time 8,804 victories and he's first in winnings with $297,941,912. He is also the top jockey in Breeders' Cup winnings with more than $20 million. He's tied with with Jerry Bailey in Breeders' Cup victories with 12.