Neves, Ralph
Horse Racing
b. Aug. 26, 1918, Cape Cod, MA
d. July 7, 1995
Neves had two nicknames. He was known as the "Portuguese Pepperpot" because of his fiery temper and sportswriters called him the "Prince of Busted Bones" because of his many spills. Both nicknames stemmed from the same personality trait: He felt he should win every race he entered, so he rode aggressively, to the point of recklessness, and he didn't respond gracefully to any finish worse than first.
He was once fined for hitting his horse over the head with a whip because he felt the mount hadn't run as well as he should have, and early in his career he was frequently fined and, on several occasions, suspended for rough riding.
As a young teenager, Neves began training rodeo horses. He became a jockey in 1934 and was the leading rider at Longacres the following year. In 1936, he was the top jockey at Bay Meadows, despite a terrible fall in a May 8 race. Trampled by four horses, Neves was pronounced dead and was put in a cold storage area to await transportation to the morgue. He recovered consciousness, took a taxi back to the track, and was riding again the next day.
By 1940, Neves was securely established as one of the best jockeys on the West Coast. He won the Santa Anita Derby that year aboard Sweepida and was rewarded by the horse's owner, H. C. Hill, with a three-carat diamond stickpin.
While serving in the cavalry during World War II, Neves suffered a serious back injury in a fall, and his back recurrently bothered him during the rest of his career. Nevertheless, he returned to riding successfully on California tracks after the war.
Among his major victories were the 1949 Hollywood Gold Cup aboard Solidarity and the 1957 Santa Anita Handicap aboard Corn Husker. He also won the Sunset Handicap at Hollywood Park in 1939, 1954, and 1957.
At various times, Neves won riding titles at Tanforan, Hollywood Park, Del Mar and Golden Gate. Late in his career, he rode Native Diver to wins in four major stakes races.
Neves retired in 1964 after winning 173 stakes races and earning more than $14 million. Overall, he rode 3,772 winners in 25,334 starts, a 14.9% winning percentage.