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Nick Wall
Born: December 18, 1906
Birthplace: Conception Bay, Newfoundland
Died: March 17, 1983
Inducted: 1979
Sport: Horse Racing
Category: Athlete
Highlights
1926-1957
Total winnings of nearly $3.5 million
1938
Aboard Stagehand, defeated Seabiscuit at Santa Anita Handicap
Biography
At the peak of his career in the late 1930s, Nick Wall was one of the best light-weight jockeys in North America. Between 1926 and 1957, he rode 11,164 mounts, with 1,419 first, 1,305 second, and 1,352 third-place finishes. Born at Conception Bay, Newfoundland, Wall moved to Glace Bay, Nova Scotia, as a boy. While working in the mines, he learned to ride pit ponies and, during the frequent miners' strikes, raced with his fellow workers. In his mid-twenties, Wall left the Maritimes to pursue racing professionally in the U.S. His petite, 100-lbs. frame made him a popular choice with trainers, and he was often given choice mounts. Over the course of his career, he rode in all the major American races, including the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes, and the Belmont Stakes. The highlight of his career came at the Santa Anita Handicap in 1938. Wall rode Stagehand to a thrilling photo-finish victory over the famed Seabiscuit. That same year, he was leading money-winning jockey in Unite States, earning $385,161. In total, Wall finished in the money with over 4,000 horses and enjoyed a career purse sum of nearly $3.5 million. For his success, he was inducted into the Newfoundland and Labrador Sports Hall of Fame in 1979.
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