On May 3, 1986, Willie Shoemaker, age 54, successfully rode a longshot racehorse, Ferdinand, to win the Kentucky Derby. This made him the oldest jockey to ever win that race. Shoemaker’s first professional job in horse racing was at the age of 17. He ultimately rode for 8,833 wins and earned nearly $123 million in purses. To read about another jockey, Isaac Burns Murphy, click here.
