Description
This photographic portrait features jockey Ted Atkinson.
Atkinson began riding professionally at the age of 21. He rode War Relic in an upset victory over the 1941 Triple Crown Winner Whirlaway in the Narragansett Special. That ride gained him national recognition that continued over his 21-year career.
He was America’s leading jockey by wins and money earned in 1944 and 1946.
Atkinson won the Preakness and Belmont Stakes riding Greentree’s Capot in 1949. In 1953, he rode Tom Fool, Horse of the Year, for ten consecutive wins.
Atkinson received the George Woolf Memorial Award in 1957. He was inducted into the U.S. Racing Hall of Fame the same year.