Three Jockeys on a Bench, 1905

Three Jockeys on a Bench, 1905

Photography of horse sports

Pictured (left to right) are jockeys Frank O’Neill, Thomas H. Burns, and Willie Shaw in 1905. Shaw won on 19 percent of his 288 mounts that year.

Frank O’Neill took major U.S. races at the turn of the century, including the Brooklyn Handicap on Irish Lad and the Travers Stakes on Ada Nay in 1903. He rode Beldame to 14 of her 17 victories. Like many other jockeys facing pressures from anti-gambling legislation in the early 20th century, O’Neill pursued racing in Europe. He was the leading rider in France 11 times between 1909 and 1923.

Thomas Burns was the country’s top jockey by wins in 1898 and 1899. He claimed the 1898 Tennessee Derby atop Lieber Karl and the Manhattan Handicap on Firearm (1900) and Castalian (1903). Burns rode W.C. Whitney’s Gunfire to victory in the 1903 Metropolitan Handicap and James R. Keene’s Delhi to win the 1905 Brooklyn Handicap. Other notable wins include the 1897 Kentucky Oaks on White Frost and the 1904 Travers Stakes aboard Broomstick.

Charles Christian Cook

1905

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black and white photograph

still image

glass plate negative

5" x 7"