In Retrospect, Arcaro Was ‘The Master’

The title of his autobiography was as a perfect as an Eddie Arcaro race: “I Ride to Win!”

To Arcaro, that meant winning with a longshot as well as a favorite, and that attitude carried him to horse racing glory--and sometimes into trouble with racing officials, especially early in his brilliant career.

Arcaro, who died Friday of cancer at age 81, retired in 1961, but his name remained magical because he transcended his sport.

His death will not take away the magic.

Even today, there are comments such as, “He rides like Arcaro,” or “He’s gonna be another Arcaro.” These often are said and written by people who never saw Arcaro ride.

But Joe Hirsch, the executive columnist for the Daily Racing Form, saw Arcaro ride many times. He also saw all of the other top jockeys of the second half of the 20th century, and to him there has been only one Arcaro.

“He was absolutely the best,” said Hirsch, who joined the Form in 1948 and began writing from the track in 1954. “He retired in 1962 and I still haven’t seen anybody ride like him.”

He rode for 31 years, won 4,779 races and his mounts earned $30,039,563. Statistics, however, often are meaningful only when comparing athletes of the same era. Many jockeys have won more races and money, but only Arcaro was called “The Master.”

When you can do it like Arcaro, however, you get the chance to ride horses capable of compiling these kinds of numbers: five wins in the Kentucky Derby, six in the Preakness Stakes, six in the Belmont Stakes, 10 in the Jockey Club Gold Cup, nine in the Wood Memorial and eight in the Suburban Handicap. He rode two of the 11 Triple Crown winners -- Whirlaway in 1941 and Citation in 1948.