Hall of Fame jockey and long-time Florida steward Walter Blum died early Thursday, Mar. 14 due to complications of lung disease, announced his son Walter Blum Jr. on social media. He was 89. The story was first reported by the Daily Racing Form (DRF).
The Brooklyn, N.Y. native started his racing career young as a hotwalker before launching into riding in 1953 at 19, and leading the country in wins in both 1963 and 1964. While largely riding in New York and New Jersey, Blum did travel for high-profile rides. Despite having only one Triple Crown series victory–in 1971 when Pass Catcher denied Canonero II the Triple Crown in the Belmont–he'd counted a victory in nearly every major New York stakes, including the Whitney, Frizette, Prioress, Brooklyn, Metropolitan, Test, etc. as well as finding the winner's enclosure in the Santa Anita and Florida Derbys.
He also tallied the notable achievement of beating two equine Hall of Famers when his charges defeated five-time Horse of the Year Kelso and the great Buckpasser. Blum was named the George Woolf Memorial Award winner in 1964 and served as president of The Jockeys' Guild for five years starting in 1969.
Upon retirement from the saddle in 1975, Blum had 4,382 wins from 28,673 starts, and at that time, only four other jockeys could claim more victories. From there, he secured his first tenure as a steward at Atlantic City Race Course before taking the state steward position in Florida in 1978, where he served until his retirement in 2004.
“The world lost a star last night,” said Walter Blum Jr. in his Facebook post. “I love you with all my heart dad. I'm going to miss you so much. I can't believe you're gone. I've lost my best friend.”
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