Bobby Jennings, a successful California equestrian who won more than 1,100 races but is best known as an anomaly as a 6-foot-tall jockey, has died at a motorsport. care facility in Sacramento, California on May 23 after a long illness at the age of 79.
A two-time winner of the prestigious Longacres Mile, in 1965 with Siempre and in 1966 with the Aurelious II trained by Melvin Stute, Jennings, nicknamed “Slim”, has won bets in both Hollywood Park and Del Mar but spent nearly his entire career regularly at Northern California racetracks such as the Bay Meadows, Golden Gate Fieldsand northern fairs.
Coach Clay Brinson of Arizona, who rode with Jennings in California in the 1960s, said: “I have never seen a rider as tall and as good as Skinny. “There’s a runner named Eldon Hall, a little taller than Bobby, but he’s probably the second tallest athlete I’ve ever known.
“(Jennings) is a great rider and a hell of a rider. He’s won a lot of races up north for RL Martin (a longtime former top coach in the Bay Area),” Brinson said. . “There was a time, they rolled big there. After he quit riding, he trained for 9 or 10 years. He had a good time, Skinny ran really hard.”
After stints as a licensed trainer, Jennings worked as a warm-up assistant, primarily in Northern California, but also in Fairplex Park.
Coach Dean Pederson at Clockers’ Corner on Wednesday recalled: “My father was a racing official and I was a kid when Bobby was finishing his career as a track athlete. .
“Bobby is a racing runner all his life. He’s a very talented racer, good at taking care of 2-year-olds and he’s a tall guy. He’s talented in many different areas. , which I certainly helped him later when he trained.”
According to the American Racing Manual, Jennings won his first race in 1960 at the age of 16 and his last in 1972, finishing with 1,122 wins. His career high in terms of races won, came in 1965, when he took home 177 winners, including a win in the Del Mar Derby on a Hasty Ride Richard Chew’s condition. From 1962 to 1968, Jennings won 97, 121, 149, 177, 151, 170 and 129 races, respectively.
This press release has been edited by BloodHorse Staff for content and style.
