Robert Frederick "Fred" Herbert (1887 – June 8, 1955) was a Canadian-born jockey, sometimes given the sobriquet "Brusher". From a riding career that lasted fifty years until he retired in 1947, his first big race win came aboard Donau in the 1910 Kentucky Derby.[1][2]
| Frederick Herbert | |
|---|---|
 Fred Herbert at the 1910 Kentucky Derby | |
| Occupation | Jockey |
| Born | 1887 Hamilton, Ontario, Canada |
| Died | 1955 Maidenhead, Berkshire, United Kingdom |
| Major racing wins | |
| United States / Canada: King Edward Gold Cup Handicap (1909) Camden Handicap (1910) Demoiselle Stakes (1910) England: May Maiden Plate (1912) Wokingham Stakes (1913) Cesarewitch Handicap (1913) Norfolk Stakes (1913) Great Metropolitan Handicap (1915) American Classics wins: Kentucky Derby (1910) | |
| Significant horses | |
| Donau, Fiz-Yama, Hapsburg | |
Fred Herbert was the first Canadian jockey to win the Kentucky Derby but opportunities to earn a living in American horse racing were severely restricted when the New York Legislature under Republican Governor Charles Evans Hughes passed the Hart–Agnew anti-betting legislation with penalties allowing for fines and up to a year in prison.[3][4] As a result, in 1912 Fred Herbert went to England where his father had been born. There, he would begin winning top level races, notably capturing the May Maiden Plate at Leicester Racecourse, the Wokingham and Norfolk Stakes, the Cesarewitch Handicap in 1913 and the Great Metropolitan Handicap in 1915.[5]
Fred Herbert was living in Maidenhead, Berkshire when he died at age 68.
A 1995 article in the Chicago Tribune said that according to his daughter, he raced in Canada, Germany, Romania, France and in Moscow, where he placed second in the Moscow Derby. Also, an April 28, 1922 Daily Racing Form article reported Herbert had ridden in Australia, New Zealand, India and South Africa.[6]
References
edit- ^ Ken O'Brien (30 April 1995). "Chicago Ridge Runaway A Derby Winner". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 5 November 2016.
- ^ The Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes. McFarland & Company. 25 February 2014. ISBN 9780786476985. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
- ^ "Charles (Chick) Lang". Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame. 1 January 1990. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
- ^ "Penalties in the New York Bills". Daily Racing Form. 18 January 1908. Retrieved 26 October 2018 – via University of Kentucky Archives.
- ^ "Fred Herbert". Jockeypedia. 1 January 2018. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
- ^ "F. Herbert Now In England". Daily Racing Form. 28 April 1922. Retrieved 10 April 2019 – via University of Kentucky Archives.
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