Hall of Fame Rider Blum Dies at 89

Hall of Fame jockey and former racing steward Walter Blum has died, according to social media posts from his son, Walter Blum Jr. The elder Blum was 89.

Daily Racing Form reported Blum died the morning of March 14 in Hallandale Beach, Fla., from complications of lung disease.

“The world lost a star last night,” his son posted on Facebook, calling his father his “best friend” and a “legend.”

A New York City native, Blum won his first career race in 1953 at the late Jamaica Racetrack in Queens and captured his first $100,000 stakes aboard Royal Beacon in the 1957 Atlantic City Handicap. In 1961, Blum was the first rider to win six on a single card at the New Jersey track. 

He led all riders in the nation by wins in 1963 and 1965 with 360 and 324, respectively. Another notable victory was an upset score in the 1971 Belmont Stakes aboard Pass Catcher, in which he denied Cannonero II the Triple Crown, and a memorable win aboard Gun Bow, defeating five-time Horse of the Year Kelso, in the 1964 Woodward Stakes.

When Blum retired in 1975, only four jockeys had ever won more races than him: Bill Shoemaker, Johnny Longden, Eddie Arcaro, and Steve Brooks. In total, Blum rode 4,382 winners in 28,673 starts, with his mounts earning $26,497,189. He was inducted into the National Horse Racing Hall of Fame in 1987.

Blum then became a racing official, working as a state steward in Florida from 1977 until his retirement in 2004. In 2015, he was one of five current and former stewards to be honored with the Pete Pedersen Award, presented annually to stewards who have made important contributions to the Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing industries.

Ahead of his induction into the Racing Hall of Fame in 1987, Blum said his greatest thrill came in the 1964 Woodward Stakes when he guided Gun Bow to victory over Horse of the Year Kelso.

“The horses were head-and-head all the way,” Blum said. “In the stretch, I heard a tumultuous roar. Jockeys usually don’t hear the crowd because their mind’s on their business, but I still remember that roar.”

Reflecting on the early part of his career, after working horses for trainers Frank Cundall and Hirsch Jacobs for a couple of years, Blum recalled a comfort level from the start of his riding career despite the potential chaos of a race.

“I really felt at ease,” Blum said in that same 1987 story for BloodHorse. “I was excited about riding, but I knew what I was doing and I wasn’t tense. I really thoroughly enjoyed my first ride. It was just a great thrill to be there.”

This story will be updated.