Christopher John "Chris" McCarron (b. March 27 1955, Boston, Massachusetts) is an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
thoroughbred horse racing Hall of Fame retired
jockeyIn sport, a jockey is one who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing; however, camel jockey profession is slowly being replaced by robotics.-Horse racing:...
. He is currently working as a racing analyst for
TVG NetworkTVG Network is an American specialty channel dedicated to horse racing. The company broadcasts from Los Angeles, California and is available in the United States on Dish Network and DirecTV as well as select cable companies....
.
He was introduced to the sport of thoroughbred racing by his older brother, jockey Gregg McCarron. Chris McCarron began riding professionally in 1974 at
East CoastThe East Coast of the United States, also known as the "Eastern Seaboard" or "Atlantic Seaboard", refers to the easternmost coastal states in the central and northern United States, which touch the Atlantic Ocean and stretch up to Canada...
racetracks where he won the 1974
Eclipse Award for Outstanding Apprentice JockeyThe Eclipse Award for Outstanding Apprentice Jockey is an American thoroughbred horse racing honor. Created in 1971, it is part of the Eclipse Awards program and is awarded annually to a jockey undergoing their apprenticeship....
in the United States.
He moved to race in
CaliforniaCalifornia is the most populous state in the United States, and the third largest by area. California is the second most populous sub-national entity in the Americas, behind only São Paulo, Brazil...
in 1977, a year he scored his first of three wins in the
Kentucky OaksThe Kentucky Oaks is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred fillies staged annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States. The race currently covers 1⅛ miles at Churchill Downs; the horses carry 121 pounds . The Kentucky Oaks is held on the Friday before the Kentucky Derby each year...
.
Christopher John "Chris" McCarron (b. March 27 1955, Boston, Massachusetts) is an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
thoroughbred horse racing Hall of Fame retired
jockeyIn sport, a jockey is one who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing; however, camel jockey profession is slowly being replaced by robotics.-Horse racing:...
. He is currently working as a racing analyst for
TVG NetworkTVG Network is an American specialty channel dedicated to horse racing. The company broadcasts from Los Angeles, California and is available in the United States on Dish Network and DirecTV as well as select cable companies....
.
He was introduced to the sport of thoroughbred racing by his older brother, jockey Gregg McCarron. Chris McCarron began riding professionally in 1974 at
East CoastThe East Coast of the United States, also known as the "Eastern Seaboard" or "Atlantic Seaboard", refers to the easternmost coastal states in the central and northern United States, which touch the Atlantic Ocean and stretch up to Canada...
racetracks where he won the 1974
Eclipse Award for Outstanding Apprentice JockeyThe Eclipse Award for Outstanding Apprentice Jockey is an American thoroughbred horse racing honor. Created in 1971, it is part of the Eclipse Awards program and is awarded annually to a jockey undergoing their apprenticeship....
in the United States.
He moved to race in
CaliforniaCalifornia is the most populous state in the United States, and the third largest by area. California is the second most populous sub-national entity in the Americas, behind only São Paulo, Brazil...
in 1977, a year he scored his first of three wins in the
Kentucky OaksThe Kentucky Oaks is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred fillies staged annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States. The race currently covers 1⅛ miles at Churchill Downs; the horses carry 121 pounds . The Kentucky Oaks is held on the Friday before the Kentucky Derby each year...
. In 1980 won the
Eclipse Award for Outstanding JockeyThe Eclipse Award for Outstanding Jockey is an American thoroughbred horse racing honor for jockeys first awarded in 1971. Part of the Eclipse Awards program, it is awarded annually....
as best overall jockey and that same year his peers voted him the prestigious
George Woolf Memorial Jockey AwardThe George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award has been presented by Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California, annually since 1950 to the thoroughbred horse racing jockey in North America who demonstrates high standards of personal and professional conduct, on and off the racetrack.The award was created...
. In 1991, he was voted the
Mike Venezia Memorial AwardMike Venezia Memorial Award is an American Thoroughbred horse racing honor given annually by the New York Racing Association to honor a jockeys who exemplifies extraordinary sportsmanship and citizenship...
for "extraordinary sportsmanship and citizenship".
McCarron won nine
Breeders' CupThe Breeders' Cup World Championships is an annual series of Grade I thoroughbred horse races operated by Breeders' Cup Limited, a company formed in 1982. From its inception in 1984 through 2006, it was a single-day event; starting in 2007, it expanded to two days. The location changes each year...
races, including five
Breeders' Cup ClassicThe Breeders' Cup Classic is a Grade 1 Weight for Age thoroughbred horse race for 3 year olds and older run at a distance of 1¼ miles on dirt...
s, and rode six winners in the U.S. Triple Crown Races.
In 1989 Chris McCarron was inducted into the
National Museum of Racing and Hall of FameThe National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame was founded in 1950 in Saratoga Springs, New York, to honor the achievements of American thoroughbred race horses, jockeys, and trainers...
. After twenty-eight years in racing he retired in June 2002. He finished as thoroughbred racing's all-time leader in purse earnings with more than $264 million in winnings.
In 2003, McCarron served as a technical advisor, racing designer and
actorAn actor or actress is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
in the 2003 film
SeabiscuitSeabiscuit is a 2003 American dramatic film based on the best-selling book Seabiscuit: An American Legend by Laura Hillenbrand. The story recounts the life and racing career of Seabiscuit, an undersized and overlooked thoroughbred race horse whose unexpected successes made him a hugely popular...
. That same year he was hired by Magna Entertainment Corp. to serve as Vice President and General Manager of
Santa Anita ParkSanta Anita Park is a thoroughbred racetrack in Arcadia, California, United States. It offers some of the prominent racing events in the United States during the autumn and in winter. The track is home to numerous prestigious races including both the Santa Anita Derby and the Santa Anita Handicap...
. After resigning his job at Santa Anita in January 2005, in July McCarron announced he would be opening the first riding academy in the United States.
His school is scheduled to begin classes in December 2006 and will be located at the
Kentucky Horse ParkThe Kentucky Horse Park is a working horse farm and an educational theme park opened in 1978 in Lexington, Kentucky. It is located off KY 1973 and Interstate 75 in northern Fayette County in the United States...
in
LexingtonLexington is the second-largest city in Kentucky and the 65th largest in the United States. Known as the "Thoroughbred City" and the "Horse Capital of the World", it is located in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass region...
. Most industry insiders and observers consider such a school to be something that the American thoroughbred racing has long needed. McCarron told
ESPNESPN is an American cable television network dedicated to broadcasting and producing sports-related programming 24 hours a day....
he plans to lobby the various racing commissions and other organizations to ensure that there are minimum requirements and standards set for jockeys.