Occupation Jockey Died October 29, 1976 Role Jockey | Name Chris Rogers Career wins 2,043 | |
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Born October 6, 1924
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada ( 1924-10-06 ) | ||
Christopher J. Rogers (October 6, 1924 - October 29, 1976) was a Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame jockey about whom the great U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee Eddie Arcaro called "one of the most complete riders he had ridden against or watched." According to the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame, "Many horsemen consider Rogers the best jockey produced in Canada."
Rogers won his first race on his very first try on Bon Marche at Fort Erie Race Track in 1941 and went on to win 2,043 races in his career including numerous important graded stakes races in Canada. He won that country's most prestigious race, the Queen's Plate, three times: with Epic in 1949, McGill in 1950 and Cosllisteo in 1954. In 1958 Rogers guided longshot Lincoln Road to victory in the Jersey Derby and to second place finishes in the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes behind the future U.S. Hall of Fame colt, Tim Tam.
Chris Rogers died of lung cancer in 1976 and the following year was inducted in Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame. In 1988 he was also recognized with the Avelino Gomez Memorial Award for his significant contributions to the sport of horse racing.