Johnny Loftus

Who was Johnny Loftus?

John P. Loftus was an American thoroughbred horse racing Hall of Fame jockey.

Born in Chicago, Illinois, Johnny Loftus was the first jockey to win the United States Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing. During his career, between 1909 and 1919, he won 580 races out of the 2,449 he competed in, for a very notable 23.7% success rate. In 1916 he won the Travers Stakes and Withers Stakes on "Spur" then captured the Kentucky Derby aboard George Smith. In 1917 he won the Kentucky Oaks with the filly Sunbonnet and the next year he rode War Cloud to victory in the Preakness Stakes. As well, Loftus rode Man o' War to victory in eight races, and to the only defeat in the horse's career, a second place finish at the Sanford Memorial Stakes.

For trainer H. Guy Bedwell and Canadian owner J. K. L. Ross, who owned a farm in Maryland, in 1919 Johnny Loftus rode Sir Barton to victory in the Kentucky Derby then only four days later won the Preakness Stakes. They went on to win the Belmont Stakes becoming the first-ever American Triple Crown winner. Loftus ended up as 1919's top money-winning jockey in the U.S.A. and retired at the end of the racing season to become a horse trainer.