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ranches and stables have been closely linked with the sport of horse racing for
generations. Just consider the string of great racehorses developed by the King
Ranch alone, including Bold Venture, Middleground and Assault. For
another kind of horseracing royalty, however, turn to two men nicknamed Willie,
and another man better known as Max at the tracks.
Willie No. 1 is Bill Shoemaker, called America's greatest jockey, who was
born at Fabens in El Paso County in 1931. By the time he retired from racing in
1990, he had won the Kentucky Derby four times among his 8,833 wins and more than
$123 million in purses. Incredibly, he brought 50% of his 40,350 mounts home first,
second or third.
As a professional jockey, Shoemaker rode his first race at Golden Gate Fields,
a California track, on March 19, 1949. He came in fifth riding a four-year-old
mare. The horse's name? Waxahachie. Willie
No. 2 is William Molter Jr. who outgrew his first occupation -- jockey
-- and became one of the nation's greatest racehorse trainers. A native of Fredericksburg,
he was born in 1910 and launched his training career in 1935. He trained Determine,
the 1954 Kentucky Derby winner, and 1958's horse of the year, Round Table.
For four consecutive years, 1946 through 1949, he led America in the number of
winners saddled. In his career, Molter saddled 2,160 winners collecting $11.9
million in purses.
Both Willies were elected to the National Horse Racing Hall of Fame, an
honor Willie Molter shared with another great trainer born at Fredericksburg --
Maximilian J. Hirsch.
Max Hirsch, born in 1880, spent six decades of his life training race horses,
living for many years in a cottage between horse barns at Belmont Park. He trained
King Ranch's winner of the 1946 triple crown. Assault, and also Kentucky Derby
winners Bold Venture and Middle-ground.
Hirsch began riding Texas-bred quarter horses at the age of ten, and, like Willie
Molter, was a jockey before becoming a trainer. By the end of his career, he had
trained the winners of 1,933 races with purses totaling $12.2 million.
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