Albert Snider

Albert Snider (October 22, 1921 – March 5, 1948) was a jockey in Thoroughbred racing who had success in his native Canada as well as the United States. He was born in Calgary, Alberta, and got his first win on September 1, 1938, at Stamford Park racetrack in Niagara Falls, Ontario.[1]

Albert Snider
Albert Snider
OccupationJockey
Born(1921-10-22)October 22, 1921
Calgary, Alberta,
Canada
DiedMarch 5, 1948(1948-03-05) (aged 26)
Florida, United States
Resting placeLost at sea
Career winsNot found
Major racing wins
Arlington-Washington Lassie Stakes (1940)
Lincoln Handicap (1940)
Princess Pat Stakes (1941)
Stars and Stripes Handicap (1941)
Hawthorne Handicap (1942)
Rhode Island Handicap (1942)
Continental Handicap (1944)
Gallant Fox Handicap (1944)
Remsen Stakes (1944)
Diana Handicap (1945)
Top Flight Handicap (1945)
Eastern Shore Stakes (1946, 1947)
Everglades Stakes (1946, 1948)
Miss America Handicap (1946)
Potomac Handicap (1946, 1947)
Scarsdale Handicap (1946)
Baltimore Spring Handicap (1947)
Belmont Futurity Trial (1947)
Belmont Futurity (1947)
Flamingo Stakes (1947, 1948)
Grassland Handicap (1947)
Jennings Handicap (1947)
Philadelphia Handicap (1947)
Pimlico Special (1947)
Quck Step Stakes (1947)
Sysonby Handicap (1947)
Flamingo Stakes (1948)
Seminole Handicap (1948)
Suwannee River Handicap (1948)
Racing awards
Gulfstream Park Leading Jockey (1939)
Significant horses
Armed, Faultless, Fervent, Hoop Jr., Citation, Pellicle, Saggy

Al Snider was riding in the southern United States in the latter part of 1938 where he quickly established a reputation as a capable rider.[2] In the ensuing years he rode at major tracks in New York, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Maryland Kentucky and Illinois. Among his significant wins were the Arlington-Washington Lassie Stakes and the Stars and Stripes Handicap. In his best finish in an American Classic, Snider rode owner Fred W. Hooper's colt Hoop Jr. to second place in the 1945 Preakness Stakes.[3] He won the 1946 inaugural running of the Miss America Handicap with Hal Price Headley's Letmenow.[4]

The Calumet years

Signed on to ride for Calumet Farm, Al Snider would become the jockey for future United States' Racing Hall of Fame inductee, Citation. He rode Citation in his career debut on April 22, 1947, winning a 4+1⁄2 furlong race at Havre de Grace Racetrack and most notably going on to win the Belmont Futurity Stakes en route to Citation being voted the U.S. Champion 2-Year-Old Colt.[5] In all, Snider rode Citation five times at age two and four times at age three. He won all nine races.

Another of Snider's impressive wins in 1947 was aboard Fervent in the mile and three-sixteenths Pimlico Special. Run October 30 at Narragansett Park, stiff competition in the $25,000 winner-take-all race saw the field narrowed to four runners. In addition to Fervent, Calumet Farm also entered their best runner, Armed. Ridden by Douglas Dodson, bettors made Armed the 1-5 favorite in a year the future Hall of Fame gelding would be voted American Horse of the Year honors. The William G. Helis Sr. colt Cosmic Bomb had Ovie Scurlock aboard, Loyal Legion, owned by Walter M. Jeffords, was ridden by Eddie Arcaro.[6]

In the space of two days in May 1947, Albert Snider guided three different horses to wins at Havre de Grace Racetrack in track record time. On two days during July at two racetracks in Chicago he rode two more horses to a track record time, one on turf and the other on dirt.

Date
Horse
Owner
Event
Track
Surface
Dist.
Time
Ref.
May 12, 1947 Airy Calumet Farm 2yo Maiden Fillies Havre de Grace Dirt 5 furlongs 0:58 3/5 [7]
May 12, 1947 Pep Well Calumet Farm Philadelphia Handicap Havre de Grace Dirt 6 furlong 1:10 1/5 [8]
May 13, 1947 Gorget Art-Dale Stable (Mrs. George Smith) Monkton Purse Havre de Grace Dirt 1 mile, 70 yards 1:41 3/5 [9]
July 9, 1947 Pellicle Hal Price Headley Grassland Handicap Arlington Park Turf 1 3/16 miles 1:56 0/0 [10]
July 28, 1947 With Pleasure Brolite Farm (Oscar E. Breault) Quick Step Stakes Washington Park Dirt 6 furlongs 1:09 4/5 [11]

1948 promised to be a great year as Al Snider prepared to ride Citation in the U.S. Triple Crown series. At Hialeah Park Race Track, he rode the colt to victory in the 1948 Seminole and Everglades Handicaps. Then, after winning the Flamingo Stakes, on March 5 Snider used a day off to go fishing in the Florida Keys. While out on the water, a sudden storm came up and Al Snider apparently drowned. A search party found no trace of his body but reportedly found his skiff eight days later on an island 10 miles south of Everglades City.[12][13]

Calumet Farms head trainer Ben Jones hired Eddie Arcaro to replace Snider on Citation and they won the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes, making him only the eighth horse in history to win the U.S. Triple Crown. Calumet Farm and winning jockey Arcaro, one of Snider's friends, gave Snider's widow a share of his Kentucky Derby purse money.[14]

In an extensive 1999 interview, Calumet Farm's Hall of Fame trainer Jimmy Jones spoke to Blood-Horse Publications about Albert Snider with "fondness and respect" saying such things as "Albert was a great rider, just as good as Eddie Arcaro", "Albert Rode Citation better than anybody", "he was a very intelligent rider, very polished", "he conducted himself like a professional", "with great work habits", "It was just a shame Albert couldn't have gone on with Citation to win the Triple Crown and Horse of the Year and all those races," and "Losing a fine young man like that when he was in his prime, well, it just made us all sick".[15]

References
  1. "Snider Born In Calgary". Daily Racing Form. November 2, 1938. Retrieved July 9, 2020 – via University of Kentucky Archives.
  2. "A. Snider Shows Promise". Daily Racing Form. December 15, 1938. Retrieved July 9, 2020 – via University of Kentucky Archives.
  3. "Reflections: Snider Gave Hoop Jr. Fine Preakness Ride". Daily Racing Form. June 20, 1945. Retrieved July 9, 2020 – via University of Kentucky Archives.
  4. "LetmenowWins Miss America". Asbury Park Press, page 11. September 26, 1946. Retrieved July 9, 2020.
  5. Georgeff (author), Phil (March 3, 2003). Citation: In a Class by Himself. Taylor Trade Publishing. p. 18. ISBN 9780878332922. {{cite book}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  6. "Wright 3-Year-Old Beats Cosmic Bomb; Fervent's Closing Rush Takes $25,000 Special by a Neck". The New York Times. November 1, 1947. p. 20, Section Sports. Retrieved July 10, 2020.
  7. "Pep Well Sets Track Record in Philadelphia 'Cap". The Morning News. May 13, 1947. p. 15. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
  8. "Pep Well Sets Track Record in Philadelphia 'Cap". The Morning News. May 13, 1947. p. 15. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
  9. "Gorget Lowers Havre Mark in Monkton Purse". Daily Racing Form. May 14, 1947. Retrieved July 3, 2020 – via University of Kentucky Archives.
  10. "Hal Price Headley's Thoroughbred Runs to New Grass Course Mark at Chicago". The Joplin Globe. UPI. July 10, 1947. p. 12. Retrieved July 5, 2020.
  11. "Track Record Set by With Pleasure". The New York Times. July 29, 1947. p. 2, Section Sports. Retrieved July 11, 2020.
  12. "The Ruins". Florida Sportsman. December 1, 2005. Archived from the original on April 3, 2007. Retrieved July 9, 2020.
  13. "Without A Trace". Fort Lauderdale Sun Sentinel. April 30, 1998. Archived from the original on September 2, 2018. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
  14. "Mrs. Al Snider Receives $4,170 Check". Daily Racing Form. May 19, 1948. Retrieved July 9, 2020 – via University of Kentucky Archives.
  15. McEvoy, John (January 1, 2000). Great Horse Racing Mysteries: True Tales from the Track. Eclipse Press. pp. 49, 50, 51. ISBN 9781581501162.
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