1. John M "Red" Pollard was a Canadian horse racing jockey.
16 Facts About Red Pollard
1. 2.
Red Pollard was the grandson of Michael Pollard, born in 1834 in Ireland.
3.
John M "Red" Pollard was born in Edmonton in 1909.
4.
Red Pollard spent his early years in affluence, but the family brickyard was destroyed when the North Saskatchewan River flooded in 1915, instantly throwing the family into poverty.
5.
In 1933, Red Pollard rode in Ontario at the Fort Erie racetrack.
6.
Down and out in Detroit in 1936, Pollard was hired by horse trainer Tom Smith to ride Charles S Howard's Seabiscuit.
7.
In 1940, Red Pollard jockeyed the then 7-year-old Seabiscuit to a win in the Santa Anita Handicap at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California.
8.
Red Pollard rode Seabiscuit 30 times with 18 wins - all of them stakes or handicaps.
9.
Red Pollard continued to ride into the 1950s, mostly in New England.
10.
In 1982, Red Pollard was inducted into the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame.
11.
Besides the previously referenced damage to his vision, Pollard was known for other severe injuries that he suffered.
12.
In February 1938, Red Pollard fell while racing on Fair Knightess, another horse owned by Howard.
13.
Red Pollard's chest was crushed by the weight of the falling animal, and his ribs and arm were broken.
14.
Red Pollard had extensive surgery, and almost did not survive.
15.
Red Pollard died on March 7,1981, in Pawtucket, Rhode Island.
16.
Red Pollard is buried at Notre Dame Cemetery, a mile north of Narragansett Park racetrack, beside his wife.