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William Henry Blaylock (1859 - March 20, 1899) was a jockey in Thoroughbred racing who met with success both in the United States and his native Canada. In 1893 he won the Queen's Plate which became Canada's most important race and is the oldest continuously run race for Thoroughbred horses in North America.

Skill - Honesty - Integrity

Known by the nickname Harry, Blaylock's death as reported by the San Francisco publication Breeder and Sportsman said that he had been one of the "most prominent jockeys on the American turf and stood high for skill and integrity." As well, the New York Times obituary stated that Blaylock "had a reputation for skill and honesty second to none."

Career

Harry Blaylock began his career in Canada riding for fellow Hamilton, Ontario native and a future Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame trainer, Charles Boyle. He went on to be a contract rider in the United States for a number of prominent racing stable owners including another fellow Canadian Edward Corrigan, future U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee William P. Burch, Lucky Baldwin, plus the Lorillard brothers Pierre and George.

On May 24, 1893, at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto Harry Blaylock won Canada's most important race, the Queen's Plate. He was aboard Martello for trainer John Walker and owner Joseph E. Seagram, the wealthy proprietor of the Seagram distillery.

Harry Blaylock had three mounts in the Kentucky Derby with his best result in the 1887 edition when he finished fourth aboard Banburg owned by James D. Morrisey. He also competed in the 1885 Belmont Stakes in which he was second on George Lorillard's colt St. Augustine.

Some of Blaylock's important race wins in the United States were the 1877 Manhattan Handicap, the 1884 Saratoga Cup and in 1887 the inaugural running of the Latonia Oaks as well as that year's prestigious Travers Stakes. When his riding career was over, Blaylock turned to owning Thoroughbreds which he trained for racing.

The Breeder and Sportsman reported that Harry Blaylock suffered a stroke of paralysis on August 2, 1897. Although he was not expected to recover, Blaylock lived until March 20, 1899, when he died at age 40.

References

1. "Thoroughbred Stakes Results" (PDF). Woodbine Entertainment Group. 2018-01-01. Retrieved 2019-10-12.
2. "Saddle Notes". Breeder and Sportsman, Vol XXXIV, No.13, page 199. 1899-04-01. Retrieved 2019-04-23.
3. "Jockey Blaylock Dead". New York Times, page 8. 1899-03-22. Retrieved 2019-10-13.
4. Vosburg, Walter Spencer (1916-01-01). Cherry and Black: The Career of Mr. Pierre Lorillard on the Turf, page 111. Pierre Lorillard (Library of Congress). p. 50, 51.
5. "Famous Jockeys". Daily Alta California and San Francisco Times, Volume 41, Number 13556. 1886-10-11. Retrieved 2019-10-02.
6. "1885 Belmont" (PDF). Belmontstakes.com. 1885-06-06. Retrieved 2019-09-14.
7. "Thoroughbred Stakes Results" (PDF). Woodbine Entertainment Group. 2019-01-01. Retrieved 2019-10-21.
8. "Kentucky Derby History, 1887". Churchill Downs Incorporated. 2020-03-14. Retrieved 2020-03-14.
9. "Tyrant's Great Victory". New York Times, page 10. 1885-06-07. Retrieved 2019-09-17.
10. "Racing at Saratoga.; General Monroe Wins the Saratoga Cup". New York Times, page 5. 1884-07-27. Retrieved 2019-10-21.
11. "Condensed History of the Latonia Oaks". Daily Racing Form at University of Kentucky Archives. 1908-06-26. Retrieved 2019-10-21.
12. "Travers". NYRA. 2019-08-24. Retrieved 2019-10-21.
13. "Saddle Notes". Breeder and Sportsman, Vol XXXIV, No.13, page 199. 1899-04-01. Retrieved 2019-04-23.
14. "The Saddle". Breeder and Sportsman, Vol XXXI, No.6, page 85. 1897-08-07. Retrieved 2019-10-06.

• 1859 births
• 1899 deaths
• Canadian jockeys
• American jockeys
• Sportspeople from Hamilton, Ontario
• Canadian expatriates in the United States