Eldon Nelson
| Eldon Nelson | |
|---|---|
| Occupation | American Classic Race wins: Preakness Stakes (1972) |
| Honours | |
| Oklahoma Horse Racing Hall of Fame (2009) | |
| Significant horses | |
| Coaltown, Silver Spoon, Tempted Bold Bidder, Bee Bee Bee | |
Glen Eldon Nelson (January 28, 1927 - March 16, 2012) was an American jockey in the sport of Thoroughbred horse racing who competed primarily at tracks on the East Coast of the United States and who is best known for winning the 1972 Preakness Stakes.[1][2]
In 1948, Eldon Nelson married Betty Rose Coffman (1930–2005) with whom he had two children.
During a career that spanned four decades, Nelson rode for some of the leading stables in the country including Henry and Jane Lunger's
Christiana Stables, Isabel Dodge Sloane's Brookmeade Stable, as well as the renowned Calumet Farm. On February 28, 1949, at Hialeah Park Race Track in Hialeah, Florida, he rode Calumet's future U.S. Racing Hall of Fame colt Coaltown to a win that equalled the world record of 1:47 3/5 for a mile-and-an-eighth on dirt.[3]
American Classic Races
Eldon Nelson had two mounts in the
William S. Farish III colt Bee Bee Bee to victory.[4]
Eldon Nelson retired in 1973. He and his wife returned to live on their farm near Cedar Vale, Kansas.
In 2009, Nelson was inducted into the Oklahoma Horse Racing Hall of Fame.[5]
References
- ^ Tower, Whitney (May 29, 1972). "Give An A-plus To Bee Bee Bee". Sports Illustrated.
- ^ Obituary
- ^ "Sport: Citation's Shadow". Time. February 28, 1949.
- ^ Preakness Stakes jockeys at the official Preakness website[permanent dead link]
- ^ "John Sellers". The Oklahoma Horse Racing Hall of Fame at Remington Park. January 1, 2009. Retrieved November 10, 2019.