William J. Passmore
American jockey
William J. "Bill" Passmore Sr. (March 8, 1933 – May 14, 2009) was an American jockey and racing steward who raced thoroughbred horses for 38 years, including at the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes, winning 3,531 races and $23 million in prize money before spending 20 years as a steward.
The 5-foot-5-inch (165 cm), 99-pound (45 kg) jockey was born in West Chester, Pennsylvania, where Passmore's father, William L. Passmore, was a successful steeplechase jockey and trainer who worked for area horse breeder Bayard Sharp. Passmore's first mount was on May 23, 1948, at the age of 15, one year below the legal minimum, aboard Minneapolis at the now-defunct Jamaica Race Course in Queens, New York. Passmore's father pulled him out of school at age 16 so that he could help support the family.
He rode Hannibal to an eighth-place finish in a field of 16 at the running of the 1952 Kentucky Derby, the only time he rode in that race. His only appearance in the Belmont Stakes was in 1983 when he finished in 14th aboard Dixieland Band. He rode in the Preakness Stakes three times, finishing seventh aboard Galdar in 1954, riding Knight Landing to a seventh-place finish in 1980, and finishing fourth atop Thirty Eight Paces in 1981.
In 1981, Passmore became the 32nd jockey in North American racing to win 3,000 races, part of a career in which he won 3,531 races and $23 million in purses out of 29,490 mounts. He retired from racing in 1986, having interrupted his 38-year career in the early 1960s for a year and a half when he worked as a jockey's valet while trying to break out of a slump.
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