Fred Taral

Fred Taral
Fred Taral around 1903
Occupation	Jockey & trainer
Born	August 2, 1867 Peoria, Illinois, United States
Died	February 13, 1925 Jamaica, New York
Career wins	1,437
Major racing wins
Ladies Handicap (1891, 1897) Metropolitan Handicap (1892, 1894) Spindrift Stakes (1892, 1897) Belmont Futurity Stakes (1893) Champagne Stakes (1893, 1894) Matron Stakes (1893, 1894) Withers Stakes (1893, 1894) Brooklyn Handicap (1893, 1894, 1896) Suburban Handicap (1894) Travers Stakes (1894, 1897) Gazelle Handicap (1896) Deutsches Derby (1909) American Classics wins: Kentucky Derby (1899) Preakness Stakes (1894, 1895) Belmont Stakes (1895)
Honours
United States Racing Hall of Fame (1955)
Significant horses
Domino, Assignee, Henry of Navarre Diablo, Belmar, Manuel

Frederick J. "Fred" Taral (August 2, 1867 – February 13, 1925) was an American Hall of Fame jockey.^[1]

Jockey career

Taral began his career in racing in the 1880s at small racetracks in Oklahoma. By 1889 he was among the 24-member jockey colony at the Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans and competed in his first Kentucky Derby. In 1908 he left racing in the United States and for a time rode and trained in Germany where he rode Macdonald to victory in the 1909 Deutsches Derby. He returned home following the outbreak of World War I.

For owner James R. Keene, Taral rode future Hall of Famers Domino^[2] and Henry of Navarre. He also rode Domino against Henry of Navarre to a dead heat in an 1894 match race.^[3] On different horses, that year Taral won the New York Handicap Triple, capturing the Brooklyn Handicap, Metropolitan Handicap and the Suburban Handicap. In all, Taral won the Brooklyn Handicap on three occasions and the Metropolitan Handicap twice. He was also a two-time winner of the Travers, Champagne and Withers Stakes.

In the pre-Triple Crown era, Fred Taral had back-to-back wins in the Preakness Stakes. He first won it in 1894 aboard Assignee and in 1895 he won his second Preakness plus the Belmont Stakes with the colt Belmar. In 1899 he won the Kentucky Derby aboard Manuel.^[4]

Training career

Following his retirement from riding in 1908, Fred Taral pursued a career as a trainer. Among his clients was the Riviera Stable owned by Victor Vivaudou ^[5] for whom he trained notable runners Fabian^[6] and Miss Star.^[7]

Fred Taral died of pneumonia in 1925. He was buried in the Maple Grove Cemetery, Kew Gardens, New York.^[8] In 1955 he was part of the inaugural class inducted into the newly created United States Racing Hall of Fame.

References