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Born in Ohio, Eddie Maple began riding horses at age 12 and won his first Thoroughbred race at 17 aboard Swami in 1966 at Charles Town. He began his career in Ohio and West Virginia and moved on to New Jersey before establishing himself in New York in 1971.
Maple won the Belmont Stakes twice, rode to three upset victories of Forego on different horses and piloted Secretariat to victory in the last race of that champion’s career. In statistics since 1976, he had 217 graded stakes winners and 363 wins in all stakes. He led jockey standings for meetings at Saratoga and Aqueduct.
Maple rode many horses for Woody Stephens, including Horse of the Year Conquistador Cielo, on whom he scored in one of the three Metropolitan Handicaps the rider won. He also won the Belmont Stakes for Stephens on Crème Fraiche, having won the classic as well on Temperence Hill. Maple’s three wins over Forego came in the Metropolitan on Arbees Boy and two Suburban Handicaps on Foolish Pleasure and Quiet Little Table. Maple was aboard Secretariat for his victory in the 1973 Canadian International.
In 1983, Maple won the Champagne, Futurity, etc., on 2-year-old stablemates Devil’s Bag and Swale for Stephens, and four years later was regular rider of 2-year-old champion Forty Niner for Stephens.
Maple’s other major winning mounts included Sabin, Awad, De La Rose, Optimistic Gal, Miss Oceana, Alydar, Dehere, Sky Beauty, Missy’s Mirage, Yonder, Nastique, Gone West, Conquistarose, Cox’s Ridge, I’m Sweets, Carr de Naskra, Optimistic Gal, Stephan’s Odyssey, Herat, White Star Line, Script Ohio, Miss Oceana, Eastern Fleet, Number, Caveat, Willow Hour, Believe It, Mrs. Warren, Slew o’ Gold, Majesty’s Prince, Icecapade and For the Moment.
In 1991, Maple moved to Italy, where he won that country’s One Thousand Guineas on Arranva.
In addition to multiple victories in the Belmont, Suburban, and Met Mile, Maple won the Saranac Handicap seven times, the Hempstead (now the Ogden Phipps) and the Saratoga Special five times each, the Dwyer, Carter and Remsen four times each and the Futurity, Super Derby, Breeders’ Futurity, Manhattan and Delaware Handicap three times each.
He had back-to-back wins in the Travers Stakes and also had two victories in the Alabama, Champagne, Wood Memorial, Ladies, Canadian International, Oaklawn Handicap, Arlington-Washington Lassie and Matron.
Other races he won included the Jockey Club Gold Cup, Arlington Million, Apple Blossom, Florida Derby, Young America, Withers, Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup, Hollywood Futurity, Hollywood Derby, Sword Dancer, Matchmaker, Louisiana Downs Handicap, Black Helen, Man o’ War, Monmouth Oaks and Hopeful.
Maple was voted the George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award for 1995 and the Mike Venezia Memorial Award in 1998.
Eddie Maple was inducted into the National Museum of Racing’s Hall of Fame in 2009. |
