Career
He went on to be one of the top jockeys in the United States and a National Hall of Fame inductee. He spent his early career in Ohio and West Virginia, and moved to tracks in New Jersey in 1970, but then later relocated to New York in 1971. Maple was the jockey for Hall of Famer Riva Ridge in the 1973 Marlboro Cup, getting the ride when regular jockey Ron Turcotte rode Secretariat to victory in the same race.
His strong 2nd-place performance earned him the opportunity of a lifetime later that year when Turcotte was suspended from riding for five days, and Eddie Maple rode Secretariat to victory in his last race, the Canadian International Stakes at Woodbine Racetrack.
In 1995, Eddie Maple was voted the George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award, and in 1998, the Mike Venezia Memorial Award. He retired in 1998 with 4,398 wins.
Eddie was inducted into the National Racing Hall of Fame in 2009.
