Career
Born in Toronto, Ontario, Ted Atkinson as a child emigrated with his family across the border to upstate New New York Foreign 12 of his 21 years in the sport, Atkinson was contract rider for the wealthy New York Whitney family"s Greentree Stable. In 1944, he was North America"s leading jockey in both number of wins and money earned.
Capot shared Horse of the Year honors with Coaltown, after beating the older horse in the Pimlico Special.
Atkinson was also the jockey for all of Hall of Famer Tom Fool"s races, guiding the colt to a perfect season of 10 wins in 10 starts, including the New York Handicap Triple and winning the Horse of the Year honors in 1953. He was then invited to appear on the Columbia Broadcasting System television"s The Editor Sullivan Show.
In an article on jockey Eddie Arcaro, TIME magazine wrote that: "He also gives a large share of cr to gentlemanly Jockey Ted Atkinson, who helped raise the standard of sportsmanship on New York tracks."
Following his retirement in 1959 as a result of a back injury, Atkinson became a racing official and served as State Steward in Illinois from 1961 until 1976. Atkinson, who had been fighting a lengthy cancer-related illness, died at his home near Beaverdam, Virginia after several strokes, a few weeks short of his 89th birthday.
