Yves Saint-Martin

Yves Saint-Martin (born 8 September 1941 in Agen, Lot-et-Garonne, France) is a retired champion jockey in French Thoroughbred horse racing. He is widely considered one of the greatest riders in French racing history.

Saint-Martin won his first race on 26 July 1958 for Mme Suzy Volterra. He went on to be France leading jockey fifteen times, winning the title in 1960, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1981 and 1983.

In his career, Yves Saint-Martin won 3314 races worldwide, of which 3275 were in France. He is tied with three others for most wins (4) in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe and holds the record for most victories in several other Group One races, including the Prix du Jockey Club with nine. He has won a total of 30 Classics in France.

At Laurel Park Racecourse near Baltimore, Maryland, Saint-Martin won the 1962 Washington, D.C. International aboard Match II defeating both Carry Back and the Kelso.

He won the French "Academie des sports" award Prix Claude Foussier in 1971.

Now retired, Yves Saint-Martin is an avid collector of vintage automobiles, owing classic models such as the Maserati, Ford Mustang, Rolls-Royce and Aston Martin. His son Eric is also a successful jockey who has raced in France and in Hong Kong.

Source: Article "Yves Saint-Martin" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.