Edward T. Baird

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Growing up, professional jockey Edward T. Baird wanted to be just like his father, Bobby “R.L.” Baird. Edward T. Baird had some very big shoes to fill, as his father’s racing resume read like a Who’s Who in Thoroughbred Racing. Edward T. Baird’s father earned four Purple Hearts and survived D-Day at Normandy, going on to become a jockey who rode in the Kentucky Derby five times, racked up more than 3,000 career wins, and continued his career until he was 62 years old. He warned his son of the profession’s immense difficulty, but Edward T. Baird was adamant, finally convincing his father that he had what it took to excel in this often dangerous sport.

A native of Chicago, Edward T. Baird quickly became a well-known name on the racing circuit. In 1985, he debuted at Hawthorne Race Course on a horse called Navy Gloves. As an apprentice with 103 wins, he next won the 1986 Hawthorne riding title, and in the same year also captured the annual Eric Beitia Memorial Award, given to the top New York apprentice jockey. A little over a decade later, Edward T. Baird gained admission into the Hawthorne Race Course Hall of Fame. Although he has suffered many serious injuries of the course of his career, retiring or quitting was never an option for Edward T. Baird, and today he continues to ride at the age of 44. Highlights of his career include the 2007 Kentucky Derby, finishing fifth with Recapturetheglory with odds of almost 50 to 1. A huge milestone occurred in Edward T. Baird’s career in 2009, when he rode owner John Karakourtis’s Bond Street to his 2,000th win at Arlington Park.

Edward T. Baird generously supports various charities, including groups involved in animal rescue. He holds membership in the professional organization The Jockeys Guild, which advocates for jockeys and serves as a unified voice for the profession. Edward T. Baird also gives to the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund, which accepts donations and stages events to benefit those in the industry who can no longer ride. When Edward T. Baird is not racing, he enjoys other physical pursuits, such as spending time on the links and playing tennis.

My Links

• Derby Jockey Profile: E.T. Baird | BloodHorse.com
• Edward T. Baird - Twitter

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