Steve Cauthen

 Steve Cauthen (born May 1, 1960) is a retired American racehorse jockey. Cauthen, son of a trainer and farrier, grew up in Walton, Kentucky around horses. He had a natural talent, as a five year old, he was seen on a thoroughbred doing a full gallop! By the time he was twelve, he knew he wanted to be a jockey. So with his fathers help, and by hanging out a nearby track, he became an exercise rider when he was only in junior high. After he turned sixteen, (the legal age to become a jockey) he got his jockey's license. He rode in his first race on May 12, 1976 on a longshot at Churchill Downs. The horse, King of Swat, finished last, but others were interested on how well Cauthen handled the horse. It wasn't long before he got other mounts, riding his first winner (Red Pipe) less than a week later, at River Downs. It was only up from there, he was the nation's leador of race wins in 1977 with 487 wins. After only racing for two years, he became the first jockey to win $6 million in one year, earning him the nickname "Stevie Wonder."           

Steve Cauthen

Occupation	Jockey
Born	May 1,1960 (age 52)
Career Wins	2,794

In 1977, Cauthen won many awards, including Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year, Sporting News Sportsman of the Year, Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year, ABC's Wide World of Sports Athlete of they Year, the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Apprentice Jockey, and the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Jockey in the United States. 

In 1978, he became the youngest jockey ever to win the Triple Crown, riding Affirmed.

He soon started having problems, in 1979 he hit a racing slump, losing over 100 races in a row. He also had trouble making riding weight, so he moved to England, where jockeys usually compete at higher weights. He became a successful rider there, winning with his first mount in the U.K., in the Grand Fools Handicap. He was the British Champion Jockey three times, won English Classic races three times, the Epsom Derby twice, and the St. Leger twice. He also won the Irish Oaks twice, and in 1989, he rode European Horse of the Year, Old Vic, to wins in the French Derby and Irish Derby; in 1991, he won the Derby Italiano with Hailsham. 

After finishing his riding career, he moved back to Kentucky, where he is an executive at Turfway Park. 

In 1984, he won the George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award, and he was later inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1994.

He married his wife, Amy, in 1992, and they have three daughters.