
Willie Shoemaker had a remarkable career with one failure that even he acknowledged: Disappointment at never won the Triple Crown. Shoemakers career spanned over 40 years and in 40,350 starts he rode to victory in an amazing 8,833 of them (21.9%). A record for most wins that lasted until 1999 when Lafitte Pincay claimed the honor. Shoemaker had som many great mounts he could not choose one as his best. Instead he chose Swaps, Spectacular Bid, and Ferdinand as his three best.