Don MacBeth

Don MacBeth
Occupation	Jockey
Born	August 29, 1949 Red Deer, Alberta, Canada
Died	March 1, 1987 (age 37)
Career wins	2,764
Major racing wins, honours and awards
Major racing wins
Lamplighter Handicap (1974, 1977, 1978, 1979) Autumn Handicap (1977) Dominion Day Stakes (1977) Jockey Club Cup Handicap (1978) Vagrancy Handicap (1979) Dwyer Stakes (1980) Comely Stakes (1981) Firenze Handicap (1981) Laurel Futurity (1981) Suburban Handicap (1981, 1982, 1985) Bertram F. Bongard Stakes (1982, 1984) Ladies Handicap (1982) Whitney Handicap (1982) Cowdin Stakes (1984) Frizette Stakes (1984) Gotham Stakes (1984) Hopeful Stakes (1984, 1985) Jerome Handicap (1984) Saratoga Special Stakes (1984) Blue Grass Stakes (1985) Jamaica Handicap (1985) Lawrence Realization Stakes (1985) Marlboro Cup (1985) Matron Stakes (1985) Metropolitan Handicap (1985) Spinaway Stakes (1985) Washington, D.C. International (1985) Breeders' Cup wins: Breeders' Cup Juvenile (1984) International race wins: Japan Cup (1982)
Racing awards
Avelino Gomez Memorial Award (1987) George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award (1987)
Honours
Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame (1988) Don MacBeth Memorial Jockey Fund
Significant horses
Temperence Hill, Deputy Minister Vanlandingham, Chief's Crown

Donald MacBeth (August 29, 1949 - March 1, 1987) was a Canadian jockey in Thoroughbred horse racing.

Born in Red Deer, Alberta, Macbeth rode horses at Alberta racetracks before going to race in the United States. Among horses of note, he rode Deputy Minister, winner of the 1981 Sovereign and Eclipse awards for Outstanding Two-Year-Old Male Horse in Canada and the United States. In Japan, MacBeth rode Half Iced to victory in the 1982 Japan Cup and Chief's Crown to an impressive win in the 1984 Breeders' Cup Juvenile, the 1985 Blue Grass Stakes, and the 1985 Marlboro Cup. He also won the prestigious Washington, D.C. International in 1985 aboard Vanlandingham for trainer Shug McGaughey.

Don MacBeth was the leading jockey at Monmouth Park for three years running between 1978 and 1980. He won 2,764 races before cancer ended his racing career. For his significant contribution to the sport of horse racing, Don MacBeth received the Avelino Gomez Memorial Award and the George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award.

A resident of Reddick, Florida at the time of his passing in 1987, the following year Don MacBeth was inducted posthumously into the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame.

MacBeth Memorial Jockey Fund

After doing a show at a racetrack near Minneapolis, Minnesota, devoted fan and sometime racehorse owner, comedic actor Tim Conway had wanted to donate his fee to help former jockeys experiencing hard times but learned that no such fund existed. In cooperation with Don MacBeth's widow, Conway became a Co-Founder, Vice President, and member of the Board of Directors of the Don MacBeth Memorial Jockey Fund to assist injured and disabled riders. As of March 2007, the Fund has assisted more than 1,800 riders.

References

• Don MacBeth Memorial Jockey Fund
• Don MacBeth profile at the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame