Raymond "Sonny" Workman
Raymond “Sonny” Workman began his riding career at the age of 17 in Ohio. He then went to New York, where he quickly rose to prominence. In only his second year in the saddle, Workman won 120 races, winning on 24 percent of his mounts. He signed on as a contract rider for Hall of Fame member Harry Payne Whitney and later rode for Hall of Fame members Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney and Alfred Vanderbilt.
1956
May 24,1909, Hoboken, New Jersey
Aug. 21, 1966, Washington, D.C.
1926-1940
1,169
Racing Record
20
Win %
Biography
Raymond “Sonny” Workman began his riding career at the age of 17 in Ohio. He then went to New York, where he quickly rose to prominence. In only his second year in the saddle, Workman won 120 races, winning on 24 percent of his mounts. He signed on as a contract rider for Hall of Fame member Harry Payne Whitney and later rode for Hall of Fame members Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney and Alfred Vanderbilt.
Workman led all North American riders in earnings in both 1930 and 1932 and also topped the leaderboard in wins in 1930. That year, he won 152 races (27 percent) and his purse earnings totaled $420,438.
Among the top horses Workman rode were Hall of Famers Equipoise, Top Flight, and Discovery, as well as champions Whichone, Now What, and Questionnaire. He also won the 1928 Preakness with H. P. Whitney’s Victorian.
Workman believed his best performance as a rider was when he defeated Hall of Famer Twenty Grand with Equipoise in the 1930 Pimlico Futurity after breaking sideways at the start and losing considerable ground. Workman retired in 1940 with 1,169 wins.
Achievements
North America's leading rider in earnings — 1930, 1932
North America's leading rider in wins — 1930
Triple Crown Highlights
Won the 1928 Preakness Stakes — Victorian
Other Highlights
Won the Metropolitan Handicap — 1931, 1932, 1933
Won the Hopeful Stakes — 1929, 1935
Won the Whitney Handicap — 1930, 1932
Won the Suburban Handicap — 1932, 1933
Media
