Jean Cruguet

Who is Jean Cruguet?

Jean Cruguet is a French-American thoroughbred horse racing jockey who won the United States Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing.

At age five, Jean Cruguet was placed in an orphanage after his father abandoned the family and his mother was unable to cope. From age ten to sixteen, he lived at a secondary school run by Roman Catholic priests where he says he was physically abused. At age sixteen, a friend of his grandfather offered the diminutive Cruguet work at a Thoroughbred race track. His fledgling career as a jockey was interrupted by mandatory military service and he served in the French Army during the Algerian War.

After being discharged from the army, Cruguet returned to thoroughbred flat racing. He replaced army-bound jockey Yves Saint-Martin at the stable run by trainer Francois Mathet. Once Saint-Martin was discharged from the army, Cruguet had to find new rides but met with only limited success. After meeting his future wife Denyse, a trainer and one of the pioneering woman in French racing, in 1965, they decided to emigrate to the United States. In Florida, Cruguet was hired to ride for Horatio Luro at Hialeah Park Race Track and began to achieve success in the ensuing years. In 1969, he won a major Grade I race aboard Arts and Letters when he replaced Braulio Baeza due to another commitment, riding the future Hall of Fame colt to victory in the Metropolitan Handicap at Belmont Park.