Charles Kurtsinger

Who was Charles Kurtsinger?

Charles E. Kurtsinger was an American Hall of Fame jockey who won the Triple Crown in 1937.

Known as "Charley" but in racing received the nickname "The Flying Dutchman", Kurtsinger was born in Shepherdsville, Kentucky and learned race riding from his jockey father and from veteran rider Mack Garner. Among his career achievenments, he won the 1931 Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes aboard Twenty Grand and the Preakness Stakes in 1933 with Head Play. However, he is best known as the jockey of U.S. Triple Crown champion, War Admiral. In 1931 and 1937, Kurtsinger was the leading U.S. jockey in earnings. Over his career, he won 12.8% of his starts.

Kurtsinger was the jockey on War Admiral in the famous 1938 match race with Seabiscuit. Laura Hillenbrand's bestselling book, Seabiscuit: An American Legend, recounts the story and in the movie version Kurtsinger was played by retired Hall of Fame jockey Chris McCarron.

Dealing with an injury that was not healing properly, Charley Kurtsinger retired in 1939 having won 12.8% of his career starts. He turned to training but died of complications from pneumonia in 1946 at the age of 39 and was inducted into the United States' National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1967.