# Sam Renick

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**Samuel William Renick** (May 14, 1910 – October 16, 1999) was an American jockey during the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s. He was a founder of the [Jockeys' Guild](/source/Jockeys'_Guild). After his career ended, Renick became one of television's first racing announcers.

## Early life

Renick was born on May 14, 1910, grew up in [the Bronx](/source/The_Bronx), and was Jewish.[1][2][3] At the age of thirteen he ran away from home and went to [New Orleans](/source/New_Orleans), where he worked in the stables at the [Fair Grounds Race Course](/source/Fair_Grounds_Race_Course).[3]

## Racing career

Renick began his racing career at the age of sixteen. He eventually became a contract rider for [Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt Jr.](/source/Alfred_Gwynne_Vanderbilt_Jr.) and [Harry Warner](/source/Harry_Warner); racing for Vanderbilt on the East Coast and Warner on the West Coast. Renick was one of America's leading jockeys during the 1930s and 1940s and won a number of [stakes races](/source/Glossary_of_North_American_horse_racing#stakes_race).[4][5]

### Jockeys' Guild

After Renick broke his leg during a race, he and friend and fellow jockey [Eddie Arcaro](/source/Eddie_Arcaro) began discussions that led to the creation of [Jockeys' Guild](/source/Jockeys'_Guild), which aimed to gain some protections for jockeys, who did not have insurance or medical protection, and their families, in case of injury or death.[4][5][6] During the early years of the Guild, Renick would usually act as master of ceremonies for the organization's fundraising dances, shows, and dinners.[6]

## Broadcasting

After Renick's career as a jockey ended, Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt suggested that he go into broadcasting due to his talkative nature.[7] His first broadcasting job was as [Clem McCarthy](/source/Clem_McCarthy)'s color commentator on races from [Belmont Park](/source/Belmont_Park) for the [NBC television network](/source/NBC).[3] In 1952, Renick served as an announcer for the first network television broadcast of the [Kentucky Derby](/source/Kentucky_Derby). He set the scene for the race, delivered advertising pitches, and performed prerace interviews.[7] In 1954 he called the [Preakness Stakes](/source/Preakness_Stakes) for [CBS Television](/source/CBS) with [Fred Capossela](/source/Fred_Capossela) and [Mel Allen](/source/Mel_Allen).[8] He also broadcast races from New York and Florida as a color commentator on the "Race of the Week" and "Schaefer Circle of Sports" with Capossela and [Win Elliot](/source/Win_Elliot), "Racing From Aqueduct" with Elliot, and as the host of his own show, "Racing with Renick".[9][10][11]

Renick had a small role in the 1958 motion picture, *[Wind Across the Everglades](/source/Wind_Across_the_Everglades)*.[12]

## Death

Renick died on October 16, 1999, at his home in [Manhattan](/source/Manhattan) from complications of a severe stroke that he had suffered the previous winter.[4][5]

## External links

Film clip: Jockey Sammy Renick as "Loser" in *Wind Across the Everglades* (1958) [Jockey Sammy Renick in Wind Across the Everglades (1958)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLWUqX7b4iE)

## References

1. ["⁨Jews in Sports"](https://www.nli.org.il/en/newspapers/cgs/1943/05/06/01/article/47). *⁨The Sentinel⁩*. 6 May 1943. – via The National Library of Israel.

1. "Social Security Death Index"

1. Cannon, Jimmy. "On TV, Ex-Jock Still Rides High". *The New York Post*

1. Durso, Joseph (October 24, 1999). "Sam Renick Top-Notch Jockey in 1930s and ' 40s". *Pittsburgh Post-Gazette*

1. "Horse Racing's Sam Renick, Founded Jockeys' Guild". *Newsday*. October 19, 1999.

1. ["Jockey's Guild History"](https://web.archive.org/web/20151012005949/http://www.jockeysguild.com/history.html). *Jockey's Guild*. The Jockey's Guild. Archived from [the original](http://www.jockeysguild.com/history.html) on October 12, 2015. Retrieved October 27, 2015.

1. Eisenberg, John (2003). *Native Dancer: The Grey Ghost Hero of a Golden Age*. New York: Warner Book, Inc. ISBN 9780759528017.

1. "Preakness". *The Baltimore Sun*. May 22, 1954.

1. ["TV to Carry Oldest U.S. Stakes Race"](https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1917&dat=19640821&id=N2EtAAAAIBAJ&sjid=P4gFAAAAIBAJ&pg=1097,3067873&hl=en). *Schenectady Gazette*. August 21, 1964. Retrieved October 27, 2015.

1. ["Race on T.V. Sponsored By Schaefer"](http://fultonhistory.com/Newspapers%2023/Brooklyn%20NY%20Greenpoint%20Daily%20Star/Brooklyn%20NY%20Greenpoint%20Daily%20Star%201965-1966/Brooklyn%20NY%20Greenpoint%20Daily%20Star%201965-1966%20-%200011.pdf). *Greenpoint Weekly Star*. October 15, 1965. Retrieved October 27, 2015.

1. Eng, Richard (August 19, 2011). "History says Jockey Club TV series destined to fail". *Las Vegas Review*

1. [*Los Angeles Times* August 17, 1994 article titled-subtitled "Thoroughbred Racing - Horse tales](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-08-17-sp-27991-story.html) Retrieved August 3, 2018

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Sam Renick](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_Renick) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_Renick?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.