Johnny Adams was a Hall of Fame jockey whose career spanned the period 1935-1958. During that time, he had 20,159 mounts, including 3,270 winners. He was the fourth professional jockey to reach the 3,000 win mark, a milestone commemorated in this photo taken with his son, J.Ralph Adams, Jr., who also was a jockey. The landmark win came aboard Mister Black on May 21, 1955, in the Continental Turf Handicap at Washington Park in suburban Chicago.
Johnny Adams was born in Carlisle, Arkansas, and moved with his family to Iola, Kansas as a small boy. He rode his first race in Uniontown, Kansas in 1929. By 1937, he was the nation's leading jockey--a feat he repeated in 1942 and 1943. Another career highlight came in 1954, when he won the Preakness with Hasty Road. In 1961, he was a charter inductee in the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame. Adams was inducted into the National Racing Hall of Fame in 1965.
This photograph was produced by the Associated Press, and was used twice--first, when Johnny Adams reached the 3,000 win mark in 1955, and a year later when his son was injured in an accident prior to a race.
Johnny Adams died in Arcadia, California in 1995.
Kansas Memory
Kansas Historical Society
Johnny Adams, Hall of Fame jockey from Iola, Kansas - 2