Simms, Willie

Simms, Willie

(born Jan. 16, 1870, near Augusta, Ga., U.S.—died Feb. 26, 1927, Asbury, N.J.) U.S. jockey. Simms began racing in 1887 and was one of the most successful early adopters of the short stirrup. In 1895 Simms became the first American jockey to win in England, where English sportswriters soon referred to the short stirrup and crouching posture as the “American seat.” Simms won the Belmont Stakes in 1893 and 1894, the Kentucky Derby in 1896 and 1898, and the Preakness Stakes in 1898; he is the only African American to win all of the Triple Crown classics. He was one of the first jockeys to be elected to the National Museum of Racing's Hall of Fame.