David Gall obit

Fifth-Winningest North American Jockey Gall Dies at 79

David Gall led all North American riders, ranked by wins, in 1979 and 1981.

 

He was not on the list.

David Gall, the fifth-winningest jockey in North American riding history, has passed away at age 79.

Gall's long-time agent, Mark Cooper, said the rider died the night of July 31 at his home. The cause of death was not immediately announced.

"He was a great guy," said Cooper, himself a former jockey. "He taught me a lot—a lot about riding and a lot about how to deal with other people."

Gall began his career in western Canada when he was 15, riding at tracks in Saskatchewan, Alberta, and Manitoba before shifting his focus to California. The native of Rose Valley in Saskatchewan, then migrated to downstate Illinois, where he became a star at Fairmount Park (now named FanDuel Sportsbook and Horse Racing) and Cahokia Downs, across the Mississippi River from St. Louis.

Gall led all North American riders, ranked by wins, in 1979 and 1981 and had 7,396 victories to his credit when he retired Sept. 18, 1999, according Equibase figures. At that time, he was No. 4 on the wins list and currently holds the No. 5 spot with a strike rate of 18%.

His career earnings total of just less than $25 million—about one-tenth of that amassed by No. 4-ranked Pat Day—reflects the many years Gall spent chasing the penurious purses in East St. Louis and Collinsville, Illinois.

His lone graded stakes win, according to Equibase, was the 1993 Fairmount Derby (G3). In that $150,000 heat, he got Adhocracy home first by a neck at odds of 11-1.

"When he won, he had to work for it. He didn't ride many of those fancy horses that were supposed to win anyway," Cooper said.

Among his many feats, Gall won eight races on a 10-race card at Cahokia Downs Oct. 18, 1978, and five other times had seven winners on a program.

He was inducted into the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame in 1993.

Cooper said Gall led by example in the East Side jockey colony but had an outsize impact on those around him.

"(Mark) Guidry rode here. (Shane) Sellers rode here. They all learned from him," Cooper said.

"But he was quiet. You could never know he was around," Cooper added. "He never hit a horse if he could help it. He could be five lengths behind or five lengths in front, he wouldn't use that whip. 'I'm too busy riding to hit the horse,' he'd say."

Cooper said Gall also may hold a record for claiming foul—zero claims in 41,775 starts.

"He just amazed me all the time," Cooper said.

Gall is survived by a son and two daughters. Services are pending.