Stakes-winning jockey Philip Ernst, a mainstay on the old New England circuit for five decades, died peacefully in his Derry, N.H., home March 22 surrounded by his family. Ernst, 84, had battled leukemia for the past several years.
Ernst was raised in Covington, Ky., and aspired to be a jockey from a young age. He came onto the track at 14 and rode in non-sanctioned races until he turned 16 and took out his official license in 1957. He eventually joined the colony at Keystone Park, now Parx Racing, and soon found his way to the New England circuit. He was based there until he rode his final race at Rockingham Park on June 12, 1998.
His only grandchild, Brendan Robello, said that Ernst won the first race run at Finger Lakes and the final race at Narragansett Park in Rhode Island, which was his favorite track. According to Equibase, which keeps statistics dating to 1976, Ernst rode in 17,430 races since then and retired with 1,988 victories, just 12 wins shy of the 2,000 career wins milestone.
Following his retirement from the saddle, Ernst, nicknamed "The Gator", was a fixture at Rockingham Park and Suffolk Downs. Upon news of his passing, the Rockingham Park private groups on Facebook received hundreds of posts from the New England racing community expressing its fond memories of him.
He is survived by his wife, Sheila, their daughter Kelly Ernst Rebello, and his grandson. Sheila Ernst was the longtime horsemen's bookkeeper at Rockingham Park and she also worked in that department for many years at Suffolk Downs. Kelly Rebello trained horses at Rockingham Park and Suffolk Downs from 1994-98 under her maiden name, was a pony girl, worked in the racing office, and served in the Suffolk Downs TV department for live racing and simulcasting for many years.
Funeral arrangements will be announced at a future date.
