One of Santa Anita Park's greatest riding legends, William "Bill" Shoemaker, has been selected for induction into the 2026 Los Angeles Times Sports Report Hall of Fame. Chosen by readers of the renowned newspaper, Shoemaker earned the honor after receiving 79.2 percent of the vote to lead the "Other Sports" category. The LA Times made the announcement earlier this week.
Fellow Santa Anita riding legend Laffit Pincay Jr. also appeared on this year's ballot, finishing fourth with 60.7 percent of the vote, short of the 75 percent required for inclusion. With more than 10,500 votes cast, Pincay will remain on the ballot for next year's Hall of Fame class.
Widely regarded as one of the greatest jockeys in Thoroughbred racing history, Shoemaker won the prestigious Santa Anita Handicap a record 11 times and captured the Santa Anita Derby eight times. He also led all riders at Santa Anita for an unprecedented 17 consecutive seasons, cementing his place as perhaps the most dominant jockey to ride at The Great Race Place.
Throughout his Hall of Fame career, Shoemaker partnered with some of racing's most celebrated horses, including Swaps, Ack Ack, John Henry, Spectacular Bid and Ferdinand. He was a four-time winner of the Kentucky Derby, a two-time winner of the Preakness Stakes and a five-time winner of the Belmont Stakes.
"To the public, especially those who grew up in Los Angeles, the name Bill Shoemaker was synonymous with the word "jockey," said Nate Newby, Santa Anita Park's General Manager. "It's very special to see "The Shoe" honored and remembered so fondly by sports fans nearly four decades since he retired."
Shoemaker's final race, appropriately named "The Legend's Last Ride," was held at Santa Anita on Feb. 3, 1990, before a crowd of 64,573. Although he finished fourth, Shoemaker retired after more than four decades in the saddle with a record 8,833 career victories and purse earnings totaling more than $123.3 million, leaving behind one of the most decorated careers in Thoroughbred racing. He passed away on Oct. 12, 2003, at the age of 72.
A complete list of the 2026 Los Angeles Times Hall of Fame inductees is below:
Dodgers/Angels
Don Drysdale
Clayton Kershaw
Sandy Koufax
Vin Scully
Fernando Valenzuela
Lakers/Clippers
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Elgin Baylor
Kobe Bryant
Chick Hearn
Magic Johnson
Jerry West
Rams/Chargers/Raiders
Eric Dickerson
Deacon Jones
Merlin Olsen
UCLA
Lew Alcindor
Arthur Ashe
Ann Meyers
Jackie Robinson
Bill Walton
John Wooden
USC
Marcus Allen
Cheryl Miller
Kings/Ducks
Marcel Dionne
Wayne Gretzky
Anze Kopitar
Luc Robitaille
Other colleges
Billie Jean King
Misty May-Treanor
Other sports/teams
Lisa Leslie
Bill Shoemaker
