Shoemaker Rides Again on ESPN Classic

Miscellaneous Sports

Shoemaker Rides Again on ESPN Classic

On Wednesday, Feb. 3, at 11:30 a.m. ET, ESPN Classic Remembers will honor the late jockey Willie Shoemaker with a replay of his last race, exactly 20 years ago.  The Legend’s Last Ride race, run at Santa Anita Park on Feb. 3, 1990, will be part of a nearly 14-hour block of Shoemaker programming on ESPN Classic from 10 a.m. to 11: 45 a.m. and will include his 1986 victory in the Kentucky Derby aboard Ferdinand.

Dave Nagle

As I write this on 11-11-21, it's now 35 years for me at ESPN, the only real job I’ve ever had. I joined merely to help with the upcoming America’s Cup in Australia. I was told it would be for three months at all of $5.50 per hour. I like to say I simply kept showing up. I’ve worked on almost every sport, plus answered viewer calls and letters (people used to write!), given tours, written the company newsletter and once drove NASCAR’s Jeff Gordon to the local airport. My travels have been varied…I’ve been to Martinsville, Darlington, Indy and Super Bowls; the America’s Cup (all 3) in San Diego and College GameDay in the sport’s meccas such as Eugene, Auburn, Lubbock, Stillwater and more; the NBA Finals, Wimbledon (16 times and counting) and the “other Bristol,” the one with a race track in Tennessee. These days, my main areas are tennis, UFC, boxing, network-wide ratings (by month/quarter/year), and corporate communications documents, including fact sheets, chronologies, lists and nearly 35 of the Year in Review press releases. UPDATE EXACTLY ONE YEAR LATER: Today, November 11, 2022, I am retiring from ESPN -- 36 years to the day I began. As I ride off into the sunset – top down and E Street Radio blaring – I do so with so many wonderful memories, proud of my contributions and a heart full of gratitude for the opportunity. 
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