Hedley Woodhouse’s career spanned thirty-two years of racing thoroughbreds at every major track in Canada and the US, riding for such famous stables as King Ranch, Widener, Wheatley, and Brookemeade. Although he rode many of the post favorites of the day, he enjoyed the challenge of taking the underdogs to the winner’s circle.

Woodhouse’s real talent was with the more temperamental fillies and mares. Towards the end of his career, 40% of his stake winnings were on fillies or mares, despite the fact that only 30% of the program was made up of females. Woodhouse was inducted into the Canadian Horseracing Hall of Fame in 1980 and he was also made a member of the BC Horse Racing Hall of Fame.

Woodhouse apprenticed with the Austin Taylor Stables between 1937 and 1940. He won his first race on ‘Golden Float’ at the old Lansdowne Park in 1940, breaking the track record by running the five and a half furlongs in one minute six seconds.

In 1944, he won the Vanity and the Hollywood Gold Cup on ‘Happy Issue.’ These victories placed him among the racing elite in the racing world. He challenged for the Triple Crown in 1949 for the first time and placed third at the Kentucky Derby while riding on ‘Palestinian.’ He won the 1953 New York riding championship with 138 victories and was runner-up in 1954.

Woodhouse placed second by a neck at the Belmont Stakes on ‘Fisherman,’ in 1954 just behind Eric Guerin on ‘High Gun.’ 1955 was Woodhouse’s most successful year with 148 wins.

He won the jockey title at Miami’s Tropical Park in 1970. In 1971, he retired at age 51, riding thirteen winners his final year. Throughout his career, Woodhouse rode a total of 21,442 horses, winning 2642 races, 116 of which were stake victories.