Jockey Falls, Hangs On, and Still Finishes Second

What started out as another ordinary race over a sloppy track at Golden Gate Fields in February 1989, ended in rather extraordinary fashion. As the horses neared the wire, a filly named Sweetwater Oak came flying up on the outside of the leader but stumbled badly, flipping her rider, Nate Hubbard, out of the saddle in the process.

With a field full of steam behind him, one could only imagine the potential disaster that awaited the young rider as soon as he hit the ground. Desperate, Hubbard grabbed the filly’s neck and managed to hang on until crossing the finish line in second place. Because his feet never touched the ground, the result was upheld by stewards. To her credit, the filly barely skipped a beat.