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Photograph by Anthony Edgeworth

"There is no way to explain this magic that Cauthen has with horses. He is a natural athlete, of course. He has the necessary instincts. He senses pace: the clock in his head. Reflexively, he stays out of trouble. Joe Hirsch, columnist for the Daily Racing Form, who has seen the boy ride a thousand or more races, swears he has never once seen him make a mistake. Never."

Text by Frank Deford
Issue Date: December 19, 1977

In 1977 jockey Steve Cauthen broke the New York record for wins in a year with 447. He also earned almost $6.2 million to exceed the old mark by more than $1.2 million, rode six winners on three different days and won two Eclipse awards (Most Outstanding Jockey and the Award of Merit for overall achievement) all at the ripe old age of 17.