There were times in the 1960s and 1970s that jockey James Dreyer was in the winner’s circle of nearly every major race at Los Alamitos, and a few in New Mexico. Dreyer rode such famous horses as Charger Bar, Go Josie Go, and Go Derussa Go in an 18-year career that included 535 wins, including 46 stakes at Los Alamitos. But his success as a jockey was only part of a lifelong involvement in Quarter Horse racing at the Southern California track, and other venues. Dreyer later worked in the track’s racing office, and as a steward from 2003 until a few months ago. On Monday, Dreyer died at his Southern California home after a recent illness, the track and his friends said earlier this week. He was 82. Born in Scranton, Pa., Dreyer was best known for his success with Charger Bar, the 1971 World Champion and champion 3-year-old filly, and the champion aged mare from 1972 to 1974. At times, Charger Bar, with Dreyer aboard, was nearly impossible to beat. From the beginning of her 3-year-old season in May 1971 to the end of her career in January 1975, Charger Bar won 25 of 38 starts, including 12 consecutive stakes from October 1973 to August of 1974. Charger Bar won 28 of 43 starts in her career after a modest 2-year-old season in 1970. :: Access the most trusted data and information in horse racing! DRF Past Performances and Picks are available now. In 1971, Dreyer was aboard Charger Bar for wins in three of the track’s leading races, the Los Alamitos Derby, Go Man Go Handicap, and Los Alamitos Championship. In 1972, Dreyer rode Charger Bar to a win in the first Vessels Maturity, now the track’s leading summertime race for older horses. In 1973, Dreyer was aboard Charger Bar for a win in the Champion of Champions, now the nation’s leading race for older horses. In 1974, Charger Bar’s final full year on the track, she won her first eight starts, including the Go Man Go Handicap and Los Alamitos Championship. “She was like driving a Rolls Royce,” Dreyer once told Los Alamitos publicity. “She just took care of her business and the rest of the time she wanted to be left alone. She would put on her game face as soon as she stepped on the track. “I'm not just saying this because I rode her, but I truly believe she's one of the five fastest Quarter Horses to ever race at Los Alamitos and the fastest mare to ever race here.” Away from Los Alamitos, Dreyer won the first running of the Rainbow Futurity at Ruidoso Downs with Double Queen in 1964, the Kansas Futurity at Ruidoso in 1965 aboard Ruby Charger, and the 1975 Kansas Derby at La Mesa Park in New Mexico on Easy Six. Dreyer rode Golden Note to a third-place finish in the 1961 All American Futurity, the third running of the famous race. :: Get the Inside Track with the FREE DRF Morning Line Email Newsletter. Subscribe now.  Dreyer was a top-rank rider among a tough roster of jockeys at Los Alamitos that included colleagues such as Bobby Adair, Danny Cardoza, Kenneth Hart, Terry Lipham, and Charley Smith to name a few. The American Quarter Horse Association did not launch a champion jockey award until 1985. Had such an award existed during his career, Dreyer would have been a perennial nominee. Dreyer was inducted into Ruidoso’s Hall of Fame in 2015. He is survived by a stepson, James Burke and his family. Dreyer’s wife, Charla, Smith’s daughter, preceded him in death. Following his riding career, Dreyer worked in the racing office at Los Alamitos and as a track official at Rillito Park in Arizona and on the Northern California fair circuit. He became a steward at Los Alamitos in 2003, according to the California Horse Racing Board. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.