Canadian jockey Todd Kabel dies at 55

Todd Kabel, one of the most talented and successful jockeys in Canadian racing history, has died at 55.

Born in McCreary, Manitoba, Kabel launched his career at Assiniboia Downs in Winnipeg in the 1980s before relocating to Ontario, where he won numerous riding titles at Woodbine and Greenwood in the 1990s and early 2000s. He was voted the Sovereign Award as Canada’s outstanding rider six times, in 1992, 1995, and from 2003-06.

Kabel won 3,309 races, including 3,306 Thoroughbred races, and 315 stakes. His mounts earned $106 million. He captured the prestigious Queen’s Plate twice, on Regal Discovery in 1995 and aboard the maiden Scatter the Gold in 2000. Among the other major stakes he won were the Woodbine Mile, the Northern Dancer Turf, the Woodbine Oaks, the Prince of Wales, and Natalma.

In 2003, Kabel became the first Canadian-based jockey to earn more than $10 million in purses in a year. In 2004, his 36 stakes scores tied the record for most stakes wins in an Ontario season.

Kabel was an excellent judge of pace and a strong finisher, with his patented left-handed whip. He didn’t mince words, and his candid comments were often a reporter’s dream. He dealt with alcohol issues, and spent some time in jail for assault. He had not ridden since late in 2013.

“Todd was a great rider and quite a character,” Hall-of-Fame rider Sandy Hawley said on Twitter. “Probably the biggest prankster in the jockeys’ room during his career. We will miss him.”

A cause of death was not immediately known. Details on arrangements have yet to be released.