Paul Frey, jockey in the Northwest, Northern California, dies at 73

Paul Frey, 73, who rode 2,478 winners during a 20-year career from 1953-1972, died Saturday of pneumonia at Stanford Hospital in Palo Alto, Calif.

Frey won the riding championship in 1964 and 1966 at Longacres Park, where he won the Gottstein Futurity twice and the Longacres Derby twice. He also won six races on a single card on two occasions.

Among his Northern California stakes winners were 1963 California Derby winner On My Honor, who also finished fourth with Frey in that year’s Kentucky Derby; Bay Meadows Handicap winner Diamond Lou in 1966; William P. Kyne Handicap winner Most Host in 1967; and California Jockey Club Handicap winner Poona Downs.

A native of Swift Current, Saskatchewan, Canada, Frey ranked 26th on the all-time win list for jockeys when he retired. He then went to work in the jockey rooms at Bay Meadows, Golden Gate Fields and the fair circuit, serving as Russell Baze’s valet for a number of years.

He is survived by his wife, Diane; daughters, Danae and Debbie; son, Jay; stepsons, Jim and John; and many grandchildren, including Kyle Frey, a finalist for the 2011 Eclipse Award as the leading apprentice jockey.

No funeral services have been planned.