Saturday service for David Pettinger

A celebration of life for David Pettinger, the retired jockey whose brother Don Pettinger followed him into race riding, is scheduled for Saturday in Holly, Colo. David Pettinger died Sept. 22 in Eads, Colo. He was 66.

David Pettinger was a Holly native who launched his riding career in 1970 and went on to win more than 60 stakes, including the Grade 2 Cornhusker twice, with Win Stat and Hold Your Tricks. David Pettinger also was aboard Win Stat when he set a world record at Oaklawn. The jockey was a regular in the Midwest and was closely aligned with trainer Don Von Hemel.

He retired from riding in 1987 and worked as an assistant to trainer Jack Van Berg. Pettinger later was a farm manager in Oklahoma, and about five years ago retired to Eads.

Don Pettinger said he and his siblings grew up on a farm, where the family raised cattle and crops. David Pettinger ventured to the local track, Gateway Downs in Holly, when in high school in the late 1960s. He began helping with the young horses, and before graduating high school in 1971 began race riding.

“He cleared the path,” said Don Pettinger, 57. “He got me interested. My mom and dad liked going to see him ride back then at Centennial and in Nebraska, and I got to tag along. He got me hooked on watching horses.”

Don Pettinger, who went on to win more than 3,300 races, said he always looked up to his brother.

“He was a hero,” he said. “A wrestling state champ, became a jockey. He was cool.”