Jockey Chris Emigh

Born: 01/14/71, Portsmouth, Virginia

Resides: Chicago, Illinois

Family: Kim, wife; Taylor, daughter; Hunter, son 

Riding at Oaklawn and later in Illinois, Emigh enjoyed an excellent year in 2008.          

“I thought my season at Oaklawn was good. I was in the top five at Arlington and then wound up second at Hawthorne,” he noted. 

Chris finished eighth in the 2008 Oaklawn meeting standings. He rode 28 winners from 195 mounts as his horses earned $910,234. 

Among the saddle heroics of Emigh at Oaklawn came March 15 when he roused Sierra Sunset to an impressive success in the $300,000 Rebel Stakes. He also won the $100,000 Fifth Season on Prom Shoes and the $50,000 Prima Donna on Palanka City. 

“I owe a lot to Robby Albarado,” mentioned Emigh. 

Some years ago fellow jockey and friend Albarado suggested that Emigh try his luck in Chicago. At the time, Chris was riding in Louisiana. 

Emigh made the switch and has enjoyed good fortune since.   

He won his first graded stakes ever when he rode Come On Flip to victory In the fabled Hawthorne Gold Cup of 1996. 

A year later, August 25, 1997 at Arlington Park, he won his 1,000th career victory, it coming aboard Meadowlady. 

He has since won seven riding crowns at Hawthorne. 

He found a home at the Chicago tracks and subsequently developed a circuit of Oaklawn, Arlington and Hawthorne. 

“Early in my career, I rode three years at Louisiana Downs and the Fair Grounds and, earlier still, the minor tracks of  Louisiana. 

In 2001, Emigh rode 130 winners. By 1995 fans began hearing of the jockey when he won such stakes as the Col. Power Breeders' Cup on Mr. Cooperative, the Davona Dale aboard Legendary Princess and the Shiskabob on Blue Concord. 

In Chicago in 2005, he swept the Hawthorne crown with 66 winners and was second at Arlington with 83. For the full year, he had 219 wins. 

In 2006, he won the Arlington title with 119 and the Hawthorne crown with 56 winners.  For the full year, he had 274 wins. 

For the entire year of 2006 he rode 1,355 horses, from which his mount’s earnings amounted to $6,208,774. 

Emigh advises his name is German and that he followed his twin brother Aaron to the races. 

"Aaron, now retired, was a jockey. Our father was a mechanical engineer. We moved from Virginia to Louisiana, when dad went to work on off-shore oil rigs. Lloyd Romero and Mark Thornton helped me get started riding," Chris remembers.