Hooper won the
1945 Kentucky Derby with his first thoroughbred,
Hoop Jr. In his 50 years as a horse-breeder, Hooper bred or raced the winners of more than one hundred
stakes races. Among his other notable horse were
U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductees
Precisionist and
Susan's Girl. In 1975 and again in 1982, Fred Hooper was voted the
Eclipse Award for Outstanding Breeder. In 1992, he was voted the
Eclipse Award Of Merit, the industry's highest honor. In 1995 he was inducted in the
Calder Race Course Hall of Fame. Fred Hooper was responsible for bringing top Latin American riders to the United States. Hall of Fame jockeys
Laffit Pincay Jr.,
Braulio Baeza, and
Jorge Velásquez all got their start with him. ==Death & Legacy==