Retired Jockey John Ruane Dead

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John Ruane, who won a number of top New York races starting in the late 1950s, died Sept. 3 at a Somers Point, N.J., hospital., from pulmonary complications, according to Daily Racing Form. He was 69.

Ruane, who started riding in 1957, won such stakes as the 1958 Brooklyn Handicap and Whitney Stakes with Cohoes, the 1971 Metropolitan Handicap with Tunex, and the 1971 Vosburgh with Duck Dance. Duck Dance was a particular favorite among New York racegoers, and Ruane rode him in 12 of his 13 starts and was aboard him in all 11 wins. H. Allen Jerkens trained both Duck Dance and Tunex.

"He was a nice fellow, a pleasant guy who was best racing close to the front, but still able to come from behind," Jerkens said. "He was a very light jockey who worked hard."

Ruane, who later moved his tack to New Jersey, rode until 1989. He is survived by a son, James, and a daughter, Melanie.

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