Horses that have only won with 1 rider

[Essential Quality]

I was reading the article yesterday about Grand Sonata's win in the Kentucky Turf Cup and saw Pletcher say that he has always gotten along with Tyler Gaffalione and Tyler mentioned he had broke his maiden, stakes at Gulfstream and etc and I thought he couldn't have won a lot more races then that and I was right, all 5 times Grand Sonata has visited the winners circle Tyler's been on his back, along with finishing in the top 3 of the Dueling Grounds Derby, Audubon Stakes and Transylvania Stakes. It's not just a matter of not good jocks on him because going through his past performances he's had about 90% of the top riders in America on him.

Curious if there's been any other horses with
A "infinity" for a certain rider somewhere back in history or whatever

[Curtis]

I was reading the article yesterday about Grand Sonata's win in the Kentucky Turf Cup and saw Pletcher say that he has always gotten along with Tyler Gaffalione and Tyler mentioned he had broke his maiden, stakes at Gulfstream and etc and I thought he couldn't have won a lot more races then that and I was right, all 5 times Grand Sonata has visited the winners circle Tyler's been on his back, along with finishing in the top 3 of the Dueling Grounds Derby, Audubon Stakes and Transylvania Stakes. It's not just a matter of not good jocks on him because going through his past performances he's had about 90% of the top riders in America on him.

Curious if there's been any other horses with
A "infinity" for a certain rider somewhere back in history or whatever

I’m guessing you mean affinity. All horses, like people, have their quirks. If a jock knows those quirks it can help get the most out of them. The HOF horse Cougar II had more than his share of quirks. He won stakes for four different riders; Bill Shoemaker, Laffit Pincay, Don Pierce and Fernando Toro—all in the Hall. Shoe rode him the most and knew him best. There was one time when Cougar’s owner, Mary Jones, got frustrated with Shoemaker and arranged for Pincay to ride Cougar in the Hollywood Gold Cup without consulting Charlie Whittingham. Cougar all but refused to run and every time Pincay asked him, Cougar would stubbornly refuse. Finally figuring all was lost, Pincay just passively sat there. Cougar took ahold of the bit, and closed like a freight train to be a closing third. After the race, Shoemaker— who won the race on another horse—said something along the lines of Pincay learned everything he knew about Cougar from him (Shoemaker) but Pincay didn’t know everything he himself knew about him. Affirmed won the TC with Steve Cauthen but he was better under Pincay. In fact, the two never failed to cross the wire in first together. There was the Travers DQ but other than that they were perfect. Affirmed was a really smart horse. He could have trained himself and won with a sack of potatoes on his back but he really ran for Pincay in a way he didn’t for other jocks.

[Gemini]

Cigar and Jerry Bailey come pretty close.

[Mylute]

Wasn't Nyquist only ever ridden by Mario Gutierrez?

[Missbeholder]

I was reading the article yesterday about Grand Sonata's win in the Kentucky Turf Cup and saw Pletcher say that he has always gotten along with Tyler Gaffalione and Tyler mentioned he had broke his maiden, stakes at Gulfstream and etc and I thought he couldn't have won a lot more races then that and I was right, all 5 times Grand Sonata has visited the winners circle Tyler's been on his back, along with finishing in the top 3 of the Dueling Grounds Derby, Audubon Stakes and Transylvania Stakes. It's not just a matter of not good jocks on him because going through his past performances he's had about 90% of the top riders in America on him.

Curious if there's been any other horses with
A "infinity" for a certain rider somewhere back in history or whatever

I’m guessing you mean affinity. All horses, like people, have their quirks. If a jock knows those quirks it can help get the most out of them. The HOF horse Cougar II had more than his share of quirks. He won stakes for four different riders; Bill Shoemaker, Laffit Pincay, Don Pierce and Fernando Toro—all in the Hall. Shoe rode him the most and knew him best. There was one time when Cougar’s owner, Mary Jones, got frustrated with Shoemaker and arranged for Pincay to ride Cougar in the Hollywood Gold Cup without consulting Charlie Whittingham. Cougar all but refused to run and every time Pincay asked him, Cougar would stubbornly refuse. Finally figuring all was lost, Pincay just passively sat there. Cougar took ahold of the bit, and closed like a freight train to be a closing third. After the race, Shoemaker— who won the race on another horse—said something along the lines of Pincay learned everything he knew about Cougar from him (Shoemaker) but Pincay didn’t know everything he himself knew about him. Affirmed won the TC with Steve Cauthen but he was better under Pincay. In fact, the two never failed to cross the wire in first together. There was the Travers DQ but other than that they were perfect. Affirmed was a really smart horse. He could have trained himself and won with a sack of potatoes on his back but he really ran for Pincay in a way he didn’t for other jocks.

That little Shoemaker/Pincay/Cougar anecdote reminds me very much of something almost identical that Charlie said when asked about what he thought of his ex-pupil Drysdale. He said, "I taught him everything he knows. I just didn't teach him everything I know!"

I don't know if the Cougar race came while or before Neil was working for Charlie, or after, but it sure does sound like something the Bald Eagle would say, and mean it, probably! By the way, I think the Bradley horse Shoe rode in that Gold Cup was Kennedy Road for Charlie.

[Curtis]

I was reading the article yesterday about Grand Sonata's win in the Kentucky Turf Cup and saw Pletcher say that he has always gotten along with Tyler Gaffalione and Tyler mentioned he had broke his maiden, stakes at Gulfstream and etc and I thought he couldn't have won a lot more races then that and I was right, all 5 times Grand Sonata has visited the winners circle Tyler's been on his back, along with finishing in the top 3 of the Dueling Grounds Derby, Audubon Stakes and Transylvania Stakes. It's not just a matter of not good jocks on him because going through his past performances he's had about 90% of the top riders in America on him.

Curious if there's been any other horses with
A "infinity" for a certain rider somewhere back in history or whatever

I’m guessing you mean affinity. All horses, like people, have their quirks. If a jock knows those quirks it can help get the most out of them. The HOF horse Cougar II had more than his share of quirks. He won stakes for four different riders; Bill Shoemaker, Laffit Pincay, Don Pierce and Fernando Toro—all in the Hall. Shoe rode him the most and knew him best. There was one time when Cougar’s owner, Mary Jones, got frustrated with Shoemaker and arranged for Pincay to ride Cougar in the Hollywood Gold Cup without consulting Charlie Whittingham. Cougar all but refused to run and every time Pincay asked him, Cougar would stubbornly refuse. Finally figuring all was lost, Pincay just passively sat there. Cougar took ahold of the bit, and closed like a freight train to be a closing third. After the race, Shoemaker— who won the race on another horse—said something along the lines of Pincay learned everything he knew about Cougar from him (Shoemaker) but Pincay didn’t know everything he himself knew about him. Affirmed won the TC with Steve Cauthen but he was better under Pincay. In fact, the two never failed to cross the wire in first together. There was the Travers DQ but other than that they were perfect. Affirmed was a really smart horse. He could have trained himself and won with a sack of potatoes on his back but he really ran for Pincay in a way he didn’t for other jocks.

That little Shoemaker/Pincay/Cougar anecdote reminds me very much of something almost identical that Charlie said when asked about what he thought of his ex-pupil Drysdale. He said, "I taught him everything he knows. I just didn't teach him everything I know!"

I don't know if the Cougar race came while or before Neil was working for Charlie, or after, but it sure does sound like something the Bald Eagle would say, and mean it, probably! By the way, I think the Bradley horse Shoe rode in that Gold Cup was Kennedy Road for Charlie.

Drysdale was working for Charlie then. It was Kennedy Road but Mary Bradley didn’t own him, if she did Shoe wouldn’t have been on him either. Shoe learned from Charlie, that statement probably too. I’ve asked Pincay about that race and Cougar in particular. He starts his answer with an eye roll.

[Curtis]

Wasn't Nyquist only ever ridden by Mario Gutierrez?

You’re probably right. He rides almost everything for that owner whether Doug likes it or not.