Sport: Ahead of the Field

He got to the top when the game was really rough—when thoroughbred horse racing was a contest between swift mounts and mean jocks, when it was standard practice to slash at another rider with a whip, to grab the bridle of an opposing horse, to lock legs with a boy who was bringing his mount past in close quarters.

But even as sharp stewards and sharper-eyed film patrol cameras taught racing to mind its manners, Jockey Edward George Arcaro learned to mind his manners, too. Either way—playing it rough or smooth—Eddie had more than enough skill to stay in front. Last week,...