Lester Reiff was a jockey who achieved racing acclaim in the United Kingdom in the first decade of the twentieth century. In 1900, he was the number one jockey racing in Britain based on earnings, beating other prominent American jockeys such as Tod Sloan, Danny Maher, Skeets Martin. He was the leading rider in England with 143 winners and his younger brother John was third in the standings with 124 wins. He was named British flat racing Champion Jockey in 1900. Lester won the 1901 Epsom Derby with Volodyovski, but he was ruled off the turf that season.
In October 1901, Lester and John were reprimanded by the Jockey Club for alleged race fixing. They were also implicated in a doping scheme and Lester’s license to race was revoked. It was reinstated in 1904 but Lester retired and became a real-estate broker and venture capitalist southern California.
Born in Americus, Missouri but lived in Findlay before his career and both he and his bother visited the family in Findlay often.
(b. 1877 d. 1948: Jockey, real-estate broker, business)
