Decorated Racing Hall Of Famer, A Rumson Resident, Dies At 94

RUMSON, NJ - Sam Boulmetis Sr., a Rumson resident and a winner of over 2,700 horse racing races across a 20-year career, has died at 94.

The longtime borough resident died May 30 at Riverview Medical Center, according to ESPN.

From 1948 to 1966, Boulmetis won 2,783 races with mounts earning him a whopping $15.4 million in purses, per the Associated Press. His earnings landed him in the all-time top 10 for riders at the time of his retirement.

The decorated jockey was born in Baltimore and began riding in Florida in 1948, with his first win occurring at the former Garden State Park in Cherry Hill.

Boulmetis’ Monmouth Park titles were earned in 1949, 1953, 1955 and 1956 respectively, according to the Associated Press. He was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1973 and the State of Maryland Athletic Hall of Fame in 1974, at which he became a racing official and steward at Monmouth Park in Oceanport until his retirement in 2004.

Surviving is his wife of 69 years, Lillian "BeBe" Boulmetis, daughters Susan Hino and Janie Walford, four great-grandchildren and sister Margie Black (her son Tony is also a former jockey), according to his obituary.

“Above and beyond all else, he was a devoted husband, father, and grandfather,” his obituary reads. “In his spare time, Sam was an avid fisherman. Over the last few years, his memory may have faded but his smile never did. Without a doubt, his was a life well-lived.”

A memorial service is scheduled on June 4 at John E. Day Funeral Home in Red Bank. Memorial donations may be sent in Boulmetis’ memory to the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund (PDJF) at PDJF.org.