John Rotz, Hall of Fame jockey, dies at 86

WARRENSBURG, Ill. — John Rotz, a Hall of Fame jockey who won the Preakness and Belmont Stakes during his career, has died at 86. The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame says Rotz died at his farm in Warrensburg, Illinois, southwest of Champaign, on Monday. No cause of death was given. Rotz won 2,907 races during a 20-year career that began in 1953. He got his start in racing at Fairmount Park in Collinsville, Illinois, where he worked as a groom, hot walker and exercise rider out of high school. He won the Preakness Stakes in 1962 and the Belmont Stakes in 1970.