By Bloodhorse.com
ALBANY, Calif. (Mar. 11, 2016) — William Mahorney, a former jockey and trainer in Northern California, died March 10 after contracting pneumonia. He was 75.
Mahorney was born Oct. 22, 1940, in Washington, D.C., and he was introduced to horse racing by his father, James Mahorney, who was a bookmaker. After riding Quarter Horses in the early 1960s, he switched to Thoroughbreds in 1965 and was that year’s leading apprentice jockey in wins.
Mahorney severely injured both of his knees in a 1965 automobile accident. He made a successful return from the accident, winning riding titles in Chicago and New York, but the accident required him to undergo numerous knee surgeries. Mahorney eventually received an artificial knee, earning him the nickname “Bionic Bill.”
He won the 1975 Golden Gate Fields riding title with 72 wins and on four other occasions finished among the top three jockeys at Golden Gate or Bay Meadows. His major wins in Northern California include the 1966 Golden Poppy (Gala Host), 1971 Golden Poppy (Hi Q), the first division of the 1972 San Francisco Mile (Imaginative), 1974 California Jockey Club Handicap (Ready Wit), 1975 California Oaks (Raise Your Skirts), 1975 Berkeley Handicap (Star of Kuwait), 1978 All-American Handicap (Maheras), and 1979 California Jockey Club Handicap (Surera).
Mahorney switched to training in 1985 before making a brief return to the saddle in 1988. He resumed training full time later that year. He won two stakes as a trainer—the 1992 Mid-Peninsula with Zeeskite and the 2000 Fairfield with Marty’s Zee, a daughter of Zeeskite. Marty’s Zee’s 2012 foal was named Mahorney and has won three races to date.
Mahorney lived in San Pablo, Calif., during his final years. He is survived by his daughter Cinda Mahorney, who has competed in Northern California as a trainer, and his son William Mahorney, Jr., who was last active as a jockey in 2012. He was preceded in death by his twin brother, Jim Mahorney.
Services for Mahorney are pending.