Hall of Fame jockey Bill Shoemaker, whose 8,883 victories are the second-most in thoroughbred racing history, died Sunday. He was 72.

Shoemaker died in his sleep at his suburban home near Santa Anita racetrack, according to longtime friend and trainer Paddy Gallagher.

He had been paralyzed from the neck down since 1991, when his car veered off the freeway in San Dimas, Calif., about 30 miles from Los Angeles.

Only 4-foot-11, the superb athlete known simply as \"The Shoe\" throughout his career, rode for 41 years, most of them in Southern California, considered to be the most competitive circuit in America.