[1] Orphaned and homeless in his early teens, McLaughlin was taken in by horse trainer "Father Bill" Daly who taught him how to ride.
Records show that he first competed in the Kentucky Derby in 1880 for the Dwyer Brothers Stable with trainer James G. Rowe Sr.
The following year the team won the race on the future Hall of Fame horse, Hindoo.
He rode three consecutive Belmont Stakes winners on two separate occasions, claiming victory six out of seven years.
[4] McLaughlin's six Belmont wins still stands as the most for any jockey and is shared with Eddie Arcaro who won his sixth in 1955.