Latest news with #BlackHeritageinRacing
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
The history of Black jockeys at the Kentucky Derby
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (FOX 56) — Bill Shoemaker, Victor Espinoza, John Velazquez. Those are just some of the names that have become synonymous with winning the Kentucky Derby as a jockey. But before them, there was a group of Kentucky jockeys long forgotten by history. 'Black jockeys dominated horse racing ever since the era of European settler colonialism,' said Chris Goodlett, senior director of curatorial affairs at the Kentucky Derby Museum. From the minute the first Kentucky Derby left the starting gate, Black jockeys ran away from the field. The history of Black jockeys at the Kentucky Derby Biker in hospital after being hit by car in Lexington Do you believe in luck? Why horseshoes are considered to be lucky in Kentucky 'The story of Isaac Murphy, who had about a 44% career winning percentage,' Goodlett detailed. 'He was the first jockey to win the Kentucky Derby three times, the first jockey to win the Kentucky Derby in back-to-back years. Jimmy Winkfield, the most recent Black jockey to win the Kentucky Derby, he won in 1901 and in 1902. His story is fascinating because he was the dominant jockey here. He left the States largely because of the era of segregation, and he went to Russia, was a successful jockey in Russia just as he was in the United States.' Among the many greats of his day was Oliver Lewis. The 19-year-old from Woodford County rode Aristides all the way to the Winner's Circle in the very first Run for the Roses. At the time, the duo was said to be the pace setters for H.P. McGrath's 'better' horse in the race, Chesapeake. But as we know, once you hit the home stretch at Churchill Downs, anything can happen. The history of Black jockeys at the Kentucky Derby Do you believe in luck? Why horseshoes are considered to be lucky in Kentucky What does the Kentucky Derby mean to the Commonwealth? 'It's said that when he got towards that final stretch run, he actually looked at McGrath, and McGrath was basically at that point urging him on because Chesapeake was a little bit way of a ways back,' explained Goodlett. 'So he said, 'Just go for it,' and Lewis did, and Aristides and Oliver Lewis won that very first Kentucky Derby.' Lewis never rode in another Derby after the historic win, but his legacy was cemented. 'Some of the work he did eventually, as you go down, the line ends up being some of those elaborate racing charts that we see now,' Goodlett said. 'So even though he may not have had a long career as a jockey, he did do a lot of stuff within the industry that still have an impact.' Now Lewis' legacy and the legacies of all Black jockeys live on at the Kentucky Derby Museum in Louisville. Read more of the latest Kentucky Derby news 'Black Heritage in Racing is an exhibit that allows us to really show people how the history of this sport and this industry fits within the larger history of the United States,' Goodlett said. 'Black Heritage in Racing does that for us. We look at the dominance of African American jockeys prior to the era of segregation.' While no Black jockeys are riding in 2025's Kentucky Derby, the jockeys riding in Derby 151 will either join the exclusive club of winning Derby jockeys or the even more exclusive club of multi-time Derby-winning jockeys. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
25-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Celebrating Black history: How Black jockeys shaped the Kentucky Derby
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (FOX 56) — We're inching closer to the 151st running of the Kentucky Derby. Of course, the horses always get a lot of attention, but you can't overlook the fact that horse racing is a team sport and a horse's jockey is vital for success. The early days of the Derby were dominated by Black jockeys; in fact, 13 of the first 15 Derby-winning jockeys were black. Isaac Murphy, for example, won the Derby three times in that stretch and did it in just 11 appearances. Despite their early success, those men and their stories are often forgotten in the history of the Run for the Roses. Back in their day, jockey clubs began popping up all over the South with predominantly black Americans taking care of the horses and grounds. After decades of being the best of the best at their sport, historians for the Kentucky Derby Museum said the Jim Crow and segregation era pushed black people out of horse racing. Georgetown shelter expanding services for residents Celebrating Black history: How Black jockeys shaped the Kentucky Derby Danville church seeks public help with donations eastern Kentucky flood victims Now in 2025, the Derby Museum is working hard to bring back these stories and remind people of the men who played a big role in one of the sport's biggest races. 'What I often like to tell people, one of the most amazing things about that exhibition is, of course, we talked about the Kentucky Derby; we talk about thoroughbred racing, but Black Heritage in Racing is an exhibit that allows us to really show people how the history of this sport and this industry fits within the larger history of the United States,' said Chris Goodlett, senior director of curatorial and educational affairs for the Derby Museum. 'Black Heritage in Racing does that for us. We look at the dominance of African American jockeys prior to the era of segregation.' While there have been so many great Black jockeys to grace the track at Churchill Downs and win the Derby, it all started with one, Oliver Lewis. Let's take you back to 1875. Fifteen horses lined the starting gate at Churchill Downs for the first Kentucky Derby. HP McGrath had two horses in that race: Chesapeake, who was viewed as the better horse that race, and Aristides, who was viewed as the pacesetter. But if you know anything about that first Derby, you know that pace-setting horse set the pace so well, they won the whole thing. The jockey of Aristides, a man by the name of Oliver of Lewis. Read more of the latest Kentucky Derby news Born in 1856 in Versailles, Lewis entered the first running of the Kentucky Derby at the age of 19. Despite winning the inaugural race, Lewis never raced in the Kentucky Derby ever again and didn't partake in many more races as a jockey after that. It wasn't until the last few years that his great-grandchildren started to learn more about their history-making ancestor. Despite being one and done in the run for the roses, Lewis' legacy off the track is immense and cannot go understated. 'He put together some of the precursors to the elaborate racing charts that you might be familiar with the Daily Racing Form,' Goodlett explained. 'He did some of the earliest work on that and some of the work he did. Eventually, as you go down, the line ends up being some of those elaborate racing charts that we see now. So even though he may not have had a long career as a jockey, he did do a lot of stuff within the industry that still have an impact.' Lewis passed away in 1924 and was laid to rest in Lexington at African Cemetery No. 2 of West 7th Street. You can learn more about the Kentucky Derby Museum's Black Heritage in Racing Exhibit here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
