The Kentucky Derby’s Forgotten Jockeys

African American jockeys once dominated the track. But by 1921, they had disappeared from the Kentucky Derby and would not return for nearly eighty years

  • By Lisa K. Winkler
  • Smithsonian.com, April 24, 2009, Subscribe
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James Winkfield on Alan a Dale James Winkfield was a two-time Kentucky Derby winner and raced across Europe after racism kept him from being the best athlete in America's most popular sport.

Courtesy Kentucky Derby Museum / Kinetic Corporation

 

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    When tens of thousands of fans assemble in Louisville, Kentucky, May 2 for the 135th Kentucky Derby, they will witness a phenomenon somewhat unusual for today’s American sporting events: of some 20 riders, none are African American. Yet in the first Kentucky Derby in 1875, 13 out of 15 jockeys were black. Among the first 28 derby winners, 15 were black. African American jockeys excelled in the sport in the late 1800s. But by 1921, they had disappeared from the Kentucky track and would not return until Marlon St. Julien rode in the 2000 race.

    African American jockeys’ dominance in the world of racing is a history nearly forgotten today. Their participation dates back to colonial times, when the British brought their love of horseracing to the New World. Founding Fathers George Washington and Thomas Jefferson frequented the track, and when President Andrew Jackson moved into the White House in 1829, he brought along his best Thoroughbreds and his black jockeys. Because racing was tremendously popular in the South, it is not surprising that the first black jockeys were slaves. They cleaned the stables and handled the grooming and training of some of the country’s most valuable horseflesh. From such responsibility, slaves developed the abilities needed to calm and connect with Thoroughbreds, skills demanded of successful jockeys.

    For blacks, racing provided a false sense of freedom. They were allowed to travel the racing circuit, and some even managed their owners’ racing operation. They competed alongside whites. When black riders were cheered to the finish line, the only colors that mattered were the colors of their silk jackets, representing their stables. Horseracing was entertaining for white owners and slaves alike and one of the few ways for slaves to achieve status.

    After the Civil War, which had devastated racing in the South, emancipated African American jockeys followed the money to tracks in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. “African Americans had been involved in racing and with horses since the beginning,” says Anne Butler, director of Kentucky State University's Center for the Study of Kentucky African Americans. “By the time freedom came they were still rooted in the sport.”

    The freed riders soon took center stage at the newly organized Kentucky Derby. On opening day, May 17, 1875, Oliver Lewis, a 19-year-old black native Kentuckian, rode Aristides, a chestnut colt trained by a former slave, to a record-setting victory. Two years later William Walker, 17, claimed the race. Isaac Murphy became the first jockey to win three Kentucky Derbys, in 1884, 1890, and 1891, and won an amazing 44 percent of all the races he rode, a record still unmatched. Alonzo "Lonnie" Clayton, at 15 the youngest to win in 1892, was followed by James "Soup" Perkins, who began racing at age 11 and claimed the 1895 Derby. Willie Simms won in 1896 and 1898. Jimmy "Wink" Winkfield, victorious in 1901 and 1902, would be the last African American to win the world-famous race. Murphy, Simms and Winkfield have been inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in Saratoga Springs, New York.

    In 2005, Winkfield was also honored with a Congressional House Resolution, a few days before the 131st Derby. Such accolades came long after his death in 1974 at age 91 and decades after racism forced him and other black jockeys off American racetracks.

    Despite Wink’s winning more than 160 races in 1901, Goodwin's Annual Official Guide to the Turf omitted his name. The rising scourge of segregation began seeping into horse racing in the late 1890s. Fanned by the Supreme Court's 1896 Plessy v. Ferguson ruling that upheld the "separate but equal" doctrine, Jim Crow injustice pervaded every social arena, says Butler.

    “White genteel class, remnants from that world, didn't want to share the bleachers with African American spectators, though blacks continued to work as groomers and trainers," she says.


    When tens of thousands of fans assemble in Louisville, Kentucky, May 2 for the 135th Kentucky Derby, they will witness a phenomenon somewhat unusual for today’s American sporting events: of some 20 riders, none are African American. Yet in the first Kentucky Derby in 1875, 13 out of 15 jockeys were black. Among the first 28 derby winners, 15 were black. African American jockeys excelled in the sport in the late 1800s. But by 1921, they had disappeared from the Kentucky track and would not return until Marlon St. Julien rode in the 2000 race.

    African American jockeys’ dominance in the world of racing is a history nearly forgotten today. Their participation dates back to colonial times, when the British brought their love of horseracing to the New World. Founding Fathers George Washington and Thomas Jefferson frequented the track, and when President Andrew Jackson moved into the White House in 1829, he brought along his best Thoroughbreds and his black jockeys. Because racing was tremendously popular in the South, it is not surprising that the first black jockeys were slaves. They cleaned the stables and handled the grooming and training of some of the country’s most valuable horseflesh. From such responsibility, slaves developed the abilities needed to calm and connect with Thoroughbreds, skills demanded of successful jockeys.

    For blacks, racing provided a false sense of freedom. They were allowed to travel the racing circuit, and some even managed their owners’ racing operation. They competed alongside whites. When black riders were cheered to the finish line, the only colors that mattered were the colors of their silk jackets, representing their stables. Horseracing was entertaining for white owners and slaves alike and one of the few ways for slaves to achieve status.

    After the Civil War, which had devastated racing in the South, emancipated African American jockeys followed the money to tracks in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. “African Americans had been involved in racing and with horses since the beginning,” says Anne Butler, director of Kentucky State University's Center for the Study of Kentucky African Americans. “By the time freedom came they were still rooted in the sport.”

    The freed riders soon took center stage at the newly organized Kentucky Derby. On opening day, May 17, 1875, Oliver Lewis, a 19-year-old black native Kentuckian, rode Aristides, a chestnut colt trained by a former slave, to a record-setting victory. Two years later William Walker, 17, claimed the race. Isaac Murphy became the first jockey to win three Kentucky Derbys, in 1884, 1890, and 1891, and won an amazing 44 percent of all the races he rode, a record still unmatched. Alonzo "Lonnie" Clayton, at 15 the youngest to win in 1892, was followed by James "Soup" Perkins, who began racing at age 11 and claimed the 1895 Derby. Willie Simms won in 1896 and 1898. Jimmy "Wink" Winkfield, victorious in 1901 and 1902, would be the last African American to win the world-famous race. Murphy, Simms and Winkfield have been inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in Saratoga Springs, New York.

    In 2005, Winkfield was also honored with a Congressional House Resolution, a few days before the 131st Derby. Such accolades came long after his death in 1974 at age 91 and decades after racism forced him and other black jockeys off American racetracks.

    Despite Wink’s winning more than 160 races in 1901, Goodwin's Annual Official Guide to the Turf omitted his name. The rising scourge of segregation began seeping into horse racing in the late 1890s. Fanned by the Supreme Court's 1896 Plessy v. Ferguson ruling that upheld the "separate but equal" doctrine, Jim Crow injustice pervaded every social arena, says Butler.

    “White genteel class, remnants from that world, didn't want to share the bleachers with African American spectators, though blacks continued to work as groomers and trainers," she says.

    Racism, coupled with the economic recessions of the period, shrunk the demand for black jockeys as racetracks closed and attendance fell. With intensified competition for mounts, violence on the tracks against black jockeys by white jockeys prevailed without recourse. Winkfield received death threats from the Ku Klux Klan. Anti-gambling groups campaigned against racing, causing more closures and the northern migration of blacks from southern farming communities further contributed to the decline of black jockeys.

    Winkfield dealt another serious blow to his career by jumping a contract. With fewer and fewer mounts coming his way, he left the United States in 1904 for Czarist Russia, where his riding skills earned him celebrity and fortune beyond his dreams. Fleeing the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917, he moved to France, raced for another decade and retired in 1930 after a career 2,600 wins. In 1940, Nazis seized his stables, causing Winkfield to return to States, where he signed on to a Works Progress Administration road crew. Back in France by 1953, he opened a training school for jockeys. In 1961, six decades after winning his first Kentucky Derby, Winkfield returned to Kentucky to attend a pre-Derby banquet. When he and his daughter Liliane arrived at Louisville's historic Brown Hotel, they were denied entry. After a long wait and repeated explanations that they were guests of Sports Illustrated, they were finally admitted. Wink died 13 years later in France.

    After his 1903 run in the Kentucky Derby, black Americans practically disappeared from Goodwin’s official list of jockeys. In 1911 Jess Conley came in third in the derby and in 1921, Henry King placed tenth. Seventy-nine years would pass before another African American would ride in the Derby. Marlon St. Julien took seventh place in 2000.

    "I'm not an activist,” says St. Julien, who admitted during an interview a few years ago that he didn’t know the history of black jockeys and “started reading up on it.” Reached recently in Louisiana, where he is racing the state circuit, he says “I hope I’m a role model as a rider to anyone who wants to race."

    Longtime equestrian and Newark, New Jersey, schoolteacher Miles Dean would agree that not enough is known about the nation’s great black jockeys. In an effort to remedy that, he has organized the National Day of the Black Jockey for Memorial Day weekend. The event will include educational seminars, a horse show, parade, and memorial tribute. All events will be held at the Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville.

    Last year, Dean rode his horse, Sankofa, a 12-year-old Arabian stallion, in a six-month journey from New York to California. He spoke at colleges and communities to draw attention to African American contributions to the history and settlement of the United States.

    "As an urban educator I see every day the disconnect students have with their past. By acknowledging the contributions of African American jockeys, I hope to heighten children's awareness of their history. It's a history of great achievement, not just a history of enslavement.”


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    Comments (25)

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    What about Angel Cordero? He is a black Puertorrican,an American citizen and one of the great jockeys in history.

    Posted by Francisco Vincenty on November 9,2011 | 10:36 AM

    This type of information should be taught in all schools at all grade levels.I really do not have any interest in the sport of horse racing,but I do love and have an interest in the truth.I am 47 years old,went to a junior college and a major college and never incountered this infomation in my life.Thanks.Each one, teach one. The truth is more powerful than a lie or omittion. THANK GOD!

    Posted by willie standley on August 28,2011 | 09:08 PM

    For me if i do not do any kind of research i can not find out any inormation about the black jockies from history times, why is that i think that this is part of our history black and white.

    Posted by melinda baldwin on April 30,2011 | 10:22 AM

    I am a decendent of Oliver Lewis, winner of the first Kentucky Derby in 1875. Every year we have celebrated our Y.O Lewis family in different parts of the country. If anyone has any info or pictures, please advise as we would like this legacy to be acknowledged. Thank you.

    Posted by Marcus Betts on April 11,2011 | 11:39 AM

    My organization is IN THE WINNER'S CIRCLE introduce at risk to horsemanship.

    Posted by Evetta on March 18,2011 | 03:39 AM

    I absolutely appreciate this information. I Co-Founder/CEO a nonprofit organization dedicated to introducing at risk youth to horsemanship. I would love to see more information about this. Thank You and keep up the good work.

    Posted by Evetta on March 18,2011 | 03:35 AM

    I LOVE RACING, I LOVE THIS HISTORY. I CANT GET ENOUGH OF THIS. I ALWAYS WISHED THAT MY DAUGHTER COULD HAVE BEEN THE FIRST BLACK WOMAN TO WIN TH KY. DERBY.YOUNG BLACK WOMEN, GET TO TRAINING, YOU COULD MAKE HISTORY.

    Posted by phillip c. houston on November 30,2010 | 10:37 PM

    We should have a motion picture done on this RICH history. Everyone should know this proud history of "The Black Jockey"

    Posted by Connie Godfrey on September 13,2010 | 12:54 PM

    Things I didn't know.

    Very impressive!!

    Posted by Robert L. Glovan on September 8,2010 | 06:03 PM

    Why did his career end?

    Posted by christina richardson on June 10,2010 | 12:33 PM

    My father was a jockey. My family is unable to locate any information on him. If anyone can help us we would greatly appreciate it. His name was Autry(Spud)Delon Williamson. He raced in Frankfort, Illinois at the Triple R Ranch, Rio Rita Raceway, the horses name was "Braider" owner: John O'Brien. This was in 1965. He also raced at Gator Downs, Florida, horse "Inlets Priest", owner: D.B. Gilmour, year: 1971, Horse: "Cee Joe Love", Owner: l. Carroll, 1971 and Sunshine Park, Florida,horse: "Little Fox", owner: Jimmy G. Lipham, 1965. We may be asking the wrong people, if so please point us in the right direction. Our dad had 6 children and we don't no anything about him. Please help........

    Posted by Hope Herrin on May 29,2010 | 11:44 PM

    The nadir for black jockeys must have been in the 1940's and 1950's. In Nashville, Tenn. a major annual event of the "white genteel class" was "The Steeplechase"--an afternoon of horse racing, mostly including hedges that the horses had to jump over. One of the races on the program that didn't include jumps was the "Monkey Simon Mule Race." Need I say that it was black jockeys riding mules?

    Posted by Reber Boult on May 3,2010 | 05:01 PM

    We have in our national park, the Cuyahoga Valley National Park,a Lyceum series where guest speakers come and give a talk on various subjects. About 2 months ago the speaker was a park ranger from Mammoth Cave in Kentucky. Her talk was all about the first guides at Mammoth Cave. They were for the most part young black men. The ratio of blacks to whites at Mammoth Cave was similar to what the ratio of blacks to whites was in the Kentucky Derby. Like the Kentucky Derby the black men were pushed out of their jobs by white men. The history of that was buried until that park ranger dug into it and researched it and even found one of the descendants of one of the original guides and encouraged him to become a park ranger and now he is a park ranger at mammoth Cave. He leads hikes into the caves just like his ancestors. A fascinating story and another example of how accomplishments of black people seem to never end up in the history books.

    Posted by David Young on April 30,2010 | 07:37 AM

    Great history, our younger generation needs to know and celebrate our contributions.

    Posted by ina watson on February 15,2010 | 03:20 PM

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