In the 19th century, when horse racing was America’s most popular sport, former slaves populated the ranks of jockeys and trainers, and black men won more than half of the first 25 runnings of the Kentucky Derby until the 1890s, when Jim Crow laws destroyed gains black people had made since emancipation, and they ended up losing their jobs.
April 28th, 2021
Finishing first is a time-honored horseracing tradition. Leon Nichols, Calvin Davis and affiliates of the Project to Preserve African-American Turf History intend to do just that by securing additional backing for “PHOTO FINISH: The Race of the Century.” PPAATH’s work has been profiled extensively by “L.A. Times,” “Washington Post,” NBC Sports and others.
The nonprofit’s founder and co-founder, Nichols and Davis, are working on their script alongside producer James Walton – their film poised to be the first in U.S. filmmaking history led by a Black production team and the first to capture the contributions made (and conflicts faced) by Black jockeys beginning in the late 19th Century. As their story traces the life of Isaac Burns Murphy, a legendary jockey and the first ever inductee into the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame, it illuminates and bridges persistent racial divides.
Black Horseracing Film Poised to Finish First
Producers Unveil Plans for PHOTO FINISH: The Race of the Century Hollywood, CA, April 23, 2021 (PR.com) Finishing first is a time-honored horseracing tradition. Leon Nichols, Calvin Davis and affiliates of the Project to Preserve African-American Turf History intend to do just that by securing additional backing for “PHOTO FINISH: The Race of the Century.” PPAATH’s work has been profiled extensively by “L.A. Times,” “Washington Post,” NBC Sports and others.
The nonprofit’s founder and co-founder, Nichols and Davis, are working on their script alongside producer James Walton - their film poised to be the first in U.S. filmmaking history led by a Black production team and the first to capture the contributions made (and conflicts faced) by Black jockeys beginning in the late 19th Century. As their story traces the life of Isaac Burns Murphy, a legendary jockey and the first ever inductee into the National Museum of