Carmouche to be 1st Black jockey in Kentucky Derby since 2013
Black riders were atop 13 of the 15 horses in the first Kentucky Derby in 1875, but today there is only one
Long before
Kendrick Carmouche started riding horses growing up in Louisiana, Black jockeys were synonymous with the sport.
Black riders were atop 13 of the 15 horses in the first Kentucky Derby in 1875 and won 15 of the first 28 editions of the race. Everything has changed since: Carmouche on Saturday will be the first Black jockey in the Kentucky Derby since 2013 and is just one of a handful over the past century.
Carmouche is now one of the few remaining Black jockeys in the U.S. Much like
Jacksonville locals celebrate African American contribution to the Kentucky Derby
It s a history nearly forgotten. African Americans helped shape the thoroughbred racing industry. During the first Kentucky Derby, 13 out of 15 jockeys were Black. Author: Keitha Nelson Updated: 7:51 AM EDT April 30, 2021
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. It s known as the greatest two minutes in sports and as the Kentucky Derby gets underway this weekend, First Coast News is taking a look at the contributions of African Americans to the thoroughbred racing industry.
It’s a history nearly forgotten.
On the Kentucky Derby official website, there is a tab under the history section dedicated to the legacy of black jockeys. These men played an essential role in shaping the sport early on.
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John Velazquez & Animal Kingdom after winning 2011 KY Derby
Trainer Graham Motion has two vivid memories from watching his star pupil Animal Kingdom win the 2011 Kentucky Derby.
“I had run horses in the Derby before and I always said, Right around the 3/8ths pole you start sorting out the men from the boys. My other horses had always started backing out at the 3/8ths pole, whereas Animal Kingdom seemed like he was really getting rolling,” Motion said.
“At the 16th pole, my feelings switched to, This would be really cruel if they took this away from me now. It looked like he was home free… I ve had it happen to me so often, but never in a race of that scale. I just was thinking, This would be so cruel. I think that s the way trainers look at things.”
Credit Stephanie Wolf / WFPL
The Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing is considered one of the most elusive sporting accomplishments: a back-to-back sweep of the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes.
To even be eligible, competitors have to go through a process that dates back to 1986, but you have to go back even further, to May 1985, to understand why.
At the 1985 Kentucky Derby, Spend A Buck wowed those in the grandstand at Churchill Downs with his exciting, and speedy, win. His 2:00.20 time remains one of the fastest in Derby history.
“Rather than run in the Preakness Stakes, the old Garden State Park in New Jersey threw out a multi-million dollar race and enticed Spend A Buck to run there instead,” Darren Rogers, senior director of communications and media services for Churchill Downs Racetrack, said.
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.