Back In The Day…Black jockeys ruled racetracks for decades

A few weeks ago, I was moping around the house, not feeling well and unable to find a remedy for my allergies. You know how things are at this time of the year; pollen can cause lots of discomfort. So I decided to stay indoors and make a few bow ties. This is a recent favorite pastime which I find quite satisfying. But, it is hard for me to just sit and sew. Thus television becomes my partner as I make my bow ties or work on other small projects.
On this particular Saturday, I channel-searched until I came to an interview with the actor Jamie Foxx, not realizing that this was a preliminary activity leading up to the Kentucky Derby. Jamie Foxx, at the Kentucky Derby, I thought; how interesting! I stopped and watched further. While the women with their fashionable hats caught my attention for a while, at some point it shifted to the appearance of the legendary NBA Hall of Fame player, Julius “Dr. J” Erving. Dr. J made the “Riders up” call for the 140th running of the Derby. I thought about how things are changing; now we have white folk bringing Black folk into the Kentucky Derby. It then hit me that the involvement of Blacks in the Kentucky Derby is not new. In fact, it is quite old. My memory was jogged by thoughts about things I had read and heard about Blacks and the early days of the Derby. Just what do you know about Black jockeys and the Kentucky Derby? Like me, you probably know very little. So let us take a trip together and take a peep at Black jockeys and the Kentucky Derby, back in the day.
When I mentioned today’s topic to several colleagues, only one knew that there was a Black jockey in last year’s Kentucky Derby, Kevin Krigger, riding Goldencents. What he did not know was that Krigger was only the second Black jockey in the last 92 years to ride in the “Run for the Roses.” But many of us do not realize that Black jockeys dominated the winner’s circle in the Kentucky Derby in the race’s first three decades. In fact, Black involvement in horse racing goes back to the days of slavery. Back in the day, slaves on Southern plantations were put to work in their owners’ stables. Unknown to many, slaves cared for and raced their masters’ horses. They were riders, grooms and trainers. This time spent in the stables enabled them to obtain a great deal of experience and a sound understanding of racehorses. An Internet article entitled “The Kentucky Derby’s Forgotten Black Jockeys,” by Christopher Klein, points out that on May 17, 1875, former slaves and their sons starred at Churchill Downs. I want to emphasize that this was a time when most Blacks were enslaved. Yet, according to Klein’s account , thousands of eager racehorse fans went to Churchill Downs to get their first look at this new racetrack in Louisville, Ky. Finely dressed gentlemen and ladies cheered on the horses in the featured race, the inaugural Kentucky Derby. In this race, Oliver Lewis rode the colt Aristides to victory. Back then, in spite of the state of race relations, it was of little importance that Lewis was a Black man. Furthermore, according to reports about this first Kentucky Derby, 13 of the 15 riders were Black Americans. It should also be noted that in the years following the Civil War, Black jockeys dominated horse racing; a time when it was America’s most popular sport. Black jockeys established themselves as the first Black sports superstars at the Kentucky Derby, back in the day.
I suspect many of you know little or nothing about Oliver Lewis, or know the name, William Walker. William “Billy” Walker, who was born a slave, was the leading rider at Churchill Downs in the fall racing season of 1875-76 and the spring racing season of 1876 through 1878. He rode the horse Baden-Baden to victory in the 1877 Kentucky Derby. But Blacks in the Kentucky Derby did not stop here. According to Christopher Klein, Isaac Murphy became the first jockey to win the Kentucky Derby three times, winning in 1884, 1890 and 1891. It is reported that he also won an amazing 44 percent of all the races in which he rode. Another Black Jockey winning the Derby was Alonzo “Lonnie” Clayton, a winner in 1892. At 15, he was the youngest to win this race. He was followed by James “Soup” Perkins who won in 1895; Willie Simms who won in 1896 and 1898; and Jimmy “Wink” Winkfield, who won in 1901 and 1902. While he was the last Black American to win the Kentucky Derby, it should be noted that Black jockeys won 15 of the first 28 Derbies, back in the day.
The web site smithsonian.com contains an article also titled “The Kentucky Derby’s Forgotten Jockeys” by Lisa K. Winkler. She points out that Blacks emerged as jockeys because as slaves they cleaned the stables and handled the grooming and training of some of the most valuable racehorses. As a result, they connected with the horses, with skills that were demanded of successful jockeys. She adds that slaves participated in horseracing when Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and Andrew Jackson brought their horses and Black jockeys with them when they moved into the White House. So it should not be surprising that the early racehorse riders were slaves. It is further reported that Black jockeys obtained a false sense of freedom as they traveled the racing circuit and some even became owners. Back then, all that mattered were the colors of the jockeys’ silk jackets colors that represented the stables with which they were affiliated. Horseracing, enjoyed by Blacks and whites, was a way for Blacks to obtain status back in the day.
Racetracks closed, attendance declined, and racism swept into horseracing. Black jockeys were negatively impacted by this economic recession. Whites no longer wanted to share the stands with Blacks, according to Winkler. The competition intensified for riders; violence was commonly practiced by White jockeys on the track and there were death threats by the Ku Klux Klan. Black jockeys even felt the sting of whips from white jockeys during races while race officials looked the other way. So, by 1904 Black riders were virtually banned from major racetracks and the complexion of the Kentucky Derby changed. There were no Black American riders in the Derby between 1921 and 2000. According to the Jockey Guild, out of a thousand jockeys riding thoroughbreds in the United States, only 50 are Black, far fewer than those who rode back in the day.
As a collector of Black memorabilia, I have often wondered if there was a relationship between the infamous “lawn jockey” and Black jockeys of the past. There is no evidence that the Black lawn jockey became popular because of the domination of Blacks in horseracing. The lack of knowledge by most Blacks regarding Black jockeys and Blacks in the Kentucky Derby indicates a major issue in the history of Black Americans. One thing we fail to do as a race is document our own history. Thus, others tell stories that we should be telling ourselves. Accounts of our history often come from others and are distorted by design and in some cases, out of ignorance. Not enough of our accomplishments are the focus of classroom discussions, neither are there enough dinner table discussions about our past. So stories like those regarding Black jockeys and horse racing are buried deep in the past. The absence of such accounts has an impact on one’s psyche and one’s self-esteem. While such knowledge may not affect one’s way of life, knowing one’s past enables us, in particular our young people, to fully understand and appreciate what opportunities lie ahead. Miles Dean, a longtime equestrian and Newark, N.J. schoolteacher, has organized the National Day of the Black Jockey for Memorial Day weekend at the Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville. He argues, as I have, for the need to heighten young folks’ understanding of their history So as we observe the Preakness, Belmont stakes and other horse racing events, just remember that our boys, and yes, our girls, can triumph under difficult odds, just as our Black jockeys did, as evidenced by their significant accomplishments under difficult circumstances, back in the day.
Alonzo Kittrels can be reached at backintheday@phillytrib.com or The Philadelphia Tribune, Back In The Day, 520 S. 16th St., Philadelphia, PA 19146.
https://www.phillytrib.com/lifestyle/black-jockeys-ruled-racetracks-for-decades.html