Hope you're having a great Saturday POU! Our last feature of the week was not only a top jockey and trainer, but owned several winning horses and became one of the wealthiest African Americans in the state of Kentucky. Edward Brown Edward Dudley Brown (1850 – May 11, 1906) was an American who, although born as a slave, rose to become a Belmont Stakes-winning jockey, … [Read more...] about Saturday Open Thread: African Americans and The Sport of Horse Racing
Kentucky Derby
Friday Open Thread: African Americans and The Sport of Horse Racing
TGIF POU! Today we feature a man whose breeding knowledge practically carried the sport of horse racing into the multi-million dollar industry it is today. The Kentucky Derby was in its infancy when Baden-Baden carried 17-year-old William Walker to victory in the late 1870s, an era when horse racing was America's favorite pastime and jockeys were hailed as national … [Read more...] about Friday Open Thread: African Americans and The Sport of Horse Racing
Thursday Open Thread: African Americans and The Sport of Horse Racing
Good Morning POU! Today's feature comes to us from a 2011 column in the Lexington Herald-Leader. Courtney Mathews Kentucky is hoping to add another thread to the increasingly colorful tapestry of the history of the state's horse industry. The state has applied to have a house at 547 Breckenridge Street added to the National Register of Historic Places because of … [Read more...] about Thursday Open Thread: African Americans and The Sport of Horse Racing
Wednesday Open Thread: African Americans and The Sport of Horse Racing
Good Morning POU! We continue our series on the pillars of thoroughbred racing in the United States as we near the 140th Kentucky Derby race. Ansel Williamson was an African American thoroughbred horse racing trainer. He was born a slave in Virginia sometime around the middle part of the 19th century. In 1864 he was purchased by Robert A. Alexander, owner of the … [Read more...] about Wednesday Open Thread: African Americans and The Sport of Horse Racing
Friday Open Thread: African-American Historical Firsts
It's Friday POU Family and lurkers! Continuing on with the theme for this week, I am going to highlight African-American historical firsts in sports. Automobile racer Rajo Jack DeSoto was born Dewey Gatson on July 28, 1905 in Tyler, Texas. Rajo Jack was barred from racing in many organized venues because of his African American heritage, but he had several notable wins and a … [Read more...] about Friday Open Thread: African-American Historical Firsts