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
Black Jockeys
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
Saturday Open Thread: The History Of Black Jockeys
On June 15, 1971, Cheryl White became the first black female jockey. She was also the first woman at a major track to win five throroughbred races. In 1991, after passing the California Horse Racing Board's Steward examination, she began serving as a racing official at California tracks.Cheryl was one of racing's pioneers. It was reported by one source that Cheryl was one of … [Read more...] about Saturday Open Thread: The History Of Black Jockeys
Friday Open Thread: The History Of Black Jockeys
The game was called "Rescue." After sitting under the horse track rails playing in the dirt and watching his father exercise horses, DeShawn Parker, 4 or 5 years old at the time, would stand beside a towering horse. His father, Daryl, would yell, "Rescue!" then lean over, scoop up the young boy and plop him onto the horse. DeShawn Parker went from jumping into his father's … [Read more...] about Friday Open Thread: The History Of Black Jockeys
Thursday Open Thread: The History Of Black Jockeys
The history of Thoroughbred horse racing in America is rich with the legacy of black jockeys. There was a time when riding a racehorse was almost exclusively a black occupation. It began with plantation owners using lightweight slave boys to race their horses against rival owners. Some slaves were tied to horses to keep them from falling off, resulting in injury and … [Read more...] about Thursday Open Thread: The History Of Black Jockeys