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The First Kentucky Derby: Thirteen Black Jockeys, One Shady Owner, and the Little Red Horse That Wasn't Supposed to Win
Today’s Kentucky Derby is a multimillion-dollar spectacle involving corporate sponsorship, worldwide media coverage, and an annual citywide festival in Louisville. Over its nearly century-and-a-half history, the Kentucky Derby has grown to be one of the biggest sporting events of the year, attracting 150,000 spectators at the track and nearly 15 million television viewers on the first Saturday each May.
But 1875, the year of the first Derby, was a different time. The Louisville Jockey Club track, which would one day bear the name “Churchill Downs,” was a small structure that might, on its best day, provide seating and standing room for 12,000 spectators. The grandstand was plain and functional and included a section reserved for bookmakers, whose trade was legal, and who operated in the open. Perhaps most significantly, the majority of jockeys in the race were Black, in stark contrast to the present-day Derby, where participation by African Americans is rare.
In The First Kentucky Derby, racing historian Mark Shrager examines the events leading up to the first “Run for the Roses,” the unsuccessful plot hatched by the winning horse’s owner to fix the race, and the prominent role played by African Americans in Gilded Age racing culture—a holdover from pre-emancipation days, when slaves were trained from birth to ride for their wealthy owners and grew up surrounded by the horses that would be their life’s work.
- GenresHorse RacingNonfiction
288 pages, Hardcover
Published May 1, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
February 22, 2023
What a wonderful book by racing historian extraordinaire, Mark Shrager. Mark takes us back to that first Kentucky Derby in 1875, and fills us in on the horses, trainers, owners and all the black jockeys who rode in that first Derby (13 of the 15 jockeys were black). He also documents the decline of the black jockey and the reasons behind that phenomena, before he then delves into the career of Aristides, who won the first Derby. Lots of fantastic history and stories make this a must read, and a necessity for all horse racing fans - a book you definitely should have in your personal library!
April 16, 2023
This is an informative and interesting read of how the Kentucky Derby and to some extent horseracing came to America. This details those who were responsible for bringing it, horse owners, trainers, jockeys and of course the horses themselves. I was surprised to learn the impact that the black community had on horseracing in the early days being a trainer or in a lot of cases a jockey in both positions being very successful. Did you in the first Kentucky Derby ran in 1875 that 13 out of the 15 jockeys were black? But it was also sad to read in the matter of thirty years that black jockeys were nonexistent or the find opportunities in other countries like Russia. There are many experiences of mishaps with some quite humorous like the horse who was blistering the field only to just stop and stand still in the middle of the race. I surprised to learn how often they would race their horses for example they raced one horse a mile and a quarter, two miles and a mile and a half in 6 days apparently, they were not worried about burning them out. It is to bad that some of these folks had to wait so long to get the recognition they deserved being so successful. Even if you are not horseracing fan you should find this interesting.
March 1, 2024
My grandfather was a horse trader/jockey in the early 1900s in the Cherokee Nation and would have fit into this history: win some, lose a lot, and die poor. It seems each small town had a Saturday horse race, a baseball game, and a lot of alcohol, which resulted in a great deal of illegal activities. The horse racing industry fits this pattern and this author tries to put the best spin on a sport that caters to the rich in the stands and the poor in the barn. The first Kentucky Deby had fifteen horses, thirteen black jockeys, and several expert black trainers all of whom lived in the "barn", and knew the horses. Betting and all the ills that go with it were evident within this sport which are explored in this book. When an owner could enter three horses in a high-dollar race and then bet a large sum after having a meeting with the jockeys to determine the race strategy best describes the base curruption of the sport.
I was never a race fan, but in the 1980s a teacher of mine invited my wife and me to her DERBY party with a completed dress-up expected. I soon found out the race was just a reason to show off the Kentucky culture, drink a little mint Jullip, and yell for two minutes (I was never invited back).
Mr. Shrager does present a good history of the sport from the Civil War days until the present with a background of jockeys, horses, and owners of a dying sport in the USA. Read at your own risk.
I was never a race fan, but in the 1980s a teacher of mine invited my wife and me to her DERBY party with a completed dress-up expected. I soon found out the race was just a reason to show off the Kentucky culture, drink a little mint Jullip, and yell for two minutes (I was never invited back).
Mr. Shrager does present a good history of the sport from the Civil War days until the present with a background of jockeys, horses, and owners of a dying sport in the USA. Read at your own risk.
March 28, 2023
"The First Kentucky Derby" by Mark Shrager presents to the reader a little-known slice of American/African-American history. What most people don't know is that, from the first Kentucky Derby in 1875 until the early 1900s, thoroughbred horse racing was dominated by African-American jockeys and trainers. Furthermore, of the first 28 Kentucky Derby races, 15 of them were won by African-American jockeys; of the first 14 American Derbies, half were won by African-American jockeys. Fascinating!!!
Yet, today, seeing an African-American jockeys is viewed as something rare and of historic proportions. It makes one wonder why that is. Author Mark Shrager does an excellent job of explaining why, while also providing a witty history of the creation of the Kentucky Derby race.
Shrager begins by giving the reader a brief history of the year 1875, showing what the state of American society was like a mere ten years after the end of the Civil War. He then goes on to give the history behind the Derby itself: how the name came about; anecdotes about the horses involved in that first race; and brief profiles of 3 jockeys, some trainers, & owners as well.
While all of that is interesting, what stood out for me is the sixth chapter of the book. It's what makes this book more than just entertainment. In this chapter, Shrager explains in depth why it has been 120 years (and counting) since an African-American jockey has won the Kentucky Derby. He listed ten specific reasons why African-American jockeys pretty much disappeared from the sport, and they include the following: the 1876 withdrawal of Union troops from the southern states in exchange for Rutherford B. Hayes getting the presidency; the emergence/implementation of Jim Crow laws; the 1896 Plessy vs. Ferguson ruling of 'separate but equal'; the jealousy & resentment of white jockeys; and the flat-out racism that plagued society then -- and now!
Shrager accomplishes 2 things with this book: he entertains and he educates. That is what makes this a must-read!
Thanks to NetGalley & Globe Pequot for this ARC, which I voluntarily read and reviewed.
Yet, today, seeing an African-American jockeys is viewed as something rare and of historic proportions. It makes one wonder why that is. Author Mark Shrager does an excellent job of explaining why, while also providing a witty history of the creation of the Kentucky Derby race.
Shrager begins by giving the reader a brief history of the year 1875, showing what the state of American society was like a mere ten years after the end of the Civil War. He then goes on to give the history behind the Derby itself: how the name came about; anecdotes about the horses involved in that first race; and brief profiles of 3 jockeys, some trainers, & owners as well.
While all of that is interesting, what stood out for me is the sixth chapter of the book. It's what makes this book more than just entertainment. In this chapter, Shrager explains in depth why it has been 120 years (and counting) since an African-American jockey has won the Kentucky Derby. He listed ten specific reasons why African-American jockeys pretty much disappeared from the sport, and they include the following: the 1876 withdrawal of Union troops from the southern states in exchange for Rutherford B. Hayes getting the presidency; the emergence/implementation of Jim Crow laws; the 1896 Plessy vs. Ferguson ruling of 'separate but equal'; the jealousy & resentment of white jockeys; and the flat-out racism that plagued society then -- and now!
Shrager accomplishes 2 things with this book: he entertains and he educates. That is what makes this a must-read!
Thanks to NetGalley & Globe Pequot for this ARC, which I voluntarily read and reviewed.
March 7, 2023
This book is fun. I had fun. I am positive Mark Shrager had fun. The First Kentucky Derby reads like a love letter to horse racing and the excitement is infectious. Shrager tells the story of the owners, jockeys, horses, and newspapers around the time of the first Kentucky Derby and the narrative is littered with interesting tidbits.
The one knock against the book would be the organization of the book. The chapters jump around in seemingly no particular order in the beginning before settling into a more linear timeline by the second half of the book. If you need your stories to have a very clear beginning, middle, and end (in that order) then you may find yourself frustrated.
If you just want to learn about horse racing and don't mind a little jumping around then this book is definitely for you.
(This book was provided as an advance copy by Netgalley and Globe Pequot. The full review will be posted to HistoryNerdsUnited.com on 5/4/2023.)
The one knock against the book would be the organization of the book. The chapters jump around in seemingly no particular order in the beginning before settling into a more linear timeline by the second half of the book. If you need your stories to have a very clear beginning, middle, and end (in that order) then you may find yourself frustrated.
If you just want to learn about horse racing and don't mind a little jumping around then this book is definitely for you.
(This book was provided as an advance copy by Netgalley and Globe Pequot. The full review will be posted to HistoryNerdsUnited.com on 5/4/2023.)
April 21, 2023
Anything I knew about horse racing and jockeys I learned from Dick Francis.
I don't think that many of us in the upper midwest of the US know a whole lot about horse racing or jockeys (except possibly that women are excluded). This book teaches the history of a particularly well-publicized race that began in 1875. As the book states, that was a VERY long time ago, and it begins with a potted history of people and events that were notable. Then it marches right along to teach about how the color of jockeys drastically changed over a relatively short period of time and then off to the creation of the Kentucky Derby (that was mostly because of one very special horse). I geek history, so I enjoyed it simply for the sake of learning something new.
I requested and received an EARC from Globe Pequot/Eclipse Press via NetGalley. Thank you!
I don't think that many of us in the upper midwest of the US know a whole lot about horse racing or jockeys (except possibly that women are excluded). This book teaches the history of a particularly well-publicized race that began in 1875. As the book states, that was a VERY long time ago, and it begins with a potted history of people and events that were notable. Then it marches right along to teach about how the color of jockeys drastically changed over a relatively short period of time and then off to the creation of the Kentucky Derby (that was mostly because of one very special horse). I geek history, so I enjoyed it simply for the sake of learning something new.
I requested and received an EARC from Globe Pequot/Eclipse Press via NetGalley. Thank you!
August 10, 2023
This was an interesting story about thoroughbred racing in the late 19th century, but it was really mistitled, as the focus is not the first Kentucky Derby. The author admits as much in the preface, so I don't know why he didn't change the title. It was really more about the predominance of black jockeys during that time period and then how racist policies in the US made them unwelcome, as well as a mini-biography of H.P McGrath, who owned Aristides and who apparently made his fortune by fixing races.
May 18, 2023
While I liked this book ok, the title is misleading. It is more about the people involved (getting it going, the riders, etc.)
It does jump around in the timeline as well, which I never care for.
Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for my eARC in exchange for an honest review.
It does jump around in the timeline as well, which I never care for.
Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for my eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews