[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 63 (Friday, May 19, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E901-E902]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  HORSERACING AND THE BLACK JOCKEY--THE RETURN TO CHURCHILL DOWNS AND 
                             KENTUCKY DERBY

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. CHARLES B. RANGEL

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                          Friday, May 19, 2006

  Mr. RANGEL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in appreciation of an article 
printed in New York's CaribNews entitled, ``Horseracing and the Black 
jockey, the return to Churchill Downs and Kentucky Derby''. Little is 
known about the history of Blacks in horseracing and how they dominated 
the sport, but it spans back from the 19th and early 20th centuries in 
the United States and Europe.
  With such an illustrious and long history, why is it that such few 
Blacks are seen engaging in the sport? What we come to learn from the 
article is that because of racism and greed, Blacks were eliminated 
from the sport in North America. They were simply denied the chance to 
engage in horseracing, an activity loved by so many. Late tennis great 
Arthur Ashe made the case in his book, ``A Hard Road to Glory'', a 
history of the African American Athlete between 1619-1918, that ``Black 
jockeys enjoyed an unprecedented streak of good fortune until racism 
forced them off the tracks. No civil rights groups came to their aid 
and then most had unfortunate endings.''
  In the article we learn about a man, Patrick Husband who grew up in a 
poor Barbadian neighborhood who with strong-will and determination was 
able to ride in the Kentucky Derby. He was not the first to do so, but 
his mere presence at the Derby that day brought admiration to all that 
watched. Truly this has become an inspiration for people up in those 
same neighborhoods as Husband. Witnessing these historic moments 
encourage Black youths to seek experience and careers as jockeys and 
trainers, a career once dominated by Blacks.
  There is so much history to be studied and very few people know about 
it, nor do they have access to the information. Few people know that 14 
of the 15 jockeys who participated in the inaugural year of the 
Kentucky Derby in 1875 were Black and that the first winner, Oliver 
Lewis atop Aristedes was Black. Another interesting fact was between 
1875 and 1902, Black jockeys won 15 of the 27 Kentucky Derby races. 
This type of information should not be hidden from people. There was a 
time in racing history known as the ``golden days'' in which the 
greatest contributions were made by Black jockeys and trainers.
  The youth of today should know the names of Isaac Murphy, Willie 
Simms, Jimmy Winkfield, Billy Walker, Alonzo Clayton, Isaac Lewis, 
Erskine Henderson and James Perkins who have made history for their 
achievements in racing in the United States from 1875 to 911. These are 
names forever to be cherished and embraced by people everywhere. When 
L.P. Tralton, a famous trainer, died in 1896 he wrote in the 
Thoroughbred Record, ``I have seen all of the great jockeys of England 
and this country for years back, but, all in all Isaac Murphy is the 
greatest of them all.''
  I enter into the Record with pleasure the article by Tony Best 
published in New York's CaribNews for its careful historical analysis 
of some of America's most talented yet sadly forgotten athletes. We 
must never forget the sacrifice Black jockeys have made for the sport 
of horseracing. The article helps in increasing the awareness about 
those who have made the sport what it is today and who rightfully 
deserve their place in the history books.

  Horseracing and the Black Jockey--The Return to Churchill Downs and 
                             Kentucky Derby

       When Patrick Husbands climbs aboard Seaside Retreat in 
     Saturday's Run for the Roses, as the world famous Kentucky 
     Derby is often called, his presence astride the horse will 
     write another interesting chapter in the history of horse 
     racing in the U.S.
       It's a chapter that brings to mind the glory days of Blacks 
     in the saddle in the 19th and early 20th centuries in the 
     United States and their elimination from a sport in North 
     America that attracts and holds people's attention around the 
     world, the pernicious effects of racism and greed and now the 
     return of Blacks to the pinnacle of a sport from which they 
     should never have been driven out in the first place.
       That Husbands, who grew up poor in a Barbadian neighborhood 
     that's within walking distance of one of the Caribbean's 
     leading race tracks, the Garrison Savannah, can make it all 
     the way to Louisville, Kentucky, tells a story about sheer 
     grit, determination and talent and recalls the era of the 
     golden days of Black jockeys and trainers.
       Granted, he is not the first Black to ride in the Derby 
     since the turn of the 21st century. That honor belongs to an 
     African American from Louisiana who rode in the race in 2000. 
     But his presence brings pleasure to tens of millions, not 
     only racing fans in North America and the Caribbean but 
     elsewhere. It can also inspire Black youth to seek careers as 
     jockeys and trainers once again in a sport, a multi-billion 
     dollar business that they once dominated.
       Unfortunately, too few television viewers and horse racing 
     fans who will watch the 2006 Kentucky Derby from the comfort 
     of their living rooms, sports bars and other places and who 
     will follow the course of the race in their car radios know 
     that Husbands is simply adding his name to a long list of 
     outstanding Blacks who have ridden in the Derby and various 
     major races.
       Indeed 14 of the 15 jockeys who rode in the inaugural year 
     of the Kentucky Derby in 1875 were Black and the first 
     winner, Oliver Lewis atop Aristedes was Black. Between 1875 
     and 1902, Black jockeys won 15 of the 27 Kentucky Derby 
     races.
       Names like Isaac Murphy, Willie Simms, Jimmy Winkfield, 
     Billy Walker, Alonzo Clayton, Isaac Lewis, Erskine Henderson 
     and James Perkins dot the pages of racing's history books for 
     their accomplishments in the saddle between 1875 and 1911 in 
     the U.S.
       For example, Murphy, a native of Fayette County in 
     Kentucky, became the toast of the horse racing fraternity in 
     the 19th century, so much so that historians insist he was to 
     the sport of kings what Michael Jordan became for basketball, 
     Jessie Owens to track and field, Hank Aaron to baseball, O.J. 
     Simpson, Jim Brown and Jerry Rice to American football, Sir 
     Garfield Sobers to cricket and Tiger Woods to golf. That is 
     the greatest performer in their sport.
       Murphy rode winners three times in the Kentucky Derby, 
     including back-to-back victories in 1890-1891; captured the 
     Travers in 1879; the Saratoga Cup in 1881 and 1886; the 
     Kentucky Oaks in 1884. At the height of his career in the 
     late 19th century, he was making more than $20,000 a year 
     back then, in today's money, we are talking about millions of 
     dollars.
       When he died of pneumonia in 1896 at the age of 35 years, 
     L.P. Tarlton, a famous trainer, wrote in the Thoroughbred 
     Record, ``I have seen all of the great jockeys of England and 
     this country for years back, but, all in all Isaac Murphy is 
     the greatest of them all.''
       In his book, A Hard Road to Glory, a History of the 
     African-American Athlete between 1619-1918, Arthur Ashe, the 
     late tennis great explained that ``from roughly 1800 until 
     the eve of World War I, Black jockeys had few peers in their 
     profession.''
       He went on: ``Black jockeys enjoyed an unprecedented streak 
     of good fortune until racism forced them off the tracks. No 
     Civil rights groups came to their aid and then most had 
     unfortunate endings.
       What a pity.
       Most observers and historians blame the Jockey Club which 
     was formed in 1894 to license riders for the disappearance of 
     Black jockeys. Greed and racism were the major engines that 
     systematically drove them out. The ebony-skinned riders were 
     just too good and made too much money to suit the whites in 
     charge, complained Ashe.
       But Blacks weren't restricted to the saddle or to being 
     grooms. Dating back to the colonial days and continuing long 
     after the Revolutionary War and the Reconstruction period in 
     America's history many of the trainers were Black.
       Blacks in horse racing were the first to make a name for 
     themselves in the business of sport.
       Now that they are returning astride horses in growing 
     numbers, jockeys from the English-speaking Caribbean, 
     principally Barbados, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago are

[[Page E902]]

     leading the way in North America, especially in Canada where 
     they are consistent winners.
       Competitive sport, often called the product of western 
     civilization, a people's desire for conquest, empires and 
     exploration have spawned the Olympics and other major 
     competitions, giving Blacks the chance to show that they can 
     thrive in any area, where ability rather than skin color or 
     place of birth is the means to success.

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