Black jockeys | Horse Racing Free Tips

Keeneland Library Expands Exhibit Through Fall, Adds Events

Keeneland Library has scheduled a number of events for the remainder of 2023 to expand the reach of its exhibit, The Heart of the Turf: Racing's Black Pioneers, the repository said in a release Friday.

Due to demand, the Library's free exhibit and its on-site youth and adult programs have been extended through Dec. 8.

Other events include:

Now: Companion book available

The companion book to The Heart of the Turf: Racing's Black Pioneers is available at the Library and The Keeneland Shop (in store and online) for $10. All proceeds will benefit the Keeneland Library Foundation.
Keeneland Library will begin to donate copies of the book to community and industry organizations Sept. 11.

Sept. 15: LexArts Gallery Hop at the Lyric (5-8 p.m.)

To celebrate the launch of the traveling exhibit in Lexington's East End, incoming Library Director Roda Ferraro will deliver the evening's educational program and the first 100 Gallery Hop attendees will receive a free copy of the companion book.

Sept. 19: “Meet the Authors” free at Keeneland Library (6:30-8 p.m.)

Pulitzer Prize nominee Sarah Maslin Nir and co-author Raymond White Jr. will present their new book, The Jockey & Her Horse, the story of Cheryl White Breyer. Books will be available for purchase for $17. A brief program will be followed by a book signing. RSVP here.

Sept. 20: “Meet the Authors” free at the Lyric (6-7:30 p.m.)

After an opening program in the Lyric's Community Room, a meet and greet is scheduled with Nir and White. The first 100 attendees under the age of 18 will receive a free copy of their book, along with free General Admission passes to Keeneland's Fall Meet.

Oct. 21: Cheryl White Breyer Sets at Keeneland

During Sunrise Trackside, a free, family-friendly event at Keeneland from 8-10 a.m. (ET), Keeneland will spotlight White's career as a jockey. Children will have a chance to try on a replica of White's silks, and fans will have a chance to win Keeneland Breyer sets featuring a figure of White, the model horse Jetolara (her first winning mount) and a copy of the book.
The Keeneland Shop and Keeneland Library will host a signing with Raymond White Jr. from 1-3 p.m. Cheryl White Breyer sets and copies of The Jockey & Her Horse will be available to purchase.

Nov. 18: An Evening with Geraldine Brooks at the Keeneland Sales Pavilion (6:30-8 p.m.)

Keeneland Library will host Pulitzer Prize winning-author Geraldine Brooks, who will discuss her 2022 novel, Horse. Details to follow.

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‘Too Black Too Fast’: Art Celebrating African American Jockeys Will Be On Display At Pegasus

As part of the 2022 Pegasus World Cup, Baccarat presents “Too Black Too Fast,” a curated art exhibition that celebrates the history and contribution of African American jockeys in Thoroughbred horse racing through visual art and portraiture. Leading up to the 2022 Pegasus World Cup and in advance of Black History Month, “Too Black Too Fast” debuted on Saturday, Jan. 22, and will run until mid-February 2022 at the Historic Ward Rooming House Gallery in the Overtown neighborhood of Miami, Fla. The exhibit will be available for public viewing every Thursday to Sunday from noon until 6:00 P.M. Admission is free.

In addition, pieces from the exhibit will also be on display at Gulfstream Park during the Pegasus World Cup on Jan. 29.

With multimedia pieces from sculptor George Nock and visual artist Michael J. McBride, the exhibit tells the story of Black jockeys, who played an integral role in the history of Thoroughbred horse racing. More than 200 years before Jackie Robinson took to the baseball field, Black jockeys dominated the “Sport of Kings.” As enslaved men, they were the ones who knew the horses best, so they were the original trainers and jockeys. Though slavery had been abolished by the time the Kentucky Derby first ran, 13 of the 15 jockeys in the inaugural race in 1875 were African American, and African Americans won 15 of the first 28 runnings (of the Kentucky Derby).

“In advance of the Pegasus World Cup and Black History Month, we are grateful for the opportunity to partner with Baccarat, the Historic Ward Rooming House in Overtown and “Too Black Too Fast” to commemorate, celebrate and share the important and often untold story of Black jockeys and their role in Thoroughbred horse racing,” said Jimmy Vargas, CEO, 1/ST EXPERIENCE.

“As a proud sponsor of the Pegasus World Cup, Baccarat is honored to partner with the Historic Ward Rooming House to present “Too Black Too Fast”. The exhibit is just one retrospective of the many untold stories of black excellence in America. The hardship and the courage of these black jockeys is unmeasurable. Even today, these jockeys hold records and set the standard for all jockeys in the industry, yet we don't hear of their accomplishments. Baccarat is grateful to have the opportunity to help tell their story, as these athletes played an integral part in our history,” said Jim Shreve, Baccarat President and CEO of North America.

“American Sport has transformed the world in many ways, so it's an honor to present an art exhibition that tells the story of the legacy of early American jockeys. It's an honor to showcase amazing stories of unsung heroes, America's first professional athletes. McBride's, and Nock's art is not just insightful aesthetically, but the research they performed to create these images must have been a labor of love,” said Chris Norwood of Hampton Art Lovers at the Historic Ward Rooming House Gallery.

“I am very honored to have my work featured as part of the Pegasus World Cup. Having an opportunity to present African American achievements in Thoroughbred horse racing is very important to me. This is an opportunity for the world to see via artistic visuals of the accomplishments of these individuals,” said “Too Black Too Fast” artist Michael McBride.

“The ability to use art as canvas for telling great unknown stories of Americans of color for the last fifteen years has been the most rewarding experience of my life. I hope South Florida truly enjoys what we plan to present in celebrating the 2022 Pegasus World Cup,” said “Too Black Too Fast” Executive Producer, Derell Stinson.

The “Too Black Too Fast” exhibit is currently touring with 40 paintings and 25 bronze sculptures. The Historic Ward Rooming House Gallery is located at 249 NW 9th St. in Overtown.

For more information visit www.pegasusworldcup.com or follow Pegasus World Cup on socials @PegasusWorldCup.

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Levey Looks For First Royal Victory

Sean Levey has already set several notable benchmarks in British racing–being the first black jockey to ride in the Derby in 2016 when fifth on Humphrey Bogart (Ire) (Tagula {Ire}) and, two years later, the first black jockey to win a British Classic when steering Billesdon Brook (GB) (Champs Elysees {GB}) to victory in the G1 1000 Guineas-and next week Levey hopes to earn a belated first Royal Ascot victory.

The 33-year-old Swaziland-born rider, who will partner the likes of Snow Lantern (GB) (Frankel {GB}) and Happy Romance (Ire) (Dandy Man {Ire}) for Richard Hannon at the Royal meeting, said, “My form at Ascot alone is very good–but when it comes to Royal Ascot, not so much. I wouldn't say I've been unfortunate. I've been placed many a time, mostly in handicaps and what have you. I'm disappointed it hasn't happened yet, so I would just like the box ticked now. It's a bit of a monkey on my back, that one.”

Levey certainly has the right foundation to take his career to the next level. His family left Africa when Levey was a teenager and, after touching down briefly in Croydon in South London, relocated to Ireland to allow his father, Mick Levey, to work for Aidan O'Brien. The younger Levey took up working at Ballydoyle on the weekends, and after a season of pony racing signed on as an apprentice to O'Brien.

“I won a few listed races and group races for Aidan and had the opportunity to ride, I think, in every Classic in Ireland. I rode in the Arc for him and a few other Group 1s, including the German Guineas, and I won the Irish Cambridgeshire on a horse called Poet. It was a privileged apprenticeship. There's no doubt he gave me a lot of opportunities, and I'll be forever grateful.”

After six years with O'Brien, Levey relocated to Britain in 2011 to take the next step in his career.

“I'd had massive opportunities as an apprentice and was wanting momentum over here. I was chasing my dream,” he said.

Levey admitted that as a younger rider, “thinking about the colour of my skin wasn't at the forefront of my mind,” and he said he thinks it is a lack of information rather than systemic racism in racing that has deterred more people of colour from entering the sport.

“What I am seeing, and should be seeing, is a lot more black and Asian people coming into racing,” he said. “In Ireland there was only me; in England there is me and Royston [Ffrench] and Silvestre de Sousa, obviously. Now the next crop of apprentices are coming in, and I do see a lot more. If what we have done is give others the confidence, I think that is ultimately what everyone is looking for. [We want] to reach out to those urban areas where people don't get the opportunities and show that the sport is open to anybody who would like to come into it. Rather than dwelling on 'racing needs to change because it's racist', I personally don't feel that that's the case, but I do feel like more information needs to be put out there for people to know that they are more than welcome through those doors.”

In the meantime, Levey is looking forward to partnering, among others, Snow Lantern in the G1 Coronation S. and Happy Romance in the G1 Commonwealth Cup next week.

Of Snow Lantern, a 'TDN Rising Star' who could only manage third in the Listed Michael Seely Memorial S. at York on May 14, Levey said, “She's in good order and all set to go. It was a slightly disappointing run at York–things didn't really go our way. She was keener than you'd like on that occasion and as a result, she didn't quite run as well as we thought she would. She seems to be doing the right things at home and hasn't put a foot wrong since. I'd like to think that if she runs her race nice and settles then she'll have a big chance.”

Happy Romance backed up a busy and fruitful 2-year-old campaign with a win in the Listed Chelmer Fillies' S. at Chelmsford on Apr. 29, and looks to rebound from a fifth-place finish in the Listed Carnarvon S. on May 15.

“Happy Romance is one that does all the talking on the track,” Levey said. “She's very straightforward, an absolute pleasure to ride and has plenty of ability to boot. I think Ascot is her track–she ran really well in the Queen Mary last year. She's shown she wants better ground, and a stiff track will suit her style of running. She's more an off-the-bridle kind of sprinter, rather than an 'all guns blazing' kind of sprinter. Against her own age group, I would give her a good chance.”

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Producers Unveil Plans for `Photo Finish’

Leon Nichols, Calvin Davis and affiliates of the Project to Preserve African-American Turf History are seeking additional backing to bring the story of the 1890 Isaac Murphy-Snapper Garrison match race aboard Salvator and Tenny at Sheepshead Bay Park. The event, held after Murphy and Salvator defeated Garrison and Tenny in the Suburban earlier in the year, was billed by press at the time as a race between “Black and white.”

PPAATH was the subject of a Katie Ritz feature in the TDN in 2020. The nonprofit's founder and co-founder, Nichols and Davis, are working on their script alongside producer James Walton, and say their film is poised to be the first in U.S. filmmaking history led by a Black production team and the first to capture the contributions made and the conflicts faced by Black jockeys beginning in the late 19th Century.

Their story traces the life of Murphy, a legendary jockey and the first-ever inductee into the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame, and says the group, “illuminates and bridges persistent racial divides.”

African American jockeys held places of prominence across the Kentucky Derby's first 27 years, said Chris Goodlett, Dir. of Curitorial & Educational Affairs at the Kentucky Derby Museum. But by the 20th Century, he said, institutional racism and segregation had taken hold.

In June 1890, amid intense racial and political unrest, Murphy was the central figure in the match race, after the owner of Tenny demanded a rematch after his loss in the Suburban.

“With `white' and `colored' signs popping up in response to Jim Crow laws,” said a release from PPAATH, “all eyes were on Murphy and his rival, Ed `Snapper' Garrison. One sealed America's fate for generations to come in a photo-finish race that was dubbed `the greatest in the history of thoroughbred racing' by the New York Times.”

“There's a lot to unpack here,” said Walton. “In 1890, Jim Crow legislation struck a severe blow to horseracing and forced out the clear majority: Black jockeys. One after another, their obituaries then piled up. High-profile Blacks' ability to do what they loved was snatched away as mobs of emboldened whites pushed for segregated tracks. Soup Perkins, who'd won the Kentucky Derby at age 15, drank himself to death by age 31. Tommy Britton committed suicide by swallowing acid. Albert Isom publicly shot himself in the head.”

“The discrimination they faced in everyday life they also faced on the racetrack–confronted with an ideology that tore apart our nation and an entire industry,” said Nichols. “'PHOTO FINISH: The Race of the Century' celebrates one man's ability to beat the odds. Before Jordon, Ali and Owens, there was Isaac Burns Murphy. He was a hero in the eyes of Blacks and unsympathetic whites knew that. He achieved millionaire status and acclaim at a time when others feared for their safety. Yet, here we are today, in 2021…still fearful.”

PPAATH is seeking backers and tax incentives in various U.S. filmmaking hub zones in order to develop a series of films which showcase Black jockeys and pay homage to courageous acts which have gone unrecognized for more than a century. Learn more at PPAATH.org.

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