The First Kentucky Derby Thirteen Black Jockeys, One Shady Owner, and the Little Red Horse That Wasn't Supposed to Win, by Mark Shrager

 

Publication May 1, 2023

It's always a delight when a book turns out to be even better than expected. I was certainly expecting lots of information and pictures, which I got. What I wasn't really expecting was the delightful, sometimes outrageous history of the event and those connected. 1875 was definitely a world modern day Derby attendees wouldn't recognize. Not only was it peopled with black jockeys but the men behind the horses weren't always, how shall I put it, above-board honest? As the cover notes, Aristides apparently wasn't expected to win. There are reasons detailed and few have anything to do with Aristides. I won't ruin your journey to discovery by saying more but, wow, what a ride, pun intended, author Mark Shrager gives us as he shares his findings.

Besides the fun of being introduced to the frequently shady, over-the-top personalities of racing in the 1875 world, Shrager reminds us how untamed much of the nation was at that time. Jesse James and Billy the Kid were still alive and going about their business of, well, robbery. Wyatt Earp was still around, too, as was George Armstrong Custer. Tchaikovsky was creating new musical arrangements and Joe Borden pitched the first recorded no-hitter for the Philadelphia White Stockings. Basketball, as we know it, hadn't even been invented yet. In other words, an interesting combo of the wild-and-wooly days and the beginnings of more modern life was evolving.

As for the story of the race, it's a fascinating. Shrager had me with his introduction. His writing is both conversational and pulls you into the story. And, what a story it is. From the origins of the term "Derby" used to name the Kentucky Derby, not to mention it's British connections, to Aristides owner's reportedly interesting liking for burgoo (nope, not telling you what it is) to his fondness for betting on the horses, even against his own entries if it might mean a bigger payday, you definitely come away marveling at how far the rules and regulations of thoroughbred racing has come. 

I'd honestly given no thought to the absence of Afro-American jockeys in modern racing. In the early days, many were former slaves who had worked with their own owners' horses. Newly freed, their presence at the tracks and stables seems a natural. Yet, as of the publication date of this book, the last black jockey to win the Derby was Jimmy Winkfield, in both 1901 and 1902. Interestingly enough, he left the United States to work in Russia.  Despite their success in the saddle, alas, few made the transition to ownership or even training. Even those who did were largely overlooked in favor of the often colorful personalities of the horses' owners. You'll get to know them all a bit in this book. 

Thanks #NetGalley and #RowmanAndLittlefield - #GlobePequot - #EclipsePress for allowing me this sneak peak behind the scenes of a race that, alas, I've never attended. I'll never quite view it the same on television, however.