THE KENTUCKY DERBY: A RIDE TO FREEDOM

THE KENTUCKY DERBY: A RIDE TO FREEDOM

  

     

Often mentioned in conversations, but rarely experienced first-hand.  The Kentucky Derby in Louisville, Kentucky is the grand place I want to spotlight in one of my May 2017 blogs.  At least once in everyone’s life, you should make the trip to the Kentucky Derby and feel the thrill of the most famous two-minutes in horse racing history. 

No other moment is more exhilarating!

For me, it began back in 2001.  I had moved to Louisville to focus on writing my novel, “One Lucky Woman.”  I knew writing a 488-page book would be grueling and time consuming.  Needing an outlet and something to look forward to, I researched the city of Louisville and recognized it was the home of the Kentucky Derby. 

As a lover of horses and an even greater lover of betting on thoroughbreds, I was excited about moving to the home of the Derby.  Before I arrived, I sent a letter of request for a ticket to the Kentucky Derby. Of course--not to my surprise--it was a sold-out event where tickets were passed down generation to generation.  Sadly, I was told the only way I would be able to get a ticket was on an annual waiting list for when current ticket holders relinquished their tickets to get upgraded seats. 

Six months, three letters, several emails and a few telephone calls later, my family and I were set to go to the Kentucky Derby!  But was I ready for the Kentucky Derby?  People had spoken about the crowds, where to park, where to eat, how to dress, etcetera…. I didn’t really know anything about this event.  I needed answers, so off I went, to the Kentucky Derby Museum!

Giddy like a school girl, I was so humbled walking into the place for it set right on the grounds of Churchill Downs.  I figured while I was there I’d take in a day of racing.  Upon leaving the Museum, I realized my trip there had been much, much more than anything I could have expected.

Did you know the first jockeys for the Kentucky Derby were African-American slaves and free men?  Did you know that by winning the Derby some jockeys who were slaves were also given the opportunity to earn their freedom?  And did you know that 13 of the 15 jockeys in the first Kentucky Derby were African-Americans?????

By spending the day reading each and every posting in the Kentucky Derby Museum, I learned an ocean full of knowledge about African-American history and American Slavery.  In particular, the winning jockey in the first Kentucky Derby was a 19-year old African-American male named Oliver Lewis.  And the first jockey to win back-to-back titles was an African-American jockey named James “Jimmy” Winkfield.  And an even deeper still, I learned that the first jockey to win three Kentucky Derby titles was an African-American man named Isaac Burns Murphy.  I was so impressed by him, I bought the branded tee shirt.    

 Oliver Lewis

                                                

The famed Kentucky Derby was about my people and no one had ever told me.  No one.

Oh yes, I was ready for the Kentucky Derby now.  I didn’t care that in 2001 very few African-Americans worked as jockeys.  And I didn’t care that very few of the African-Americans I knew had ever been to the Kentucky Derby or even cared about the event.  I guess they were just too busy putting money in the pockets of music and film stars to care about our African-American history.  I just knew that I was going, and I was going to have a ball!

         

Oh, the anticipation of it all!  What would I wear?  A large, colorful hat, no doubt.  What would I have to drink?  A shared mint julep, naturally.  And where would I take my family to eat?  At the revolving restaurant, on top of the Galt House, of course.  It was Derby day in Louisville and I was finally ready.

So…if you find yourself needing a kick-start to your normal routine, I suggest you take the first Saturday in May and go to Louisville, Kentucky.  Whether you have a ticket or not, it’s a party going on.  Find time to see the pictures of the first jockeys in the Kentucky Derby Museum.  Wear a hat, then take it off in a salute to those who won the “Ride to Freedom!”

I won a trifecta the day I went to the Derby.  The money I won, I later spent buying tickets for the 2002 Kentucky Oaks.

Betting on the Kentucky Derby events has been a treasured tradition ever since.

*Vanessa Brantley  Style395.blogspot.com  May 20, 2017,  "The Kentucky Derby: A Ride to Freedom", Volume 6, Blog 1b [vol. 6, 1a-1c].