http://horseracing.about....012499.htm

African-Americans in Racing

The accomplishments of African-American horsemen in the early years of the sport are often forgotten, but in the years between the Civil War and the turn of the century, they were very influential. In the first Kentucky Derby Aristides was trained by African-American Ansel Williamson and guided to victory by Oliver Lewis, one of 15 black jockeys in that race. Over all, 15 of the first 28 Kentucky Derbys were won by black jockeys and 5 were trained by black trainers.

After the turn of the century, racing started to be a higher profile sport, and blacks were mostly seen only as stable help. The last black jockey to win the Kentucky Derby, Jimmy Winkfield who won in both 1901 and 1902, left the US for Europe and a lucrative racing career where it is rumoured he even rode for the Czar of Russia. He became fluent in several languages before he retired with over 2300 winners to his credit.

Most famous of the black jockeys by far is Isaac Murphy who is considered one of the greatest riders in American history. He was the first jockey to win three Kentucky Derbys and won an astonishing 44% of all races he rode. That record has not been approached by any other jockey since. He was the first jockey to be inducted into the Jockey Hall of Fame at the National Museum of Racing. Sadly, his career was cut short at the age of 34 when he died of pneumonia. He always had trouble staying at the light weight demanded of a jockey and was known to binge and purge. It has been speculated that it was vomit backing up in his lungs that caused the pneumonia which led to his death. He is buried next to Man O' War in the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington.

Here are a few other prominent black horsemen of the 1800's:

Ed Brown who trained 1877 Kentucky Derby winner Baden-Baden.
Alonzo Clayton who won the Kentucky Derby at only 15 years of age.
James Perkins who also won the Derby at only 15.
Willie Simms who won the Derby twice and each of the Triple Crown races at least once.

In recent years, African-Americans have started coming back into the mainstream of racing. MC Hammer had the successful Oaktown Stable which raced the excellent filly Lite Light, winner of the Kentucky Oaks and other prestigious races. Barry Gordy of Motown fame has also had some success with his horses. More recently, the young jockey Marlon St. Julien has been very successful in the Texas and Chicago racing circuits. However, there is still a long way to go before the old prejudices die so young jockeys can get a fair chance at a career in racing despite the advances made by black owners and trainers.

The Mint Julep
The Mint Julep has been the traditional beverage of Churchill Downs� and the Kentucky Derby� for nearly a century. Early Times Kentucky Whisky has been privileged and honored to be a part of that tradition. The Early Times Mint Julep Ready-to-Serve Cocktail has been "The Official Mint Julep of the Kentucky Derby�" for over 18 years.

Each year, almost 120,000 Early Times Mint Juleps are served over the two-day period of the Kentucky Oaks� and Kentucky Derby�. A feat that requires over 10,000 bottles of Early Times Mint Julep Ready-to-Serve Cocktail, 1,000 pounds of freshly harvested mint and 60,000 pounds of ice.

The Early Times Mint Julep Ready-to-Serve Cocktail is a staple at the track the rest of the year as well. In fact, the Grade II Early Times Mint Julep Stakes on June 17 at Churchill Downs� is sponsored by Early Times.

You can also find the Early Times Mint Julep Ready-to-Serve Cocktail at your local retailer. The commemorative bottles have become collectors� items for many, capturing the mood and spirit of the famous Churchill Downs� track and Kentucky Derby� race. If the Early Times Ready-to-Serve Cocktail is not available from your local retailer, you can make your own with this time-honored recipe:


The Early Times Mint Julep Recipe

2 cups sugar
2 cups water
Sprigs of fresh mint
Crushed ice
Early Times Kentucky Whisky
Silver Julep Cups
Make a simple syrup by boiling sugar and water together for five minutes. Cool and place in a covered container with six or eight sprigs of fresh mint, then refrigerate overnight. Make one julep at a time by filling a julep cup with crushed ice, adding one tablespoon mint syrup and two ounces of Early Times Kentucky Whisky. Stir rapidly with a spoon to frost the outside of the cup. Garnish with a sprig of fresh mint.

Mach said:

Nuthin' like sippin' a refreshing mint julep on a hot ass day.

Kentucky has been a major center of horse breeding and racing since the late 18th century. From the time the region was settled, the fields of the Bluegrass region were noted for producing superior race horses. In 1872, Col. Meriwether Lewis Clark, Jr., grandson of William Clark of the Lewis and Clark expedition, traveled to England, visiting the Epsom Derby, a famous race that had been running annually since 1780. From there, Clark went on to Paris, France, where in 1863, a group of racing enthusiasts had formed the French Jockey Club and had organized the Grand Prix de Paris, which at the time was the greatest race in France.

Returning home to Kentucky, Clark organized the Louisville Jockey Club for the purpose of raising money to build quality racing facilities just outside of the city. The track would soon become known as Churchill Downs, named for Meriwether Lewis Clark Jr.'s relatives, John and Henry Churchill, who had provided the land for the racetrack. Officially, the racetrack was incorporated as Churchill Downs in 1937.

The Kentucky Derby was first run at 1.5 miles (2.4 km), the same distance as the Epsom Derby and the Grand Prix de Paris. In 1896, the distance was changed to its current 1.25 miles (2 km). On May 17, 1875, in front of an estimated crowd of 10,000 people, a field of 15 three-year-old horses contested the first Derby. Under African-American jockey Oliver Lewis, a colt named Aristides, who was trained by future Hall of Famer, Ansel Williamson, won the inaugural Derby. Later that year, Lewis rode Aristides to a second-place finish in the Belmont Stakes.

Churchill Downs in 1901Although the first race meet proved a success, the track ran into financial difficulties and in 1894 the New Louisville Jockey Club was incorporated with new capitalization and improved facilities. Despite this, the business floundered until 1902 when Col. Matt Winn of Louisville put together a syndicate of businessmen to acquire the facility. Under Winn, Churchill Downs prospered and the Kentucky Derby became the preeminent thoroughbred horse race in America.

Between 1875 and 1902, African-American jockeys won 15 of the 28 runnings of the Kentucky Derby. On May 11, 1892, African-American jockey Alonzo "Lonnie" Clayton, age 15, became the youngest rider to win the Derby. The 1904 race was won by Elwood, the first Derby starter and winner owned by a woman, Laska Durnell. In 1915, Regret became the first filly to win the Kentucky Derby, and in 1917, the English bred colt "Omar Khayyam" became the first foreign-bred horse to win the race.

Derby participants are limited to three-year-old horses. No horse since Apollo in 1882 has won the Derby without racing at age two.

As part of gaining income, horse owners began sending their successful Derby horses to compete a few weeks later in the Preakness Stakes at the Pimlico Race Course, in Baltimore, Maryland, followed by the Belmont Stakes in Elmont, New York. The three races offered the largest purse and in 1919 Sir Barton became the first horse to win all three races. However, the term Triple Crown didn't come into use for another eleven years. In 1930, when Gallant Fox became the second horse to win all three races, sportswriter Charles Hatton brought the phrase into American usage. Fueled by the media, public interest in the possibility of a "superhorse" that could win the Triple Crown began in the weeks leading up to the Derby. Two years after the term was coined, the race, which had been run in mid-May since inception, was changed to the first Saturday in May to allow for a specific schedule for the Triple Crown races.

On May 3, 1952, the first national television coverage of the Kentucky Derby took place. In 1954, the purse exceeded $100,000 for the first time. In 1968 Dancer's Image became the first (and to this day the only) horse to win the race and then be disqualified after traces of phenylbutazone, an analgesic and anti-inflammatory drug, were found in the horse's urinalysis; unexpectedly, the regulations at Kentucky thoroughbred race tracks were changed some years later, allowing horses to run on phenylbutazone.

The fastest time ever run in the Derby (at its present distance) was set in 1973 at 1 minute 59 2/5 seconds when Secretariat broke the record set by Northern Dancer in 1964. Not only has Secretariat's record time stood for 34 years and counting, but in the race itself, he did something unique in Triple Crown races: each successive quarter, his times were faster.

SCNDLS said:

Specially @ the Derby

If you have never - you should

Mach said:

I went when Barbaro won in 2006 and when Funny Cide won in 2003. Did the whole big hat thing and all. And the parties were off da chain. The whole atmosphere reminds me of a mini mardi gras. It's ridiculous. I wanted to go this year Oh well, I'm going next year.

I love the whole Triple Crown series, especially if you get a horse that wins the first 2 races. I usually go to a local track to watch the races cuz the atmosphere is sooooo fun. Even though I don't gamble.

SCNDLS said:

I usually win $

I used to be a groom at DRC outside detroit and I also knew owners of trotters at Northville downs. I have driven them in warm up heats ( non race day )

I am a major fan of the Derby and her history



Willie Simms with Ben Brush



Alonzo Clayton


Isaac Murphy

The Mint Julep
The Mint Julep has been the traditional beverage of Churchill Downs� and the Kentucky Derby� for nearly a century. Early Times Kentucky Whisky has been privileged and honored to be a part of that tradition. The Early Times Mint Julep Ready-to-Serve Cocktail has been "The Official Mint Julep of the Kentucky Derby�" for over 18 years.

Each year, almost 120,000 Early Times Mint Juleps are served over the two-day period of the Kentucky Oaks� and Kentucky Derby�. A feat that requires over 10,000 bottles of Early Times Mint Julep Ready-to-Serve Cocktail, 1,000 pounds of freshly harvested mint and 60,000 pounds of ice.

The Early Times Mint Julep Ready-to-Serve Cocktail is a staple at the track the rest of the year as well. In fact, the Grade II Early Times Mint Julep Stakes on June 17 at Churchill Downs� is sponsored by Early Times.

You can also find the Early Times Mint Julep Ready-to-Serve Cocktail at your local retailer. The commemorative bottles have become collectors� items for many, capturing the mood and spirit of the famous Churchill Downs� track and Kentucky Derby� race. If the Early Times Ready-to-Serve Cocktail is not available from your local retailer, you can make your own with this time-honored recipe:


The Early Times Mint Julep Recipe

2 cups sugar
2 cups water
Sprigs of fresh mint
Crushed ice
Early Times Kentucky Whisky
Silver Julep Cups
Make a simple syrup by boiling sugar and water together for five minutes. Cool and place in a covered container with six or eight sprigs of fresh mint, then refrigerate overnight. Make one julep at a time by filling a julep cup with crushed ice, adding one tablespoon mint syrup and two ounces of Early Times Kentucky Whisky. Stir rapidly with a spoon to frost the outside of the cup. Garnish with a sprig of fresh mint.

Mach said:

Wow. . . I've always loved horses and horseracing. I remember my grandfather taking me to the track in Panama when I was like 5 or 6 so I guess I got it honest.

My aunt and uncle, his kids, are crazy gamblers. I just called my aunt and tried to talk to her but she was ignoring me cuz she had to place her bet for tomorrow's race. In TEN years, this woman has been incapable of figuring out e-mail but she knows how to place bets online.

Edgar S. Prado (born June 12, 1967 in Lima, Peru) is a thoroughbred horse racing jockey.

Now a resident of Hollywood, Florida in 2004 Prado became the 19th jockey in thoroughbred racing history to win 5,000 races.

On May 6, 2006, Prado rode Barbaro to victory in the 132nd Kentucky Derby, 6½ lengths ahead of the second finisher, Bluegrass Cat. The margin of victory was the largest since Triple Crown winner Assault won by eight lengths in 1946. Barbaro was pulled up following a horrific ankle injury during the Preakness Stakes two weeks later. Prado was visibly shaken, declining comment, but by all accounts his fast action on the track contributed to saving the colt's life. (However, Barbaro was euthanized by veterinarians at the University of Pennsylvania's New Bolton Center on January 29, 2007.)

Other racing accomplishments include victories in the 2002 and 2004 Belmont Stakes, in each case aboard a longshot depriving a favorite of the United States Triple Crown. In 2002 Prado won the Belmont aboard Sarava, who is the longest shot to ever win the Belmont Stakes in its history at odds of 70¼/1. In 2004 Prado rode Birdstone to victory in the Belmont, denying heavy favorite Smarty Jones the Triple Crown. Prado and Birdstone then went on to win the prestigious Travers Stakes at the Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York in August of 2004.

Prado had not won a Breeders' Cup race until 2005, when he won two, riding Folklore to victory in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies and Silver Train in the Breeders' Cup Sprint.

http://sports.yahoo.com/r...&type=lgns

Filly Eight Belles breaks down after 2nd-place Derby finish

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP)—The filly Eight Belles finished second behind favorite Big Brown in the Kentucky Derby on Saturday, then collapsed with two broken front ankles and was euthanized after crossing the wire.

The field of 20 horses was galloping out around the first turn at Churchill Downs when Eight Belles suddenly went down on both front legs and jockey Gabriel Saez slid off.

“When we passed the wire I stood up,” said Saez, a first-time Derby rider. “She started galloping funny. I tried to pull her up. That’s when she went down.”

An equine ambulance reached her on the track and put down the filly.

“There was no possible way to save her,” on-call veterinarian Dr. Larry Bramlage said. “She broke both front ankles. That’s a bad injury.”

Trainer Larry Jones and owner Rick Porter decided to run Eight Belles against the boys in America’s greatest race despite her never having done so before. She also was entered in Friday’s Kentucky Oaks for fillies, but instead Jones won that race with Proud Spell and set himself up to pull off the double.

Eight Belles was the first filly since 1999 to run in the Derby; the last to win was Winning Colors in 1988. She didn’t press 2-1 favorite Big Brown down the stretch, and he drew away to a 4 3/4 -length victory.

Still, Eight Belles was a sentimental pick by 157,770 fans, second-largest crowd in Derby history. She repaid their support by returning $10.60 and $6.40 for a $2 win ticket.

This thread took a nasty turn.