Kevin Krigger is getting publicity for being a Black jockey who is riding on Goldencents in the Kentucky Derby.  Goldencents is partly owned by NCAA basketball coach, Rick Pitino.  It was good to see that Rick Pitino was giving a black man a chance because so much of his success has been based on black basketball players.  But it turns out that he wasn’t necessarily doing a good deed, but blacks dominated the sport of horse racing before segregation.

Neil Schmidt, of the Cincinnati Enquirer, wrote an excellent piece detailing the history and decline of the black jockey.  English horse ownership was a sign of wealth in America and instead of hiring trainers, horse owners would have their slave train the horse, so in turn slaves were the most qualified to ride the horses.  This is amazing in a sense when you consider the accomplishment of the slaves training and riding the horses, but then its scary when you think how history is so easily manipulated.  They say these early black jockeys was the first sports stars.  But no one knows that because horse racing has turned into a white sport.  Blacks on horses is considered taboo, but it turns out it is natural.  Makes you wonder what else are we confused about.

Watch Horse Racing Documentary

Black Jockey History before Kevin Krigger