Athlete – Jockey
Three-time Kentucky Derby winner Isaac Burns Murphy was born January 2, 1861, to formerly enslaved parents in Bourbon County, Kentucky. Mr. Murphy’s father, Jerry Burns, enlisted in the 114th U.S. Colored Troops at Camp Nelson, and died from “camp fever” during his brief military service in the Civil War. After the death of his father, young Isaac and his mother, America Murphy, moved to Lexington when Isaac was only a few years old.
After moving to Lexington, the young Mr. Murphy had the opportunity to work as a stable hand at a local racing operation. Eli Jordan, a well-known Black trainer at the stable, let Mr. Murphy help with breaking the yearlings. In 1875, at the age of 14, Mr. Murphy rode in his first race. Although he lost that first race, Isaac Murphy became the superstar of Thoroughbred racing within a few short years.
Mr. Murphy began riding in more prestigious races across the country, and his victory aboard Falsetto in the Travers Stakes at Saratoga Springs in 1879 propelled him to national acclaim. Along with winning numerous high-profile races, he went on to ride in 11 Kentucky Derbys, winning the “Run For the Roses” in 1884, 1890, and 1891. This feat made Mr. Murphy the first jockey to win three Kentucky Derbys and the first to win back-to-back Kentucky Derbys.
Isaac Murphy also won four American Derbys, four Latonia Derbys, and the Suburban Stakes, and he prevailed on Salvator in a highly promoted match race with Tenny.
Along with other African American horsemen of the day, Mr. Murphy was one of America’s first sports superstars. He has been called the Michael Jordan of his time. In the late 1800s, Mr. Burns was making $15,000-$20,000 per year, which is equivalent to $1 million today. The average salary for a family of four at that time was $1,200.
The dawn of the Jim Crow era brought an end to the dominance and financial success Black jockeys enjoyed at that time. Due to intimidation and violence toward African American horsemen, on and off the track, no Black jockeys rode in the Kentucky Derby from 1921-2000.
In the first 28 editions (1875-1902) of the Kentucky Derby, Black jockeys won 16.
Winning 628 out of 1,412 races for an unprecedented 44% victory rate, Mr. Murphy solidified his lofty place in Thoroughbred racing history. Experts in the field say his career winning percentage is unlikely to be matched. In 1940, he was honored with one of only 33 dioramas displayed at the American Negro Exposition in Chicago. In 1955, Mr. Murphy was the first jockey inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame at Saratoga Springs, NY. Since 1995, the National Turf Writers Association has awarded the “Isaac Murphy Award” to the jockey with the highest winning percentage in North America (minimum 500 mounts).
