horse racing

Alonzo “Lonnie” Clayton became a star in the horseracing world when he became the youngest person to win the Kentucky Derby. Clayton was born March 27, 1876 in Kansas City, Mo. As a boy, his family relocated to North Little Rock, Ark., where he then changed course by running away to Chicago at 12 years […]

The Kentucky Derby, the first of the “Triple Crown” of thoroughbred horse racing, began on this day in 1875. The odds were good that a black jockey would win the prestigious contest, with Oliver Lewis becoming the first to do so. Lewis, 19, was a Kentucky native who climbed atop Aristides, a horse trained by […]

This week, South African horse jockey S’manga Khumalo became the first black jockey to win the Durban July, which is South Africa’s richest horse race. Khumalo, a.k.a. “Bling” crossed the finish line with his horse, Heavy Metal, as 50,000 spectators watched. Khumalo was nicknamed “Bling” because of the large diamond earring he wears and his […]