Jockey Isaac Burns
The great black Jockey from Kentucky .Born 1861-1896.
Isaac Burns Murphy (January 6, 1861 – February 16, 1896) was an American Hall of Fame jockey, who is considered to be one of the greatest riders in American Thoroughbred horse racing history. Murphy won three runnings of the Kentucky Derby and was the first jockey to be inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame at its creation in 1955.
Biography
Early life
Isaac Burns Murphy was born into slavery on January 6, 1861, in Clark County, Kentucky. His mother America Murphy worked as a house slave on the Pleasant Green farm owned by David Tanner until the fall of 1864 when records indicate that she became a refugee at the Union Army depot at Camp Nelson. Isaac's father Jerry had escaped from bondage and enlisted in the 114th US Colored Troops at Camp Nelson in the summer of 1864 and would fight in some of the most decisive battles of 1865. Jerry died at Camp Nelson upon his return from war, likely of tuberculosis.
In 1867, America and Isaac moved in with family friend Eli Jordan, a man who would become one of the most important figures in Isaac's life. Eli was a prominent horse trainer who worked for the Williams and Owings stables and, according to historian Pellom McDaniels, "Isaac may have been the son Eli never had, and he impressed on the boy his definition of manhood, the importance of prudence and honesty, and the benefits of being consistent in all things."
Murphy began his racing career riding for Williams and Owings stables in 1875 at the age of 14. What followed was one of the most illustrious careers in the history of the sport, during which Murphy became one of the highest paid athletes and among the most famous black men in America.[3] Murphy rode in eleven Kentucky Derbies, winning three times: on Buchanan in 1884, Riley in 1890, and Kingman in 1891. Kingman was owned by Jacobin Stables (co-owners, Preston Kinzea Stone and Dudley Allen) and trained by Dudley Allen, and was the first horse co-owned by an African-American to win the Derby. Murphy is the only jockey to have won the Kentucky Derby, the Kentucky Oaks, and the Clark Handicap in the same year (1884).
Isaac Burns Murphy (January 6, 1861 – February 16, 1896) was an American Hall of Fame jockey, who is considered to be one of the greatest riders in American Thoroughbred horse racing history. Murphy won three runnings of the Kentucky Derby and was the first jockey to be inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame at its creation in 1955.
Biography
Early life
Isaac Burns Murphy was born into slavery on January 6, 1861, in Clark County, Kentucky. His mother America Murphy worked as a house slave on the Pleasant Green farm owned by David Tanner until the fall of 1864 when records indicate that she became a refugee at the Union Army depot at Camp Nelson. Isaac's father Jerry had escaped from bondage and enlisted in the 114th US Colored Troops at Camp Nelson in the summer of 1864 and would fight in some of the most decisive battles of 1865. Jerry died at Camp Nelson upon his return from war, likely of tuberculosis.
In 1867, America and Isaac moved in with family friend Eli Jordan, a man who would become one of the most important figures in Isaac's life. Eli was a prominent horse trainer who worked for the Williams and Owings stables and, according to historian Pellom McDaniels, "Isaac may have been the son Eli never had, and he impressed on the boy his definition of manhood, the importance of prudence and honesty, and the benefits of being consistent in all things."
Murphy began his racing career riding for Williams and Owings stables in 1875 at the age of 14. What followed was one of the most illustrious careers in the history of the sport, during which Murphy became one of the highest paid athletes and among the most famous black men in America.[3] Murphy rode in eleven Kentucky Derbies, winning three times: on Buchanan in 1884, Riley in 1890, and Kingman in 1891. Kingman was owned by Jacobin Stables (co-owners, Preston Kinzea Stone and Dudley Allen) and trained by Dudley Allen, and was the first horse co-owned by an African-American to win the Derby. Murphy is the only jockey to have won the Kentucky Derby, the Kentucky Oaks, and the Clark Handicap in the same year (1884).