When the horses enter the gate for the 143rd Kentucky Derby, their jockeys will hail from Louisiana, Mexico, Nebraska and France. The Kentucky Derby, in fact, is closely intertwined with black Americans' struggles for equality, a history I explore in my book on race and thoroughbred racing. From slavery to the Kentucky DerbyOn May 17, 1875, a new track at Churchill Downs ran, for the first time, what it hoped would become its signature event: the Kentucky Derby. Aristides' rider that afternoon was Oliver Lewis, who, like most of his Kentucky Derby foes, was African-American. He ended up scoring a thrilling victory, starting the Kentucky Derby on its path to international fame.

Source: The China Post May 06, 2017 21:56 UTC