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| 1894 map of what was the The Grand Marais (The Great Swamp) between Connors Creek and Fox Creek. The map shows The Detroit Driving Club to the west and the Detroit Jockey Club to the east photo credit |
The Detroit Driving Club, owned by Daniel J. Campau, the grandson of Detroit co-founder Joseph Campau, would remain open until 1919. It would be the site of Henry Ford's win over Cleveland auto manufacturer Alexander Winton. The 1901 win would cement Detroit as the capital of automotive design and manufacturing. The red bricks that paved its entrance remain along Malborough Street beginning at Jefferson Avenue.
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| Henry Ford pulls up on the outside of Alexander Winton during a Ten Mile Race in 1901 at the Detroit Driving Club photo credit |
A few blocks to the west, opened a second track. The site of horse and harness races, the Detroit Jockey Club would become the Detroit Driving Club's chief competitor. This track was owned by prominent Detroit businessmen George Hendrie and Fred Toll Moran. The brick archways that marked its entrance centered on today's Algonquin Street. It would close in 1911 after a racing scandal involving a $500,000 winning bet.
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| Entrance to the Detroit Driving Club at what is today Algonquin Street (just off Jefferson Avenue) photo credit |
At the turn of the 20th century, America was in love with the sport of horse racing. And while I discovered the location of these historic tracks, I discovered the names of eight African-American jockeys. And to my surprise, discovered the years each won horse racing's most coveted prize, the Kentucky Derby.
Oliver Lewis (1875)
William Walker (1877)
Isaac Murphy (1884, 1890 and 1891)
Eskine "Babe" Henderson (1885) (not pictured)
Alonzo "Lonnie" Clayton (1892)
James "Soup" Perkins (1895)
Willie Simms (1896 and 1898) (Triple Crown Winner)
Jimmy "Wink" Winkfield (1901 and 1902)
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Riding horses with names like Aristides, Spokane and Riley, these African-American men dominated the sport of horse racing. They were the nation's first superstars in a sport that captured the nation's attention. For a short period between the end of the civil war and the turn of the century, these freed Black men earned substantial incomes. Issac Murphy, who launched his career in Detroit, would win an unmatched 44% of his races (628 out of 1312 mounts). His unique riding style eliminated the whip and spur, and used what he called "the feel". He was the first to win back to back Derbies. Jimmy "Wink" Winkfield would be the second. Alonzo "Lonnie" Clayton would be the youngest at the age of 15 to ever win the Derby.
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The first Kentucky Derby in 1875 included 13 African-American jockeys out of 15. And despite winning 15 of the first 28 Derbies, the last African-American jockey would ride in the 1921 Derby. Their lives threatened if they didn't quit or to move to Europe. An African-American wouldn't again ride in the race until the 125th Derby held in the year 2000.
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Slavery placed African-Americans in the center of the sport as jockeys, trainers, managers and care takers. And segregation forced them out. On June 25, 1980, the 11 African-American jockeys who rode a total of 15 Derby winners between 1875 and 1902, were honored by the NAACP and the Lincoln Foundation. A plaque commemorating their contributions is now in the Kentucky Derby Museum's collection. The plaque, though late in coming, forever acknowledges the contributions of these pioneering forgotten athletes.
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Sources:
Sinacori, Nicholas P., Horse Power, Men and Machines, The Village of Fairview Historical Society, 2012.
Winkler, Lisa K., "The Kentucky Derbies Forgotten Jockeys", Smithsonian.com, April 23, 2009.