A Winning Career Full of Accomplishments
With the Kentucky Derby less than a week away, it’s a good time to look at the career of Isaac Burns Murphy.
A name unknown to many today, Mr. Murphy was the standard setter and bearer for horseracing in the late 1800s. It was a time when black jockeys dominated horseracing in the United States.
Key Firsts from the Career of Isaac Burns Murphy
♦ First jockey to be inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame
♦ First to win Kentucky Derby back-to-back
♦ First (and only) to win the Kentucky Derby, the Kentucky Oaks, and the Clark Handicap in the same year
♦ First winner of the American Derby
Humble Beginnings
Isaac Burns (Murphy would be added later as a tribute to his grandfather) was born in 1861 in Frankfort, Kentucky. There are varying accounts regarding the month and day of his birth.
According to most accounts, his mother, America, and his father, Jerry, were free people at the time of Isaac’s birth.
In 1867, Isaac and America moved in with her father, Green Murphy, in Lexington, KY. Jerry, who served valiantly with the 114th US Colored Troops in the Civil War, passed away in 1865.
Career Begins
Isaac’s small frame and lack of height were perfect for a jockey. At fourteen, after spending years under the wing of prominent black trainer Eli Jordan, Isaac rode in his first race.
His first victory was at the Kentucky Track Association in 1875. From there, he continued to score wins.
He won the inaugural American Derby in 1884. He also won the next two in 1885 and 1886.
Atop Buchanan in 1884, Murphy won his first Kentucky Derby.
With his victories in 1890 and 1891, Mr. Murphy became the first back-to-back Kentucky Derby-winning jockey. A feat that would not be repeated for eleven years when another black jockey, Jimmy Winkfield, won in 1901 and 1902. It would be seventy years before it happened again.
The 1891 win is notable not only because it was Murphy’s last, but the winning horse, Kingman, was owned by Dudley Allen – the only black Kentucky Derby horse owner.
Stats, Honors & Death
Murphy won 44% or 34% of his races, depending on the reporting and method used. Regardless of the number used, it’s an astounding accomplishment and an unbroken record.
When the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame opened in 1955, Isaac Burns Murphy was the first jockey to be inducted.
Since 1995, the Isaac Murphy Award has been presented to the North American jockey with the highest winning percentage by the National Turf Writers Association.
Murphy, one of the highest-paid athletes of his day, died of pneumonia on April 12, 1896, at thirty-five. He is interred at the entrance of the Kentucky Horse Park near the champion racehorse, Man-O-War. This is his third and final resting place.
Reference Links
Isaac Burns Murphy | Kentucky Horse Park
Isaac Burns Murphy | Biography, Death, & Facts | Britannica
Isaac Burns Murphy Historical Marker (hmdb.org)
Prince of Jockeys: The Life of Isaac Burns Murphy – May 27, 2014 – YouTube
The Prince of Jockeys – The University Press of Kentucky (kentuckypress.com)
How African-Americans Disappeared From the Kentucky Derby | History| Smithsonian Magazine
Why Black Jockeys Disappeared From the Kentucky Derby (insider.com)
***See our “Women Who Left Their Mark on History” for Black and Women’s History Months***
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