From the beginnings of the sport in the United States, people of color have made significant contributions to horse racing. African-American jockeys dominated the winner’s circle in racing’s first three decades. They were the first Black superstar athletes in the United States, and won 16 of the first 28 runnings of the Kentucky Derby. In fact, 13 of 15 jockeys for the inaugural Kentucky Derby in 1875 were Black.
Buckpasser was a real personality – that’s a nice way of putting it. It’s a testament to his talent, if not his tenacity, that the blueblood colt compiled a Hall of Fame career despite his nonchalant and often frustrating attitude toward racing.
Dr. Charles Henry Strub was one of those entrepreneurial businessmen seemingly capable of succeeding in any imaginable enterprise. He started out small as a baseball player of modest ability and as a dentist keen to embrace innovation. By the time of his death, he had kickstarted the career of baseball legend Joe DiMaggio, amassed a multimillion-dollar fortune, and transformed Santa Anita Park into one of horse racing’s greatest stages.
