Isaac Burns Murphy

Isaac Burns Murphy (January 6, 1861 – February 16, 1896) was an American Hall of Fame jockey, considered one of the greatest riders in American Thoroughbred horse racing history. He 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. The only surviving evidence of his birth is recorded in the property ledger of David Tanner, the owner of the farm where Isaac's mother America was enslaved Murphy's mother America moved with her family to Lexington sometime after.

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

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. With the building of the Kentucky Horse Park, his remains were moved to be buried again next to Man o' War at the entrance to the park.

In 1955, Murphy was inducted into the Jockey's Hall of Fame at Saratoga, New York. Since 1995, the National Turf Writers Association has given the Isaac Murphy Award to the jockey with the highest winning percentage for the year in North American racing (from a minimum of 500 mounts).