It is believed that Murphy was the first African American to own a racehorse.

In The Prince of Jockeys: The Life of Isaac Burns Murphy, author Pellom McDaniels III offers the first definitive biography of this celebrated athlete, whose life spanned the Civil War, Reconstruction, and the adoption of Jim Crow legislation. -- The Atlanta Voice, "McDaniels has written a sweeping narrative of national history, using Murphy to symbolize the fate of successful African Americans -- a fate resulting from "a view of race... so entrenched in the white American imagination that it is visible even in the twenty-first century, as evidenced by the public reaction of some... to the election of the nation's first African American president, Barack Hussein Obama". American Classic Race wins:Kentucky Derby (1884, 1890, 1891). Isaac Murphy was born on April 16, 1861 as Isaac Burns near Frankfort, Kentucky on a farm to parents James Burns and a mother whose name is unknown. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. Still considered one of the finest riders of all time, Murphy was the first jockey to win the Kentucky Derby three times, and his 44 percent win record remains unmatched. His first winning race was on September 15, 1875 at the Lexington Crab Orchard. .] Rose Library at Emory University. This feat wasn’t matched by another jockey until 1945. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. A small donation would help us keep this accessible to all. Still considered one of the finest riders of all time, Murphy was the first jockey to win the Kentucky Derby three times, and his 44 percent win record remains unmatched. Pellom McDaniels III is curator of African American Collections in the Stuart A. -- Myra Young Armstead, Bard College, "Pellom McDaniels stitched together the compelling facts and lost details of Isaac Burns Murphy's life so artfully, I felt as if I were there living it with him. Isaac Murphy (October 16, 1799 or 1802 – September 8, 1882) was a native of Pennsylvania, a teacher and lawyer who moved to Fayetteville, Arkansas with his wife and child in 1834. In 1864, he became the first elected governor of Union-controlled Arkansas. Isaac Murphy was a teacher, attorney, and eighth governor of Arkansas. Published by: The University Press of Kentucky. [1] By a later calculation of incomplete records, his record stands at 530 wins in 1,538 rides, which still makes his win rate 34%. "We have waited a long time for a scholar to pull together the story of Isaac Murphy and nineteenth-century American and Kentucky life with the exquisite interpretation that Pellom McDaniels offers in this manuscript..This work is path-breaking for the detailed study it offers into the texture and layers of life in Lexington, particularly black Lexington, during the post-Civil War decades and into the Gilded Age." National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame. On June 25, 1890, Murphy raced in the most memorable contest of his life. Murphy was the first American jockey elected to Racing’s Hall of Fame in Saratoga Springs, New York and only one of two black jockeys (Willie Simms is the other) to have received this honor. Isaac Murphy’s first Kentucky Derby win came May 27, 1884 at Churchill Downs. Murphy died three months later from pneumonia.

He would repeat this feat in 1885, 1886 and 1888. The Isaac Murphy Stakes (formerly the American Derby, which Murphy won on four occasions in the 1880s) was initiated in 1997 at Chicago’s Arlington International Racecourse. Drawing from legal documents, census data, and newspapers, this comprehensive profile explores how Murphy epitomized the rise of the black middle class and contributed to the construction of popular notions about African American identity, community, and citizenship during his lifetime. Throughout his career, Murphy rode 628 winners in his 1,412 mounts, including the three Kentucky Derby winners previously mentioned, four American Derby winners, and five Latonia Derby winners. -- Aegis, "Like its subject, The Prince of Jockeys is layered and thoughtful, an accessible read that demonstrates how an extraordinary man's life reflected the complex struggles of African Americans in the late nineteenth century." David Reed, “High Tributes Paid To Murphy,” The Lexington Herald (Lexington, Kentucky), May 5, 1967, p. 13;  Stephen P. Savage, “Isaac Murphy: Black Hero in Nineteenth Century American Sport, 1861-1896,” Canadian Journal of History and Physical Education 10 (1979):15-32; Robert Fikes, Jr, “Issac Murphy”  Africana: The Encyclopedia of the African and African American Experience (New York: Oxford University Press, 2005); Patsi B. Trollinger, Perfect Timing: How Isaac Murphy Became One of the World’s Greatest Jockeys (New York: Viking Press, 2006). Still considered one of the finest riders of all time, Murphy was the first jockey to win the Kentucky Derby three times, and his 44 percent win record remains unmatched. At the height of his career Issac Burns Murphy was the best jockey of his time and still holds the best winning percentage of jockeys. During the civil war his father joined the Union Army and died in a Confederate prisoner of war camp. Murphy’s popularity soon fell after this race. During the 1960s, Frank B. Borries Jr., a University of Kentucky press specialist, spent three years searching for the grave site. Murphy has the best winning average in history to date with better than 34 percent. In the following years he also ran and won fewer races as he battled both alcohol abuse and weight gain. According to his own calculations, Murphy won 628 of his 1,412 starts—a 44% victory rate which has never been equaled, and a record about which Hall of Fame jockey Eddie Arcaro said: "There is no chance that his record of winning will ever be surpassed.

-- Sonya Ross, Race and Ethnicity Editor for the Associated Press, "McDaniels provides the first definitive biography of Mr. Murphy, whose life spanned the Civil War, Reconstruction and the adoption of Jim Crow legislation." -- Maryjean Wall, author of How Kentucky Became Southern: A Tale of Outlaws, Horse Thieves, Gamblers, and Breeders, "A persuasive blend of storytelling and historical analysis, this is an enlightening account for horsemen, sports lovers, and historians of post Reconstruction-era American race relations. McDaniels discusses how Mr. Murphy epitomized the rise of the black middle class and contributed to the construction of popular notions about African American identity, community and citizenship during his lifetime."

Considered one of the greatest jockeys in history, he won three Kentucky Derbies between 1884 and 1891. Do you find this information helpful? In 1884, Murphy also won the American Derby in Chicago, Illinois, at the time the most prestigious race in the nation. He received a National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowship for The Prince of Jockeys.

Burns’s father, a free black man, was a bricklayer and his mother was a laundrywoman. Forego a bottle of soda and donate its cost to us for the information you just learned, and feel good about helping to make it available to everyone! Murphy died of heart failure in 1896 in Lexington, Kentucky, and over time his unmarked grave in African Cemetery No. David Reed, "High Tributes Paid to Murphy". Bloody Sunday Protest March, Selma, Alabama, March 7, 1965, African American History: Research Guides & Websites, Global African History: Research Guides & Websites, African Americans and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, The Alma Stephenson Dever Page on Afro-britons, With Pride: Uplifting LGBTQ History On Blackpast, Preserving Martin Luther King County’s African American History, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Envoys, Diplomatic Ministers, & Ambassadors, African American Newspapers, Magazines, and Journals, Education - Historically Black Colleges (HBCU), Racial Conflict - Segregation/Integration. Isaac Burns Murphy (April 16, 1861 – February 12, 1896) was an American Hall of Fame jockey, who is considered one of the greatest riders in American Thoroughbred horse racing history. The trainer prepared Burns for his first race at age fourteen. Two more victories would follow in 1890 and 1891. He owned several racehorses and invested in real estate as well. Isaac Burns Murphy rode in eleven Kentucky Derbies, winning three times: on Buchanan in 1884, Riley in 1890, and Kingman in 1891. -- baltimoresun.com, "In The Prince of Jockeys, McDaniels provides the first definitive biography of Mr. Murphy, whose life spanned the Civil War, Reconstruction and the adoption of Jim Crow legistlation. He was called the "Colored Archer," a reference to Fred Archer, a prominent English jockey at the time.

Pellom McDaniels' success is that he brings into sharp relief the devolving social and cultural context of African-American jockey Isaac Burns Murphy's childhood, apprenticeship, and career. 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). All Rights Reserved.