Alonzo "Lonnie" Clayton (January 4, 1876 – March 17, 1917) was an American

jockey A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing. The word "jockey" originated from England and was used to describe the individual ...

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are c ...

horse racing Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic p ...

described by author Edward Hotaling, as "one of the great riders of the New York circuit all through the 1890s" and who holds the record as the youngest jockey to ever win the

Kentucky Derby The Kentucky Derby is a horse race held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States, almost always on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The competition is a Grade I stakes race for three-year ...

Biography

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, Lonnie Clayton was most likely born in

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

, on January 4, 1876, which is the date of birth and place of birth that are given on his death certificate. He was one of the nine children of Robert and Evaline Clayton. At age ten, his family moved to

North Little Rock, Arkansas North Little Rock is a city in Pulaski County, Arkansas, across the Arkansas River, Arkansas from Little Rock, Arkansas, Little Rock in the central part of the state. The population was 64,591 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. In 2 ...

, where he attended school and worked as a

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for a hotel and as a

shoeshine boy Shoeshiner or boot polisher is an occupation in which a person cleans and buffs shoes and then applies a waxy paste to give a shiny appearance and a protective coating. They are often known as shoeshine boys because the job was traditionally d ...

to help support his family. According to the Central Arkansas Library System's ''Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture'', a correspondent for the ''Thoroughbred Record'' wrote in 1896 that Clayton attended school and was considered "exceptionally bright." At age twelve the diminutive Lonnie Clayton left home and made his way north to Chicago's

Washington Park Race Track Washington Park Race Track was a popular horse racing track, racing venue in the Chicago metropolitan area from 1884 until 1977. It had two locations during its existence. It was first situated in what is the current location of the Washingto ...

where his brother Albertus was a

for prominent

stable owner,

Lucky Baldwin Elias Jackson "Lucky" Baldwin (April 3, 1828 – March 1, 1909) was "one of the greatest pioneers" of California business, an investor, and real estate speculator during the second half of the 19th century. He earned the nickname "Lucky" Baldwin d ...

. Lonnie Clayton was given a job as a stablehand and exercise rider for the Baldwin stable then the following year he moved east to the Clifton Race Track in

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

where in 1890 the fourteen-year-old began his professional riding career. Immediately successful, in 1891 at

Morris Park Racetrack Morris Park Racecourse was an American thoroughbred horse racing facility from 1889 to 1904. It was located in a part of Westchester County, New York that was annexed into the Bronx in 1895 and later developed as the neighborhood of Morris Park. T ...

The Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, Clayton won the important Champagne Stakes aboard Bashford Manor Stable's two-year-old colt,

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. On May 11, 1892, he rode Azra to victory in the

which at age fifteen made him the youngest jockey in history to ever win the Derby. Clayton and Azra followed up their Derby success with victories in the

Clark Handicap The Clark Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually in late November at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. Among the oldest races in the United States, it was first run in 1875, the year the racetrack opened for business. C ...

and the

Travers Stakes The Travers Stakes is an American Grade I Thoroughbred horse race held at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. It is nicknamed the "Mid-Summer Derby" and is the third-ranked race for American three-year-olds according to internation ...

. At

Monmouth Park Monmouth Park Racetrack is an American race track for thoroughbred horse racing in Oceanport, New Jersey, United States. It is owned by the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority and is operated under a five-year lease as a partnership with ...

Clayton won the 1893

Monmouth Handicap The Philip H. Iselin Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually at Monmouth Park Racetrack in Oceanport, New Jersey. Open to horses three years of age and older, the race was first run in 1884. In 1891, New Jersey state legislator ...

and went on to win the fall riding title at

Churchill Downs Churchill Downs is a horse racing complex located on Central Avenue in south Louisville, Kentucky, United States, famed for hosting the annual Kentucky Derby. It officially opened in 1875 and was named for Samuel Churchill, whose family was ...

. One of the leading money winners on the

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racing circuit during the 1890s, he won races from

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

. He captured back-to-back runnings of the

Kentucky Oaks The Kentucky Oaks is a Graded stakes race, Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred Filly, fillies staged annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States. The race currently covers at Churchill Downs; the horses carry . The Kentucky O ...

in 1894 and 1895, the latter a year in which he won 144 races and finished in the money sixty percent of the time. In 1895 he won the

Arkansas Derby The Arkansas Derby is an American flat Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds held annually in April at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Arkansas. It is currently a Grade I race run over a distance of 1 1/8 miles (9 furlongs) on dirt. In 2004, t ...

and in 1896 finished third in the

Preakness Stakes The Preakness Stakes is an American thoroughbred horse race held on Armed Forces Day which is also the third Saturday in May each year at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. It is a Grade I race run over a distance of 9.5 furlongs () on ...

aboard the filly, Intermission.

The 1898 Incident at Morris Park

On October 14, 1898, Clayton was riding Warrenton in the third race at Morris Park in the

Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...

, and both he and the horse had a terrible race. As he was weighing out, someone said something that provoked the jockey to strike a spectator, Henry Bolomey, across the face with the butt end of his riding whip. The track stewards find Clayton $200.00. Two hundred dollars in 1898 would correspond to $6,578.39 in 2021 dollars. Bolomey, a Brooklyn ice dealer, sued Clayton in civil court for $10,000.00 for pain and suffering, and the case was tried on February 21, 1900. Bolomey received a judgment of $1,250.00 in damages, plus the plaintiff's costs of $201.98, for a total of $1,451.98. According to an online inflation calculator, that judgment would be $47,189.87 in 2021 dollars. Henry Bolomey's attorney began to actively attempt to search for Clayton's property in an attempt to collect the judgment, but each time he tried he was unsuccessful as Clayton all but vanished from the horse racing circuit for about a year. When Clayton returned to the turf at New York's

Aqueduct Racetrack Aqueduct Racetrack is a Thoroughbred horse racing facility and casino in the South Ozone Park, Queens, South Ozone Park and Jamaica, Queens, Jamaica neighborhoods of Queens, New York City, United States. Aqueduct is the only racetrack locate ...

, the Queens County Deputy Sheriff arrested him on April 22, 1901, on a body execution for non-payment of a civil judgment, just as he was about to ride The Golden Prince in the fifth race. Clayton was put in the Queens County Jail in Long Island City. He was incarcerated for at least two months, and was released at some point after mid-June 1901. It is not known if he and Bolomey reached a financial settlement.

Other Financial Difficulties

Lonnie Clayton's early success had allowed him to acquire a property in Little Rock, Arkansas, upon which he competed construction of a new home in early 1895. Described by the ''

Arkansas Gazette The ''Arkansas Gazette'' was a newspaper in Little Rock, Arkansas, that was published from 1819 to 1991. It was known as the oldest newspaper west of the Mississippi River. It was located from 1908 until its closing at the now historic Gazette ...

'' as the "finest house on the North Side," it was designed in the fashion of

Queen Anne style architecture in the United States Queen Anne style architecture was one of a number of popular Victorian architectural styles that emerged in the United States during the period from roughly 1880 to 1910. Popular there during this time, it followed the Second Empire and Stick s ...

and is today known as Engelberger House, and since 1990 has been listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

. An astute businessman, in 1897 Clayton also built a commercial building at 617–619 Main Street in Little Rock, which stood until about 1980. A lien of $600 was placed on Clayton's house in 1897, and two separate liens of $900 and $500 were added in 1899. In 1900, Clayton was sued by his older brother, Charles Clayton, who won a judgment for $511.00. Another judgment against Clayton in 1900 was for $160.05, and then another judgment for $75.00. Records also show that Clayton did not pay the real estate taxes on his North Argenta house and property in 1899. Clayton sold his house on July 12, 1900, and quickly paid off his back real estate taxes, the liens, and the judgment he owed his brother and another Little Rock businessman. He also sold his North Little Rock commercial building on April 13, 1901, just nine days before his eventual arrest for non-payment of the judgment to Henry Bolomey.

Later Years

By the start of the 20th century, opportunities to ride for African-Americans soon vanished as stable owners switched to using

white White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

riders only. Within a few years, African-American jockeys, who had dominated racing for centuries and who had played a major role in bringing Thoroughbred racing to the forefront of American sport, were forced out of the business. Since 1909, no African-American jockey has ridden a winner in any major American

Graded stakes race A graded stakes race is a thoroughbred horse race in the United States that meets the criteria of the American Graded Stakes Committee of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA). A specific grade level (I, II, III or listed) is then ...

. An 1896 report and a 1900 report in the ''

Brooklyn Daily Eagle :''This article covers both the historical newspaper (1841–1955, 1960–1963), as well as an unrelated new Brooklyn Daily Eagle starting 1996 published currently'' The ''Brooklyn Eagle'' (originally joint name ''The Brooklyn Eagle'' and ''King ...

'' stated that Clayton planned to join other black jockeys riding in

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but no records have been found to confirm he actually went there. Clayton moved west to try to find work, and was riding in

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, and

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, before moving to

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, where it is not known if he was a jockey or a businessman.Drobnicki, 345-346. Clayton lived his last few years in

where he worked as a hotel

bellhop A bellhop (North America), or hotel porter (carrier), porter (international), is a hotel employee who helps patrons with their luggage while check-in, checking in or out. Bellhops often wear a uniform (see bell-boy hat), like certain other Page (a ...

. He died at age forty on March 17, 1917, of chronic

pulmonary tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in w ...

. He is buried at Evergreen Cemetery in Los Angeles. Alonzo Clayton's accomplishments in racing were recognized by the

Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame is the hall of fame and museum for sports in Arkansas, United States. The hall of fame inducted its first class in 1959. The hall's museum is located on the west end of the Verizon Arena in North Little Rock, Arkansas. ...

with his induction in 2012.

Biography

The 1898 Incident at Morris Park

Other Financial Difficulties

Later Years

References

Further reading