Deshawn L. Parker (born January 8, 1971 in

Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

) is a

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 ...

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 ...

who is a two-time United States Champion. In addition, on May 2, 2016 he became only the thirty-second jockey in the history of

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

n Thoroughbred racing to win 5,000 races. On June 21, 2022 while racing at Horseshoe Indianapolis, Parker rode his 6,000th career winner, For Mama, becoming one of only 21 jockeys to reach that rarified air.

Career

Deshawn Parker began his professional riding career in 1988. At 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m), he is one of the tallest jockeys in racing. In his first five years riding from 1988 through 1992, Deshawn Parker won just 60 races in total. The next year he won 72, more than the previous five combined and continued to improve. In 2002 he broke into the 200 level and in 2008 reached 300 plus wins for the first time and would accomplish that for five straight years including 2011 when he attained 400 wins. In 2010, Deshawn Parker won 377 races to earn his first national title. It marked the first time an

African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...

had done so in the sport since

James "Soup" Perkins James "Soup" Perkins (1879–1911) was born in Lexington, Kentucky, the son of former slaves. He and his entire family were involved in horse racing, training, and working in the stables. Perkins was the second youngest jockey ever to win the Ken ...

one hundred and fifteen years earlier in 1895. Parker won his second national title in 2011 with 400 wins. He is also the winningest African-American in history. On May 6, 2012 Parker won six races on a single racecard at Mountaineer Racetrack in New Cumberland, West Virginia where he had made his home base for many years and where he is the all-time leading jockey in wins. In 2012, he was honored by the

Jockeys' Guild The Jockeys' Guild Inc. is an American trade association based in Lexington, Kentucky, representing thoroughbred horse racing and American quarter horse professional jockeys. The organization filed for Chapter 11 protection from creditors in ...

with its Laffit Pincay Jr. Award and twice has been a finalist for the

George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award The George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award has been presented by Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California, annually since 1950 to the thoroughbred horse racing jockey in North America who demonstrates high standards of personal and professional conduct ...

.January 26, 2015 Jockeys' Guild
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External links

Voice of America radio September 30, 2010 program 'Winning Ponies', Deshawn Parker interview by host John Engelhardt

Rachel McLaughlin interview titled "Getting to know Jockey Deshawn Parker" published April 21, 2017

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Parker, Deshawn L. 1971 births Living people American jockeys African-American jockeys American Champion jockeys Sportspeople from Cincinnati People from New Cumberland, West Virginia 21st-century African-American sportspeople 20th-century African-American sportspeople