James Winkfield (April 12, c. 1880–1882 – March 23, 1974) was 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 ...

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 ...

and

horse trainer A horse trainer is a person who tends to horses and teaches them different disciplines. Some of the responsibilities trainers have are caring for the animals' physical needs, as well as teaching them submissive behaviors and/or coaching them for e ...

from

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

, best remembered as the last

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 ...

to ride a winner in 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 ...

(1902). Winkfield was born in Chilesburg,

and began his career as a jockey in 1898 at age sixteen. He was suspended for four years after just one race for his involvement in a four-horse accident at the

starting gate A starting gate also called a starting barrier or starting stalls is a machine used to ensure a fair start to in horse racing and dog racing. History Throughout the history of horse racing, there have been proposals as to how better to start ...

. However, he returned in 1900 to ride a horse named Thrive in the Kentucky Derby, finishing third. He rode the race again in 1901 and 1902, winning on

His Eminence His Eminence (abbreviation H.Em. or H.E. or HE) is a style (manner of address), style of reference for high nobility, still in use in various religious contexts. Catholicism The style remains in use as the official style or standard form of a ...

and

Alan-a-Dale Alan-a-Dale (first recorded as Allen a Dale; variously spelled ''Allen-a-Dale'', ''Allan-a-Dale'', ''Allin-a-Dale'', ''Allan A'Dayle'' etc.) is a figure in the Robin Hood legend. According to the stories, he was a wandering minstrel who became a ...

respectively. In 1901, he won 220 races. He competed in his final Derby in 1903, finishing second on Early. Winkfield was blackballed in the USA after dishonoring a contract to ride for a different owner after agreeing to ride for another one, but was offered a chance to race in Russia. He took the chance and quickly rose to fame. He won the Russian Oaks five times, the Russian Derby four times, the Czar's Prize on three occasions, and the Warsaw Derby twice. The

Russian Revolution The Russian Revolution was a period of Political revolution (Trotskyism), political and social revolution that took place in the former Russian Empire which began during the First World War. This period saw Russia abolish its monarchy and ad ...

caused him to leave the country in 1917 and he moved to

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

where he resumed racing, scoring numerous wins including the

Prix du Président de la République The Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbreds aged four years or older. It is run at Saint-Cloud over a distance of 2,400 metres (about 1½ miles), and it is s ...

Grand Prix de Deauville The Grand Prix de Deauville is a Group 2 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Deauville over a distance of 2,500 metres (about 1 mile and 4½ furl ...

, and the

Prix Eugène Adam The Prix Eugène Adam is a Group 2 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbreds. It is run at Maisons-Laffitte over a distance of 2,000 metres (about 1 miles), and it is scheduled to take ...

. He retired as a jockey at age fifty having won more than 2,500 races then began a second successful career as a horse trainer. Winkfield lived on a farm near the

Hippodrome de Maisons-Laffitte The Hippodrome de Maisons-Laffitte at 1 avenue de la Pelouse in the northwestern Parisian suburb of Maisons-Laffitte in France was a turf horse racing facility and track for Thoroughbred flat racing. Opened in 1878 by Joseph Oller, inventor of the ...

(racetrack) in

Maisons-Laffitte Maisons-Laffitte () is a Communes of France, commune in the Yvelines Departments of France, department in the northern Île-de-France Regions of France, region of France. It is a part of the affluent outer suburbs of northwestern Paris, from its ...

on the outskirts of Paris. He remained there until fleeing the

German occupation of France during World War II The Military Administration in France (german: Militärverwaltung in Frankreich; french: Occupation de la France par l'Allemagne) was an interim occupation authority established by Nazi Germany during World War II to administer the occupied zo ...

. After the war, he eventually returned to the farm at Maisons-Laffitte where he lived until his death 1974. While being treated with respect in Europe, segregation still ruled American society. When ''Sports Illustrated'' invited Winkfield to a reception at the Brown Hotel in Louisville in 1961, he was told he couldn't enter by the front door. He was admitted after the magazine explained that he was an invited guest. Winkfield made an appearance at the Kentucky Derby that year to celebrate 60 years since his historic victories. In 2004 he was inducted posthumously into the

National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame was founded in 1950 in Saratoga Springs, New York, to honor the achievements of American Thoroughbred race horses, jockeys, and trainers. In 1955, the museum moved to its current location on Union Av ...

. The Jimmy Winkfield Stakes at

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 ...

is run in his honor. In 2005, the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

passed a resolution honoring Jimmy Winkfield. The full details can be read at the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame.Jimmy Winkfield
at the

References

* Hotaling, E. ''Wink: The Incredible Life and Epic Journey of Jimmy Winkfield'', (2004) McGraw-Hill Education * Drape, Joe ''Black Maestro : The Epic Life of an American Legend'' (2006) William Morrow * Davies, Nelly ''Jockey noir et célèbre – Mon père cet inconnu'' (2009) Rocher (Editions du)

External links

African-Americans in the Kentucky Derby (at the Derby's official web site)
* ttp://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9351259 James Winkfieldat Britannica Online
nelly-davies.com author of Jockey noir et célèbre – Mon père cet inconnu1921 passport photo ; James Winkfield
{{DEFAULTSORT:Winkfield, James 1880s births 1974 deaths American jockeys French jockeys French horse trainers African-American jockeys United States Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame inductees People from Lexington, Kentucky American expatriates in the Russian Empire American expatriates in France