As the 148th Kentucky Derby, known as the "Greatest Two Minutes of Sports", kicks off on Saturday, May 7, most spectators will focus more on the horse than the jockey. Historically, the sport has been dominated by black jockeys.
However, it is rare to find a black jockeys in Derby today. In the late 19th century, during the early decades of the Derby, black jockeys were eventually removed because they won too often. In 2000, Marlon St. Julien became the first black man to compete in a derby since 1921. There have only been three other black jockeys in the Derby since 2000, including Kendrick Karmouche, who broke the seven-year record in 2021.
