APRIL 25, 2021 (Hollywood, Calif.): Finishing first is a time-honored horseracing tradition. Leon Nichols, Calvin Davis and affiliates of the Project to Preserve African-American Turf History intend to do just that by securing additional backing for “PHOTO FINISH: The Race of the Century.” PPAATH’s work has been profiled extensively by “L.A. Times,” “Washington Post,” NBC Sports and others.African American jockeys held places of prominence across the Kentucky Derby’s first 27 years, said Chris Goodlett, Dir. of Curitorial & Educational Affairs at the Kentucky Derby Museum. By the 20th Century, he noted on video, institutional racism and segregation took hold: “The very first Kentucky Derby, 1875, 13 of the 15 jockeys were African American. (Blacks) went on to win 15 of the first 28 runnings.” Their accomplishments are celebrated like never before in the museum’s 2021 “Black Heritage in Racing” exhibit.
“The 1938 screenplay ‘Kentucky’ was made into a technicolor film starring Loretta Young, Richard Greene and Walter Brennan,” said Walton. “That Romeo-and-Juliet story, as directed by David Butler, was set against a backdrop of Kentucky horseracing culture and a family feud that dated back to the Civil War.” On a budget of $700,000, it became a 20th Century Fox box-office smash. Nichols added that existing films all celebrate White jockeys: “Black jockeys, trainers and owners led the way in introducing Americans to horseracing. Sadly, those men were literally chased out of the profession once its popularity and economics began to soar.” Comparables include:
• “Seabiscuit” (2003) - Box office gross: $143.8 Million USD
• “Racing Stripes” (2005) - Box office gross: $90 Million USD
• “Secretariat” (2010) - Box office gross: $60.3 Million USD
“The discrimination they faced in everyday life they also faced on the racetrack—confronted with an ideology that tore apart our nation and an entire industry,” said Nichols. “‘PHOTO FINISH:
PPAATH is seeking backers and tax incentives in various U.S. filmmaking hub zones so it can develop a series of films which showcase Black jockeys and pay homage to courageous acts which have gone unrecognizd for more than a century. Get involved at PPAATH.org.
SELECT SOURCES
• Brooklyn Backstretch. “A Little Brooklyn Racing History” (May 24, 2008). brooklynbackstretch.com/2008/05/24/a-little-brooklyn-racing-history/
• Kelly, Kate. “Black Jockey Hall of Famer Isaac Burns Murphy” (n.d.). americacomesalive.com/black-jockey-hall-of-famer-isaac-burns-murphy/
• Library of Congress. “The Finish in the Great Match Race [...] at Sheepshead Bay, N.Y., June 25th, 1890, between Salvator and Tenny” / L.M. b&w film copy neg. www.loc.gov/resource/cph.3b41001/
• www.ferris.edu/HTMLS/news/jimcrow/links/misclink/1980s.htm
• PPAATH. Project to Preserve African-American Turf History Art Collection. www.ppaath.org/ppaath-collection
• Simmons College of Kentucky. “A Tribute to Black Jockeys: Past and Future” (April 18, 2021). Video made in affiliation with Mocha Media Production Consulting. www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxTBPsPhl8U
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