The Last Black King of the Kentucky Derby: The Story of Jimmy Winkfield

This biography follows Jimmy Winkfield, an African American jockey born to a sharecropping family in 1880s Kentucky, who pursued his dream of becoming a professional horseman despite significant obstacles. Inspired by his hero Isaac Murphy, Winkfield worked hard to master horsemanship and eventually became one of the most skilled jockeys of his era. The book recounts his historic 1902 victory at the Kentucky Derby, making him the last African American winner of that prestigious race.