He was the first jockey to win the Kentucky Derby.
Oliver Lewis
oliver Lewis on aristides.
Yes, Oliver Lewis [1856 - 1924] was the first African American jockey to win a running of the Kentucky Derby. That victory was at the Derby's inaugural race, on May 17, 1875. Lewis' winning horse was Aristides. His winning time with his blood-red chestnut male was 2 minutes 37-3/4 seconds on the then 1-1/2 mile course.
He rode Aristides to a win in 1875.
Currently the tallest competing male jockey is Richard Hughes from the UK who stands at 5'10" However, Manute Bol, a former basketball player who stands at 7'7", recently did a "stint" as a jockey for a charity event. Also, the current tallest female jockey is Louise Moeller from Denmark at 6'1", but she only weighs in at 112 lbs! that's hardly a heavy load for a horse.
Oliver Lewis was born in 1856.
Oliver Lewis died in 1924.
Oliver Lewis [1856 - 1924] was the first African American jockey to ride in the Kentucky Derby. In fact, he rode the blood-red chestnut Aristides in the very first Derby. On that afternoon of May 17, 1875, horse and jockey rode to victory.
Aristides [1872 - 1893] was the first horse to win the Kentucky Derby. With 14 competitors, Aristides covered the 1.5 mile dirt racetrack in 2:37.75 minutes. The racetrack was decreased to its current size of 1 1/4 miles [2 kilometers] in 1896.
Oliver Lewis [1856 - 1924] was the winning rider in the first Kentucky Derby. Lewis was a jockey of African American descent. His winning horse was the blood-red chestnut Aristides. Lewis went on to become a Kentucky businessman in Lexington.
Oliver Lewis - violinist - was born on 1981-05-12.