The Forgotten Black History of the Kentucky Derby

Arrive Early, Leave Late

The Kentucky Derby prides itself on being the longest-running sporting event in the United States.

But amid the mint juleps, the extravagant hats and sartorial finery, there is a history behind the Run for the Roses that’s hidden from the limelight.

Much in the way that the history of slavery, the Civil War and Reconstruction can get spun into an alternative narrative of genteel white Southern virtues, an important African American contribution to a key sports and cultural institution has been whitewashed.

For the 145th running of the Kentucky Derby, "Arrive Early, Leave Late" takes a different turn, as Beto Durán (@DuranSports) sits down with national correspondent Kurtis Lee (@kurtisalee) to talk about his Column One piece on the little known story of the African American jockeys who rode to victory in the early days of Churchill Downs.