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Black Jockey Chases History In Kentucky Derby

Pure Sensation ridden by Kendrick Carmouche (left) at the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint horse race at Santa Anita Park, Saturday, Nov. 5, 2016, in Arcadia, Calif. (Jae C. Hong/AP)
Pure Sensation ridden by Kendrick Carmouche (left) at the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint horse race at Santa Anita Park, Saturday, Nov. 5, 2016, in Arcadia, Calif. (Jae C. Hong/AP)

Kendrick Carmouche would be the first Black jockey to win the Kentucky Derby in 119 years if he guides Bourbonic to victory in Saturday’s 147th Run for the Roses.

Black jockeys dominated the Derby in the early days, but they were forced out of the sport during the Jim Crow era.

Host Callum Borchers speaks with veteran horse racing reporter Joe Drape of The New York Times, who’s in Louisville for the Kentucky Derby.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

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