Kentucky Derby Will Have First Black Jockey In 92 Years [VIDEO]

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Horse racing was once dominated by African-American jockeys but, this year, 29-year-old Kevin Krigger will become just the second black jockey to ride in the Kentucky Derby since 1921.

In this interview with ESPN, the native of the U.S. Virgin Islands talks about the challenges in his sport and racism endured as a black man competing as a jockey.

“One of the worst ones was this guy said ‘You know what, you’re my slave.’ And that was the last day I got on a horse for him.”

The First Kentucky Derby was run in 1875, ten years after the Civil War, and fourteen of the fifteen jockeys were black. Watch the interview with Krigger and trainer Doug O’Neil as they recount the history of African-Americans in horse racing.