Last year, when it was announced the Kentucky Derby was postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, I knew this was very, very serious.

The Kentucky Derby is one of the things that makes Kentucky a great state. So, today I introduce you to an African American who made history at the Kentucky Derby, Isaac Burns Murphy.

Murphy was born in April 1861 and went on to become an African American Hall of Fame jockey. Murphy is one of the most iconic jockeys in American thoroughbred racing history.

Nicknamed the “Colored Archer” in reference to prominent English jockey Fred Archer, Murphy won three Kentucky Derbys out of the 11 in which he rode. Murphy won riding on Buchanan in 1884, on Riley in 1890 and on Kingman in 1891.

Kingman was the first horse to be co-owned by an African American that won the Kentucky Derby. The horse was owned by Jacobin Stables, Preston Kenzea Stone and Dudley Allen. Allen was also the horse’s trainer.

Murphy is also the only jockey to have secured the trifecta of racing wins in the same year: the Kentucky Derby, the Kentucky Oaks and the Clark Handicap.

Murphy calculated that he had a 44% victory rate, winning 628 out of his 1,412 starts. This record has never been achieved by another jockey.

“There is no chance that his record of winning will ever be surpassed,” Hall of Fame jockey Eddie Arcaro said.

A later analysis of Murphy’s wins put his record at 34%, winning 530 out of 1,538 starts. The records used in this analysis were incomplete.

In 1896, Murphy died of heart failure in Lexington. He was buried in an unmarked grave in African Cemetery No. 2, which was later forgotten.

In the 1960s, University of Kentucky press specialist Frank B. Borries Jr. spent three years searching for Murphy’s unmarked grave. After its discovery, Murphy was relocated to the Man o’ War grave, which was named after the most iconic racing thoroughbred.

Following the creation of the Kentucky Horse Park, Murphy was moved again and buried next to Man o’ War’s remains at the entrance of the park.

Murphy was the first jockey inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame when it was established in 1955. The National Turf Writers Association created the Isaac Murphy Award in 1995 to be awarded to the jockey that achieves the highest winning percentage each year.

Throughout February, the Daily News will feature profiles of prominent African Americans as part of the celebration of Black History Month.