The Last Black King of the Kentucky Derby

by Crystal Hubbard, Robert McGuire

Overview

The story of Jimmy Winkfield, one of horse racing’s all-time great jockeys and the last African American to win the Kentucky Derby, in 1902.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781600608919
Publisher:	Lee & Low Books, Inc.
Publication date:	06/30/2005
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	69,679
Product dimensions:	10.25(w) x 8.25(h) x 1.00(d)
Lexile:	AD970L (what's this?)
Age Range:	6 - 11 Years

About the Author

Crystal Hubbard is a sports buff and full-time writer who was lucky enough to meet Arthur Ashe as a young girl. Her Lee & Low titles The Last Black King of the Kentucky Derby and Catching the Moon: The Story of A Young Girl's Baseball Dreams have been recognized with several honors. Hubbard lives in St. Louis, Missouri with her family.

Editorial Reviews

Jimmy Winkfield (Wink) grew up on a small sharecropping farm in Chilesburg, Kentucky. There, he discovered his natural talent for riding horses. After spending all of his spare time at the local horse tracks, he landed a job exercising the horses. Soon enough, Wink got his first chance to ride in a race. With a great deal of practice, he finally realized his dream of winning the Kentucky Derby—not once, but twice! At the time, racial tensions ran high between black jockeys who were offered all of the best horses, and white jockeys, who were passed over for jockey positions as a result. With the economy poor and racial tension escalating, Wink got offered the chance to move to Europe and ride horses for the largest horse-racing stable in Russia. While in Europe, Wink continued to dominate the world of horse racing. Author Crystal Hubbard's interviews with the Winkfield family bring an element of personal connection to the reader. Coupled with Robert McGuire's vibrant artwork, the text adds a definite air of heroics, making this a perfect book for acquainting young readers with the great African American jockey, Jimmy Winkfield. Reviewer: Greta Tasedan

Children's Literature - Greta Tasedan

Gr 2-4

Born in 1882 in Kentucky, Winkfield loved to ride horses from the time he was a boy and dreamed of becoming a jockey. After working as an exercise rider and stable hand, he was finally given a chance to race. Eventually, he won two Kentucky Derbies and raced throughout Europe. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, black jockeys rode in prestigious races but, later on, racism denied them these opportunities. Wink lived the last years of his life on his horse farm in France. This is both a personal story of determination and dedication and a brief look at the history of horse racing and the social injustice that led to Wink being the last African-American jockey to win the Derby. Vibrant oil paintings bring readers right into the action and capture the special relationship between Wink and the horses he rode and raised. This well-written and interesting biography will be a welcome addition to most collections.-Carol Schene, formerly at Taunton Public Schools, MA

School Library Journal

Indomitable African-American jockey Jimmy Winkfield, known as Wink in horse-racing history, is the subject of Hubbard's dramatic picture-book biography, which explains Winkfield's career struggles as the last African-American to win a Kentucky Derby, in 1902. From Winkfield's initial love of horses as a sharecropper's child to success at the raceways, loss of opportunity in the United States and the development of a successful career in France, his ambition is a dominant thread. The emphasis is on the races, however, the narration reading like a race call as Wink maneuvers his mounts to victory-and sometimes defeat. McGuire's rough, realistic oils depict both racing action and turning points in the life of this two-time Derby winner. The foreword, afterword and list of sources will guide readers to more information. As a whole, this overview of Winkfield's life as a jockey stands as both a celebration of racing and a snapshot of one determined man. (Picture book/biography. 6-10)

Kirkus Reviews