This book brings the reader into the world of horses who are born to run, the people who love them and the horse racing world. Readers will learn many lessons about winning and losing and always keeping your vision alive. They will also learn a lot about the sport, the horses, and importantly, the history of Blacks in a sport that sees few Black jockeys today. 

 

The history in the book is revealing. It explains how Black jockeys dominated horse racing from 1875 to 1902.  In fact, it was a Black jockey, Oliver Lewis, who won the first Kentucky Derby.  Furthermore, for the first 15 Kentucky Derby races,13 were won by Black jockeys.  As Raymond White Sr. explains to his son in the book, segregation and competition, the Jim Crow era, pushed Black jockeys out of the sport. (To this day, Black jockeys are not always recognized for their contribution to horse racing nor are they prominent participants in the sport.)

 

This is what makes Cheryl’s accomplishments so extraordinary.  All readers, even those who are not “horse crazy,” will be surprised to learn the true history of the unsung heroes in horse racing while being inspired by Cheryl’s journey and her perseverance to achieve success in a sport she loved. 

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Author:  Sarah Maslin Nir

Publisher:  Harry N. Abrams (September 5, 2023)

Reading Age:  8-12

Grade Level:  3-7

Hardcover:  208 pages

ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1951836693

ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1951836696

Available at:  Amazon