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S3 EP9 Grave Diggers Handicap, The Story of Isaac Murphy

Folks may be familiar with the fine clothes, big hats, and of course the fast horses. But did you know the first 10 winners of the Derby were Black? The first 3 time winner was Issac Murphy. Many consider Murphy the greatest American jockey of all time.

32 mins
4/26/23

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Folks may be familiar with the fine clothes, big hats, and of course the fast horses. But did you know the first 10 winners of the Derby were Black? The first 3 time winner was Issac Murphy. Many consider Murphy the greatest American jockey of all time. By his own account, Murphy won 44% of his races. Racing historians can only verify 34.5% from the era, but it's likely that some of Murphy's races were not documented. Either way, Murphy set a standard that no other jockey has come close to matching. Consider that Eddie Arcaro, recognized as the greatest U.S. jockey of the 20th Century, had a winning percentage of only 22%. Murphy was the first jockey inducted into the Racing Hall of Fame in 1956. Next up on Destination Freedom one of my favorite audio dramas from our series - THE GRAVE DIGGERS HANDICAP, The Story of Isaac Murphy.

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