Murphy, Isaac Burns

Murphy, Isaac Burns
born 1861, Fayette county, Ky., U.S.
died Feb. 12, 1896, Louisville, Ky.

U.S. jockey.

He was one of the first jockeys to pace his mount for a charge down the homestretch
a technique soon described as the "grandstand finish." He was the first three-time winner of the Kentucky Derby (1884, 1890, and 1891), and his career winning percentage of 34.5 has never been equaled. At his peak in the late 1880s, he became the highest-paid athlete in America, earning close to $20,000 a year. He was the first jockey elected to the National Museum of Racing's Hall of Fame and one of only two African Americans inducted.

* * *

▪ American jockey
born 1861, Fayette county, Kentucky, U.S.
died February 12, 1896, Lexington, Kentucky
 American jockey who was the first to be elected to the National Museum of Racing's Hall of Fame in Saratoga Springs, New York; he is one of only two African American jockeys to have received this honour (the other is Willie Simms (Simms, Willie)). Some sportswriters referred to him as the “colored Archer” in reference to the English champion jockey Frederick Archer (Archer, Frederick). Other sportswriters suggested that Archer should instead be referred to as the “white Murphy.”

      Murphy began racing in 1875 and was one of the first jockeys to pace his mount for a charge down the homestretch—a technique soon described as the “grandstand finish.” He rode upright and urged his mounts on with words and a spur rather than the whip. His win of the Travers Stakes at Saratoga Springs in 1879 catapulted him to national fame. He rode in the Kentucky Derby 11 times and was the first jockey to win successive Derby crowns and the first three-time winner, in 1884, 1890, and 1891. In 1884 he won the first American Derby in Chicago, the most prestigious race of the era. He won this race again in 1885, 1886, and 1888. He also won a celebrated match race against fellow Hall of Famer Edward (“Snapper”) Garrison in 1890. Murphy's career winning percentage of 34.5 has never been equaled.

      Even though Murphy rode before jockeys received a share of the winnings, he was the highest-paid athlete in the United States, earning close to $20,000 a year at his peak in the late 1880s. By the mid-1890s, however, his ongoing battles with weight gain and alcoholism had severely curtailed his career.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужен реферат?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Isaac Burns Murphy — Horseracing personalities infobox name = Isaac Burns Murphy caption = Isaac B. Murphy, c.1885 occupation = Jockey birthplace = Frankfort, Kentucky, United States birth date = April 16, 1861 death date = February 12, 1896 career wins = 628 race =… …   Wikipedia

  • Murphy — /merr fee/, n. 1. Frank, 1890 1949, U.S. statesman and jurist: associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court 1940 49. 2. Isaac, 1861 96, U.S. thoroughbred racehorse jockey. 3. William Parry /par ee/, born 1892, U.S. physician: Nobel prize for… …   Universalium

  • Isaac — /uy zeuhk/, n. 1. a son of Abraham and Sarah, and father of Jacob. Gen. 21:1 4. 2. a male given name: from a Hebrew word meaning laughter. * * * (as used in expressions) Albéniz Isaac Manuel Francisco Alfasi Isaac ben Jacob Asimov Isaac Funk… …   Universalium

  • murphy — /merr fee/, n., pl. murphies, v., murphied, murphying. Slang. n. 1. an Irish or white potato. 2. any of various confidence games in which a victim is left with a sealed envelope supposedly containing money, but which contains only newspaper or… …   Universalium

  • Murphy (Familienname) — Murphy ist ein Familienname Bekannte Namensträger Inhaltsverzeichnis A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Burns (surname) — Burns is a surname of several different origins: English, Scottish and Irish. The name can also be an Americanization of a Jewish surname.Origin of the name#Scottish and northern English origin. The name is a topographical name for someone who… …   Wikipedia

  • Isaac Murphy — For the African American Hall of Fame jockey see: Isaac Burns Murphy Infobox Governor name = Isaac Murphy order = 8th office = Governor of Arkansas term start = 1864 term end = 1868 lieutenant = predecessor = Harris Flanagin successor = Powell… …   Wikipedia

  • Isaac Murphy Handicap — Horseraces infobox class = Restricted horse race = Isaac Murphy Handicap caption = location = Arlington Park Arlington Heights, Illinois inaugurated = 1976 race type = Thoroughbred Flat racing website = [http://www.arlingtonpark.com… …   Wikipedia

  • Murphy — For other uses, see Murphy (disambiguation). Murphy Family name Meaning sea warrior Region of origin Ireland Language(s) of origin Irish Related names …   Wikipedia

  • Robert M. Isaac — Robert Michael Bob Isaac (January 27, 1928 – May 2, 2008) was the Republican Mayor of Colorado Springs, Colorado. Elected in April 1979, he was the first popularly elected mayor in the history of Colorado Springs, serving five four year terms… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”