A group of Black women horse owners have made history after winning their first race
“Women can and should leave their mark on the horse racing industry and sport”
The Longines Kentucky Oaks is the second most attended horse race in the nation and one of the longest running, this year marking 147 years since its inception. While there were many highlights on Oaks day, namely racing and fashion, we’re celebrating the first all Black woman team of horse owners of Living the Dream.
The group of five women secured their first win with horse “Seven Scents” at Keeneland (an internationally known race course) and are now making a name for themselves and sparking a necessary conversation around minority ownership in the sport.
“We’re not only owners, we’re winners. We’re showing up at the tracks, we’re representing and we’re taking home prizes, said horse owner, Dr. Tiffany Daniels.
Co-team owner Coya Robinson agreed, saying representation was the reason she joined the group and she’s proud to be carrying on the legacy of Black people in horse racing.
“The first jockey to win the Kentucky Derby was an African American male. We’re in 2022 right now and we don’t see a lot of us…It was a chance for me to live a legacy for my four daughters, for my goddaughters, so I thought it was a good opportunity as a woman,” said Robinson.
The women said there is a long history of African-Americans in the sport, one that is rarely discussed and promoted in the mainstream. They’re hoping to change that and create a space for Black women in horse racing for many generations to come.
“Us specifically, we’re following in the footsteps of Eliza Carpenter, who was a slave who became a horse owner and an actual jockey,” Dr. Daniels explained.
This is the second major win for the group, Seven Scents making history as the first Black women owned horse to win a race at the Keeneland race track some weeks ago. The women’s goal is to keep winning and taking up space. They are also promoting the Ed Brown Society in Lexington, Kentucky, an organization focused on enrolling young African Americans in the equine industry, for anyone who may be interested in the sport.
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