Danville native’s new volume focuses on jockey

[Blue_Tires]

Winner of three Kentucky Derbies. A 19th-century African-American jockey. One of only two African-American jockeys to be inducted into the Jockey Hall of Fame.

Isaac Murphy is one of the most famous jockeys in the history of horse-racing, the most successful jockey in America in the 19th century and winner of 44 percent of the races he participated in.

“Isaac Murphy would be the equivalent of Tiger Woods or Michael Jordan in his time period,” said Frank X Walker, a Danville native and author of “I Dedicate this Ride: The Making of Isaac Murphy,” a new volume of poetry devoted to the jockey.

The idea of writing such a book first came about when the Lexington Children’s Theatre approached Walker about writing a play about Murphy to coincide with the World Equestrian Games in September. After doing the research, he wrote the play. From that play came poetry about Murphy, which then was turned into a book that is set to be released Saturday.

Walker believes his artistic projects, such as this book, force people to redefine their perceptions about Kentucky.

“I am attracted to book ideas that challenge what people think about Kentucky,” said Walker. “Currently, there is an absence of people of color in the Kentucky Derby.”

Murphy was born in 1861, was a jockey for 20 years up until a year before his death in 1896.
http://www.amnews.com/stories/2010/08/09/fea.358376.sto