More than a Horse Race: Isaac Murphy, who rode in eleven Kentucky Derby’s and won three, inspired generations of fashion enthusiasts with his chiseled looks and sophisticated style. Spectators of his era donned their Sunday’s best outfits and finest Derby hats to witness the most charismatic athlete of their day compete alongside other notable jockeys of color in the Kentucky Derby’s early years.

Today, the Kentucky Derby is a fashion spectacle like no other in the history of North American sports, what you wear to the Kentucky Derby is just as important – if not more so – than the race itself.

Nearly 134-years after Isaac Murphy’s last Kentucky Derby win, “who’s wearing what at the Derby?” is still one of the most important questions of the day, a time-honored tradition inspired by “Isaac Burns Murphy!”

Black spending power: ​​

According to a recent report from NielsenIQ regarding the current buying power of consumers of color, “the African American population has historically held an extremely powerful position in the retail marketplace, as they have been known to drive trends across food, beauty, media, and more. Their influence will continue to grow as their buying power does -- which is projected to reach $1.8T by 2024.” Source: Neilseniq

Andrew McCaskill, Nielsen's Senior Vice President of Global Communications and Multicultural Marketing, says "With 43% of the 75 million Millennials in the U.S. identifying as African American, Hispanic or Asian, if a brand doesn't have a multi-cultural strategy, it doesn't have a growth strategy!"

The undeniable legacy of African Americans associated with the Kentucky Derby and horse racing is arguably one of the most overlooked stories in American sports. Our collective ambition aims to develop nationally branded programming across the Kentucky Derby season to incorporate inclusive messaging, marketing and outreach strategies to consumers of color.

By listening to the Black consumer, "retailers and manufactures will be able to develop authentic strategies and, in turn, unlock spend from this highly valuable segment. Most notably, the African American segment has made the greatest strides towards altruistic shopping, as defined by NielsenIQ as “selfless consumption that supports environmental, ethical, humanitarian or other philanthropic causes” and are looking to spend their dollars where it truly counts." Source: Neilseniq

In a 1988 article on African Americans in sport, the late tennis legend Arthur Ashe called the story of black jockeys "the saddest case," comparing the role of African Americans in horse racing in the late 19th century to their "domination" in the NBA of his era. "The sport of horse racing is the only instance where the participation of blacks stopped almost completely while the sport itself continued---a sad commentary on American life...Isaac Murphy, so highly admired during his time for his skills and character, would have been ashamed of his sport." --Arthur Ashe, quoted by Ed Hotaling in (They're Off! Horse Racing at Saratoga).