Oliver Lewis won the first Kentucky Derby.
For more than a century, those seven words largely remained as the only fact known about the jockey who rode Aristides to victory in 1875.
Now the rider — a former slave who was 18 when he made history — will be commemorated on horse racing’s most hallowed ground, beneath the twin spires at Churchill Downs.
Churchill Downs will unveil a statue of Lewis, designed by his descendants and based off one of the only existing photos of Lewis, on June 24 at 11 a.m. with a dedication ceremony in the Clubhouse Gardens.
It is believed to be the first statue of a black jockey at a horse racing track in the U.S.
When Rodney Van Johnson, the great-great-grandson of Oliver Lewis, and his uncle, David Johnson, visited Churchill Downs on the first Saturday in May just two years ago, it was the first time a member of their family had stepped foot at the track since the first Kentucky Derby.
Lewis again rode Aristides in 1875, this time in the Belmont Stakes, finishing second, but Henry Price McGrath, the horse’s then-owner and a notorious gambler, picked a different jockey to ride the champion horse at other big races.
Aristides is already cemented in history outside the main gates of Churchill Downs, with the twin spires framing his likeness in full stride.
In the lead up to the 150th Kentucky Derby two years ago, The Courier Journal told the story of that very first race in a way it had never been told before: from the viewpoint of the first jockey to win it all. In response, Lewis’ family was invited to Louisville as part of festivities in the run-up to the big race.
The idea for a permanent reminder of his great-great-grandfather took hold of Van Johnson while at the track in 2024. Of the first 28 Kentucky Derbys, 15 were won by Black jockeys. But as segregation swept through the nation, Black jockeys were pushed out of the industry. The last Derby to be won by a Black jockey was in 1902 by Jimmy Winkfield.
Van Johnson didn’t want it be another anniversary year before the public celebrated not just the horse but also the jockey of the race that started it all.
“I thought that pretty much, if we build it, we will get it placed,” Van Johnson told The Courier Journal. “I wanted to have a statue made and have it for our family because what Oliver did is such a huge accomplishment.”
Van Johnson created the Oliver Lewis Foundation, which preserves the legacy of Lewis beyond his time as a jockey and includes his work as an entrepreneur and innovator. Lewis is credited with creating the modern day racing form.
The foundation designed the statue based on a photo of Lewis standing next to a fence post, the only known photo of him from around the age he was when he won the Derby. Van Johnson figured if Churchill Downs wouldn’t accept the Lewis statue, he’d ask the city of Cincinnati, where Lewis and his family eventually relocated, to place the piece of history somewhere in its city limits.
Lewis was part of Cincinnati history too, living in the Kenyon-Barr neighborhood. Cincinnati’s Urban Renewal Department wanted to renew a part of the city that was seen as “the slums,” a thriving neighborhood with thousands of establishments ― from churches and restaurants to other local businesses. It was Cincinnati’s Harlem. And the story of its demolition can be summed up as this: It is the largest displacement of families in American history, with 25,000 people, including Lewis’ family, displaced.
But Van Johnson thought Lewis’ impact on history would best be on display where he created history.
“So much history is lost in the horse racing industry,” Van Johnson said. “Black jockeys were moved out because of racism. It was very sad. So, I think it’s going to be a great opportunity. This is going to be a forever mark that so many young kids and people will get to know.”
Stephanie Kuzydym is an enterprise and investigative reporter. She can be reached at skuzydym@courier-journal.com. Follow her at @stephkuzy.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Churchill Downs Oliver Lewis first Kentucky Derby winner jockey statue
