Murphy, Isaac
[Isaac Burns]
Horse Racing
b. April 16, 1861, Frankfort, KY
d. Feb. 12, 1896
The first jockey elected to the National Museum of Racing's hall of fame, Murphy won 628 of his 1,412 starts. His 44 percent victory rate has never been equalled.
His father died when he was young and Murphy grew up with his mother and his grandfather, Green Murphy, whose name he took. He had his first race in 1878 and won his first major victory the following year, the Phoenix Hotel Stakes aboard Falsetto.
At the time, jockeys usually just ran their horses as fast as they could for the length of the race. Murphy was probably the first to hold his horse off the pace, conserving energy for a stretch run, and many of his victories were by narrow margins. One race track observer commented, "No man with a touch of heart disease should ever back his mounts."
Murphy won three Kentucky Derbies, aboard Buchanan in 1884, Riley in 1890, and Kingman in 1891. That record was tied by Earl Sande in 1930 and broken by Eddie Arcaro in 1948. He also took the American Derby four times in five years and the Latonia Derby five times, still a record for that race.
He was the winning jockey in the most celebrated match race of the period, Salvator against Tenny at the Sheepshead Bay course on June 25, 1890. Each owner put up $5,000 for the winner-take-all race. Murphy, aboard Salvator, won by half a head over "Snapper" Garrison on Tenny.
When his career was at its peak, most jockeys were black and they were usually paid flat fees for racing, though owners sometimes gave bonuses for important victories. As prize money increased and jockeys began to collect a share of the horse's winnings, whites began to take over the profession. During the early 1890s, Murphy found it harder to get rides. He also encountered weight problems and alcoholism.
He died of pneumonia and is buried in Lexington, KY, near the grave of the great thoroughbred, Man o'War.