LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear signed a proclamation Wednesday at Churchill Downs proclaiming this week as Ansel Williamson Week in the commonwealth, honoring the trainer of Aristides, the winner of the first Kentucky Derby in 1875.
Beshear signed the proclamation to recognize the contributions of Black horsemen to thoroughbred racing.
Williamson was perhaps the best trainer of his time. Born into slavery in 1806, he worked on horse farms and trained racehorses in the deep south, and was sold twice before being purchased by Robert A. Alexander, owner of Woodburn Stud near Midway, Kentucky. Thus, it can be sadly stated that in the first Kentucky Derby, the winning trainer had been sold more times than the winning colt.
He would go on to win the Belmont Stakes in 1875 with another horse, Calvin, and also won the Travers that year, but within four years would begin showing signs of dementia. He died on June 18, 1881.
"Today, we honor and recognize Ansel Williamson for his immeasurable contribution to Kentucky Derby history," Beshear said in a news release Wednesday. "As we celebrate the 150th running of the Kentucky Derby, let’s remember the historic African Americans like Williamson for their contributions to Kentucky and across the horse racing industry."
Williamson's legacy will also be honored with the Ansel Williamson Leading Trainer of the Year Award, which will be given to the top trainer this year and will also be awarded on Champions Day next year.
"It is a great privilege to join Governor Beshear and the Ed Brown Society in the important mission to share the legacy of the great Black horsemen of the industry who contributed so much to the first Kentucky Derby and the years to follow," Ben Huffman, vice president of racing for Churchill Downs Racetrack, said in a news release Wednesday. "The Ansel Williamson Leading Trainer of the Year Award, the Oliver Lewis Leading Jockey of the Year Award and the H.P. McGrath Leading Owner of the Year Award will be an annual tradition that will allow us to share the story of these trailblazers of horse racing for years to come."
To read more about Williamson and that first Kentucky Derby, click here.
Kentucky Derby 150 Coverage:
- CRAWFORD | Entering our 150th Kentucky Derby week, let's travel back to the first one
- BOZICH | Bob Baffert belongs in the Kentucky Derby again, D. Wayne Lukas says
- BOZICH | Why your favorite horse can win the Kentucky Derby — and why he won't
- MORNINGS AT CHURCHILL | A photo album of Kentucky Derby training
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