Wink: The Incredible Life and Epic Journey of Jimmy Winkfield

Rating:
Summary: Impressive story of one of the last great black jockeys.
Review: It is surprising that Jimmy Winkfield's name is not more well known, in light of all the amazing things he accomplished during his long lifetime. Winkfield was the youngest of seventeen children, born in Kentucky in 1880. His parents died while he was young, and he had to support himself at an early age. From modest jobs like shoeshining and carriage driving, the five-foot-tall black boy made the transition to riding racehorses, a career which would shape his entire life and take him on an amazing journey. When he began riding, a fare share of Winkfield's fellow jockeys were black, but over time they began to disappear. The jealousy and racism of their rival white riders drove many out of the profession. Others moved abroad to try their luck elsewhere. Winkfield, who loved horses and is quoted as having said he would die if they were taken away from him, chose the latter option, but not before winning back-to-back Kentucky Derbies in 1901 and 1902.

Leaving America, Winkfield traveled first to Poland, and then to Russia, where he was known as the "black maestro" and enjoyed even more success than he had had at home. In fact, he would become "the winningest jockey in the czar's Russia" (pg. 228). Among his accomplishments there is the capture of no less than four runnings of the All-Russian Derby, as well as the Emperor's Purse and two runnings of the Moscow Derby. While there was still racism to be found in Europe, the situation was less sinister and Winkfield was seen more as a curiosity at first, and later a hero, causing racegoers to cast their bets on the jockey rather than the horses he rode. And with good reason: Winkfield had a knack for finding the "race" in a racehorse and getting it out, and his win record was over 50% at this point in his career - a seemingly impossible accomplishment.

When the situation in Russia began to decline with the Revolution of 1905, Winkfield moved on. His career took him through Germany, Austria, and Hungary, in all of which he enjoyed further success, and at last to France, where he won the prestigious Prix du President de la Republique. In the late 1920s, as Winkfield moved into middle-age, he began to taper off his riding career in favor of training, and quit riding altogether at the age of fifty in 1930. The author points out: "He retired at twice the age most riders did. By his estimate, he had ridden more than 2,300 winners" (pg. 227). He established a training operation in Maisons-Laffitte and saddled quite a number of winners.

But with the emergence of Adolf Hitler and the beginning of World War II, Winkfield would face a whole new set of challenges. His farm was confiscated by the Germans, and Winkfield returned to America in 1941 with only $9 to his name. The former star jockey and successful trainer was reduced to working a jackhammer on the streets of New York at the age of sixty-one. After the war, however, Winkfield was able to return to France and rebuild his farm at Maisons-Laffitte. After a life filled with unprecedented adventure, and establishing himself first as the last great African American jockey and an international champion, and next as a successful trainer, Jimmy Winkfield died in his sleep in 1974, at the age of ninety-four. He is one of only three black jockeys that have been inducted into the horse racing Hall of Fame.

"Wink: The Incredible Life and Epic Journey of Jimmy Winkfield" was a fascinating read. I must admit I had never heard of Jimmy Winkfield before I came across this book, and I suspect there are many more like myself, but as author Ed Hotaling (who admits to not having any idea who Winkfield was when he saw the man in person in Paris) says, "after reading his story, you will never forget him" (pg. x). The prose flows easily and does this amazing jockey all the justice he deserves.

My only criticism of Hotaling's book, actually, is that in some places Hotaling goes a little overboard in his praise. Winkfield was certainly worthy of all the good things said of his career, but whenever the author discusses Winkfield in his role as a less-than-perfect family man - he cheated on his first wife, abandoned his second, cheated repeatedly on his third, fathered several children with his mistresses (and refused to help support these children financially), and treated his nephew, with whose care he had been entrusted, as something of a male Cinderella, leaving him home to do chores while the rest of the family went on outings to see movies - Hotaling comes across as being eager to gloss over these shortcomings and find excuses for Winkfield's behavior. The book would have been a bit more effective if the author had simply documented these facts and let them be, rather than trying to prettify things and lay the blame on others as he does.

Overall, however, I did enjoy the book very much. In addition to relating the many adventures of Winkfield's own life, Hotaling provides a wealth of background information that paints a vivid picture of life in both Europe and America at each stage of Winkfield's career. We learn much about the history of racing and of black jockeys, as well as gaining insight into broader historical events such as the Russo-Japanese War, the Revolution of 1905 in Russia, World War I, the Russian Revolution, and World War II, all of which impacted Winkfield's life and career. There is also plenty of interesting material on how racing and life in general in each of the countries where Winkfield rode compared to one another. The story is both impressive and inspiring. This is certainly a book I'd recommend to anyone with an interest in horse racing and its history.