The Legacy of Black Horsemen airs Sunday, Sept. 7 at 8PM

The Legacy of Black Horsemen tells the stories of Black jockeys, trainers, owners, grooms, and exercisers in the 1800s whose contributions helped lay the foundation for the Thoroughbred industry. It is an era that paralleled slavery, the outbreak of the Civil War, and the ensuing segregation and Jim Crow laws that generations would face and overcome to be successful.

Before baseball, before football, there was horse racing—America’s first national obsession. And at its galloping heart were the Black jockeys, trainers, and horsemen who shaped the sport, only to be erased from its history. This riveting hour-long documentary uncovers their forgotten legacy, from the antebellum South to the Gilded Age tracks where they dominated—until racism drove them from the saddle.

Through lush reenactments, rare archival images, and searing contemporary interviews, The Legacy of Black Horsemen reveals how these men not only revolutionized Thoroughbred racing but defied the crushing weight of slavery, Civil War, and Jim Crow to claim their place as legends. Their triumphs were extraordinary; their erasure, unconscionable. Now, their story is finally told.