Kevin Krigger is setting his sights on becoming the first black jockey to win the Kentucky Derby in over 100 years on Saturday, and he firmly believes he is going to do just that, according to a CNN.com report. "I know I'm going to win. Why? Because I'm riding Goldencents, "the Caribbean told CNN. "I couldn't be this confident on any other horse."
Goldencents is a 5-to-1 favorite to win the Kentucky Derby, according to The Daily News, making Krigger a pretty good bet to make history. The last black jockey to win the Derby was Jimmy Winkfield, who won the prestigious race twice in 1901 and 1902. Krigger, a 29-year-old from the Virgin Islands is brimming with confidence leading into the big race. "If someone is going to be the first African American in 111 years to do it, then why not me?"
Krigger has been riding since the ripe age of 10, telling CNN, "I was born riding horses -- walking came second," he said. "I watched the Derby every year and I knew that one day I would ride in it. It was always my dream."
Krigger won the Santa Anita Derby in April, an important race in the eyes of many in the horse racing community. Seven past Santa Anita Derby winners have gone on to claim the Kentucky Derby crown, further brightening prospects for the hopeful Krigger.
Despite the shockingly long drought of black Kentucky Derby winners, Krigger said he does not see himself as transformational or as a standard-bearer for black jockeys. "I don't think my win is a win for African American jockeys -- every one of us has to earn the respect of our trainers," Krigger said. "The next black jockey isn't going to ride in the Kentucky Derby because of me -- it's going to be down to them."
The horse Krigger will be riding, Goldencents, is a 5-to-1 favorite. One of the horse's owners is Rick Pitino, the head coach of the NCAA championship-winning Louisville Cardinals men's basketball team. Pitino is also the first coach in NCAA Division I history to win national titles at two different schools (Kentucky and Louisville).
The only horse in the field with better odds to win is Verrazano, a 4-to-1 favorite trained by Todd Pletcher and ridden by John Velazquez.
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