Shunned where he'd shone: the incredible story of one of the great black jockeys

When you think of Russia you probably don't really associate it with a great racing history – but you would be wrong.

In pre-revolutionary times horseracing thrived in the country; it is, after all, the sport of kings, and the Tsars and aristocracy owned and raced their thoroughbreds and competed for three major Derbys annually. The Central Moscow Hippodrome was built on a grand opulent Tsarist scale in 1834, more than 40 years before Churchill Downs ran its first race.

For 13 years, Jimmy Winkfield was king of the jockeys in Russia. He won many Derbys and was champion rider three times. He dressed in the finest clothes and was feted by the elites and commoners alike. He spoke fluent Russian, kept a suite at the National Hotel, the finest and most ostentatious in Moscow, and was tended to by his personal valet Vassily.