Isaac Murphy Wins Third Kentucky Derby, an Unprecedented Achievement

Isaac Murphy won his third Kentucky Derby aboard Kingman in 1891, a record for Derby victories that stood until Eddie Arcaro matched it in 1948. Murphy was the dominant jockey of the Gilded Age, known for his extraordinary race-craft and refusal to fix races — a rarity of integrity in an era of widespread corruption. He died of pneumonia in 1896 at approximately 35 years old.