From NKAA, Notable Kentucky African Americans Database (main entry)

Henderson, Erskine

(born: 1864  -  died: November 25, 1913) 

Erskine Henderson is the only jockey to win three derbies in one year: the Kentucky Derby, Tennessee Derby, and Coney Island (New York) Derby, all in 1885 aboard Joe Cotton.

For more see p. 114 of SCLC: The Southern Leadership Conference National Magazine, vol. 23, issue 4 (Aug-Oct, 1994); and Erskine Henderson in Horse Racing's Most Wanted, by D. L. Hudson, Jr.

*Additional information provided by Yvonne Giles, "The register wrote his name as "Earthshins Henison" with a death date of 25 Nov 1913, burial in Versailles, KY certificate #30819."

Kentucky County & Region

Read about Woodford County, Kentucky in Wikipedia.

Kentucky Place (Town or City)

Read about Versailles, Kentucky in Wikipedia.

Item Relations

Cite This NKAA Entry:

“Henderson, Erskine,” Notable Kentucky African Americans Database, accessed October 11, 2026, https://nkaa.uky.edu/nkaa/items/show/1908.

Last modified: 2024-10-16 12:05:32