George W. Jennings

Childhood and Career Beginnings

George W. Jennings was born in Sumter, South Carolina in 1860 to parents Jack and Amanda Jennings. He had three siblings: Thomas, Andrew, and Glen.1 At age fourteen, Jennings began working as an exercise rider in the stables of W. Wyche.2

Career as a Jockey

Jennings worked for Wyche for a total of five years, first as an exercise boy and then as a jockey during the last two years of his employment. During his time with Wyche, Jennings rode the horses Mary Long and Hatteras, among others. In 1879, Jennings moved on to the stables of L. A. Hitchcock where he stayed for four years. At Hitchcock’s stables, Jennings rode the horses Galway, Busy Bee, and Limestone.3

Career as a Trainer

Jennings ended his career as a jockey due to strict weight limits but did not leave the racing industry. He worked as an assistant trainer for Henry Winters for three years, and then William C. Daly for two years. Working for Daly, Jennings was responsible for approximately eighty wins.4

Career as an Owner

In 1888, Jennings started his own stable. Not only did he own the horses outright, but he also trained them himself. In just two years, Jennings won at least fifty races. He was still a successful stable owner by 1898. Researchers have not yet found sources that detail Jennings’ life after 1898.5

Additional Research Provided By

Yvonne Giles, Research Consultant

Sources

“1870 United States Federal Census.” Census. Union County, South Carolina, 1870.

Weeks, Lyman Horace. The American Turf: An Historical Account of Racing in the United States, with Biographical Sketches of Turf Celebrities. 1898. New York: The Historical Company, 1898.

Citation

When citing this article as a source in Chicago Manual of Style use this format: Last name, first name of Author. Chronicle of African Americans in the Horse Industry. n.d. “Title of Profile or Story.” International Museum of the Horse. Accessed date. URL of page cited.

• 1“1870 United States Federal Census.”
• 2Weeks, The American Turf, 360.
• 3Weeks, 360.
• 4Weeks, 360.
• 5Weeks, 360.