Isaac Murphy was one of the greatest sports legends of the 19th Century. This grandson of slaves became an internationally known jockey which helped him escape a future of hard labor and poverty. He won more races and set more records than almost anyone. Many of his records still stand today.

Jerome Lagarrigue was born and raised in Paris, France, before moving to the United States where he graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design. He received the Ezra Jack Keats New Illustrator Award and the Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe Award for his illustrations for Freedom Summer by Deborah Wiles, and has also illustrated several other highly acclaimed pictures books. He lives in Brooklyn, NY where he teaches at Parsons School of Design.