In 1954, Sylvia "Rideoutt" Bishop (1920 - 2004) became the first Black woman to train Thoroughbreds in the United States. She made history when the West Virginia legislature authorized her with a license for training racehorses. During her 60-year career in horse racing, she trained approximately 200 steeds. Between 1987 - 2000, Sylvia "Rideout" Bishop's horses won 44 races.
Bishop's long horse-training career began when she was 14-years old, and she began working at the Charles Town Racetrack in Virginia. She learned on the job through various duties including mucking stalls, grooming the horses and hot walking them. Bishop began training horses in the 1940s. In 1954, Bishop was officially granted a trainer's license from the state of West Virginia, making her the first Black woman in the country to become an official Thoroughbred trainer.
In 1959, Bishop made history when she officially became the first Black woman to train the winner of a Thoroughbred race.
Outside of racing, Bishop also managed the restaurant inside Charles Town's landmark Payne's Hotel, later owning the hotel and restaurant from 1962-1999 after Lavinia Payne willed it to her.
Bishop left horse training for more than a decade as financial strains caused her to pick up work with the Doubleday publishing house in Virginia. From her return to the track in 1987 until 2000, it is estimated her horses won 44 races and earned $166,633. Bishop won her final race in 2000 and retired from training horses that same year. She died in Charles Town in 2004. Charles Town Races inducted her into their Hall of Fame in 2008. Following this recognition, the "Sylvia Bishop Memorial" race was introduced into the track's annual stakes schedule and continues to this day. Learn more!
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