| Oliver Lewis | |
| Occupation: | Jockey |
| Birth Place: | Fayette County, Kentucky |
| Birth Date: | 1856 |
| Death Date: | 1924 |
| Death Place: | Lexington, Kentucky |
| Race: | American Classics wins: Kentucky Derby (1875) |
| Honours: | Oliver Lewis Way, Lexington, Kentucky |
| Horses: | Aristides |
Oliver Lewis (1856–1924) was an American jockey in Thoroughbred horse racing. On May 17, 1875, Lewis won the very first Kentucky Derby aboard Aristides. The pair won by a reported two lengths, setting a new American record time for a mile-and-a-half race. Lewis and Aristides took second place in the Belmont Stakes, which is now the third race of the U.S. Triple Crown series.[1] [2] He is the great great grandfather of actor Rodney Van Johnson.Lewis was born in Fayette County, Kentucky in 1856. After his death in 1924 he was buried in Benevolent Society No. 2 Cemetery, which is now known as African Cemetery No. 2.[3] [4]
On September 8, 2010 the Newtown Pike Extension in Lexington, Kentucky was named Oliver Lewis Way in honor of Lewis’s historic accomplishments.[5]