A horse named after Breonna Taylor secured a win during 2021 Kentucky Derby Week.
According to CNN, the three-year-old filly was victorious in Thursday’s Race 4 at Churchill Downs, where she and jockey Corey Lanerie defeated five other horses by a wide margin. Breonna, which was trained by Steve Margolis, is owned JS Stables, LLC.—a racing operation owned and operated by Sam Aguiar, an attorney who represented Taylor’s family.Â
Sam Aguiar said his wife and JS Stables co-owner, Janelle, was the one who decided to name the horse after Taylor.
“My wife named the filly Breonna because she was beautiful, strong, and resilient,” Sam Aguiar said, as reported by the Atlanta Voice. “She’s tough and has swagger. But to those closest to her, she’s also loving and kind. That was Breonna Taylor as well.”
Janelle Aguiar celebrated Thursday’s win in a Facebook post, writing: “Any time we win a horse race is exciting … But it takes it to a new level when you name your horse Breonna in honor of #BreonnaTaylor, the horse wins at Churchill Downs on Derby week, and you hear so many people #SayHerName.”
Sam Aguiar said he watched Breonna’s victory at his office with Taylor’s mom, Tamika Palmer. He also told WTHR that the $10,000 purse from the win will go toward the Breonna Taylor Foundation.
Taylor was killed by Kentucky authorities who executed a no-knock search warrant at her Louisville apartment last year. The 26-year-old EMT was shot multiple times by officers and was pronounced dead at the scene. None of the involved officers were charged directly in her death.
