Sylvia Rideoutt Bishop’s initial goal wasn’t to be recognized as the first African American woman in the U.S. to receive a racehorse trainer’s license. Her connection to horses was profound, and she aspired to earn her livelihood through their training. Her unwavering determination not only established her as a trailblazer but also inspired a lineage of successors in the sport, guaranteeing her enduring remembrance far past her active time at the track.
For the Love of the Horse
Sylvia Rideoutt, born on October 5, 1920, was one of seventeen offspring to James H. and Bertha Snowden Rideoutt, residents of Charles Town, West Virginia. During her early years, her mother experienced a period of illness, leading several Rideoutt children to stay with foster families while their father held down two jobs to provide for them. Sylvia moved in with William and LaVinia Payne, who were family acquaintances and ran the historic Payne’s Hotel in Charles Town.
Her passion for horses was largely fostered by her adoptive parents. A family snapshot captures her astride a paint pony, a broad grin illuminating her countenance. In 1933, amidst the Great Depression, West Virginia’s legislature sanctioned pari-mutuel betting, and later that year, the Charles Town racetrack commenced operations, much to the delight of the ambitious equestrian. When she was 14, during the track’s inaugural full year, Sylvia cycled to the stables to take on roles as a hot walker and groom, immersing herself in the intricacies of handling Thoroughbreds.
“Afterward, I’d cycle home, arriving before my foster parents, so they remained unaware of my activities,” Bishop shared with Joe DeVivo of the Daily Racing Form in 2002. She chose to discontinue her schooling after the eleventh grade to pursue employment at the racetrack as an exercise rider, as well as at the pub situated within Payne’s Hotel.
For the ensuing ten years, she was employed by trainers such as John V. Bishop, who would become her husband in 1945, and her brothers-in-law Gene Smith, Wash Berry, and John Berry. She absorbed every possible detail while ponying, grooming, and cleaning stalls. Feeling assured in her capabilities, she undertook and successfully passed West Virginia’s examination for a trainer’s license. In 1954, during a period when figures like Jackie Robinson, Claudette Colvin, and Rosa Parks dominated headlines, Sylvia Rideoutt Bishop subtly achieved a historic milestone at Charles Town.
In Pursuit of Her Calling
During the mid-1950s, Bishop confronted the prevailing societal views regarding both African Americans and women. Despite this, she stood firm in her resolve.
Her daughter, LaVerne, recounted an occurrence at the track where Caucasian spectators hurled racist insults, telling her mother things like, “‘you’re incapable of training horses,’ and various other disparaging remarks. As she ascended the grandstand, someone spat on her.”
Confronted by such bigotry, Bishop maintained her unwavering resolve, concentrating on the profession she cherished.
“She was aware of her desire to pursue this path,” LaVerne remembered, “and she refused to allow anyone to impede her.”
Sylvia stated in 2002: “I possessed resilience; it was essential for achieving success.”
She found allies among her peers in the horse racing community, notably Barney Bast, whom LaVerne recollects as a friend of her mother during that period.
“I experienced more favorable treatment within the racetrack boundaries than outside them,” Bishop conveyed to DeVivo of the Daily Racing Form. “Every individual on the backstretch consistently showed me great respect.”
This respect encompassed owners, fellow trainers, and jockeys alike. Although her stable was modest—typically housing around ten horses and employing four or five individuals—her clientele featured notable names such as Nelson Bunker Hunt, Tyson Gilpin, and William Bushong. Bishop established her base in the Mid-Atlantic region, competing not just at Charles Town, but also at the adjacent Shenandoah Downs, the Maryland half-mile track circuit, Laurel Park, and even Suffolk Downs in Boston.
“I recall that in my youth, my father would drive her to the airport on Florence Spring Road. She would then fly to various racetracks whenever she had horses competing there,” LaVerne mentioned.
Bishop and her spouse, John, also owned equines, among them her most cherished, Chalkee, who secured her initial victory as a trainer in October 1959. Chalkee, a filly by Christian Stable’s Bar Keep out of the Chaldese mare Chalkette, delivered Bishop’s maiden win at Charles Town in 1959.
“She was an excellent animal. She generated income for her,” LaVerne recounted. “That horse held a special place in her heart.”
Bright Gem was arguably her most outstanding racehorse. He triumphed in 6 out of 13 races, accumulating $11,700 during his five-year-old campaign in 1962, which featured Bishop’s sole stakes victory in the Iron Horse Mile at Shenandoah Downs, also situated in West Virginia. While Sylvia achieved success, prize money at the tracks Bishop frequented was frequently modest, occasionally resulting in financial constraints for the Bishops.
To augment their household earnings, the Bishops resided and were employed at Payne’s Hotel, with Sylvia overseeing the pub until her foster mother passed away in 1962, at which point she inherited the establishment. John had ceased his training career and transitioned into a role as an entertainment promoter. The locale, encompassing Payne’s, welcomed numerous musical performers, such as a burgeoning Ike and Tina Turner, throughout the years of her ownership. Bishop divested the hotel in 1999.
A Pioneer Recognized
The unpredictable financial aspects of horse racing compelled Sylvia Bishop to temporarily step away from training and seek employment in other fields. During the 1970s, she was employed at the Doubleday Book Company’s factory, producing books, and records indicate she did not have another horse compete until 1987, when she re-entered with the mare Half Quacked at Charles Town. She maintained her involvement in horse ownership and training until 2000, concluding over six decades at the racetrack with Lust of Gold’s participation in a seven-furlong claiming race at Charles Town.
Mobility became difficult for Bishop due to arthritis, as she was approaching 80 years old upon her retirement. During her later years, she guided other trainers, such as her grandson, Michael Jr. These years also brought her the long-overdue acknowledgment that her contributions to the sport merited. Ebony Magazine had previously featured her in December 1961, and she later received recognition at an African American Heritage Society event at Pimlico in 1991. While she valued the accolades, she was not someone who actively pursued public attention.
“She felt a sense of accomplishment, but she wasn’t inclined to boast or engage in such behaviors,” LaVerne recalled. “She did not enjoy being the center of attention.”
Sylvia Rideoutt Bishop died on December 27, 2004. Her eulogy included a statement regarding her professional life: “Upon commencing my training career in 1938, men were undeniably astonished and taken aback to encounter me. The reality of my being a woman, and moreover, an African American woman, proved nearly overwhelming for some of those individuals.”
“Nevertheless, my affection for horses and horse racing was too profound to abandon my aspiration,” she declared. “I understood from the outset that I would have to accept both the hardships and the triumphs.”
She indeed accomplished this throughout her decades in the sport, enduring all challenges that life and society presented. As a tribute to her life and accomplishments, she was enshrined in the Charles Town Hall of Fame. In 2012, the racetrack incorporated the Sylvia Bishop Memorial, a seven-furlong event for fillies and mares aged three and up, into its stakes schedule. In 2024, the municipality of Charles Town and Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races installed a commemorative plaque honoring Sylvia Bishop’s career on North Charles Street in the city’s central district, as a homage to their local pioneer.
Legacy Secured
Unquestionably, Sylvia Rideoutt Bishop stands as a trailblazer, having been the inaugural Black woman to obtain a trainer’s license in the United States. Akin to numerous innovators—and indeed, prominent equestrians of both genders—she possesses a family and professional lineage that ensures her remembrance. Her daughter, LaVerne, generously assisted this author in developing a narrative about her pioneering mother. Her grandson, Michael E. Jones Jr., trains horses at Charles Town, his grandmother’s original stomping ground, and her granddaughter, Michelle, also assists with his stable operations. LaVerne’s grandchildren are also familiar with “Grandma Sylvie.”
“My granddaughter retrieved a magazine, and my great-granddaughter was flipping through it. She inquired, ‘Is Grandma Sylvie in this publication?’ And indeed, she was,” LaVerne recounted.
How does the family perceive the numerous honors and acknowledgments bestowed upon her two decades following Bishop’s passing? “We are immensely pleased with all the developments,” her daughter expressed. “Extremely proud.”
