A filly named in honor of Breonna Taylor won a pre-Kentucky Derby race at Churchill Downs on April 29. The horse belongs to Sam Aguiar, the attorney who represents Taylor’s family, according to CNN.
Taylor’s mother, Tamika Palmer, watched the race with Aguiar and his wife, Janelle. Sam and Janelle Aguiar are the owners of JS Stables, LLC, a thoroughbred horse racing operation. It was Janelle’s idea to name the horse after Breonna when her husband gave the horse to her as a gift for Christmas in 2019.
Mrs. Aguiar told WAVE3 News that she named the horse Breonna Taylor because the horse is “resilient and beautiful.”
She also made a statement on Facebook commemorating the win.
“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,” she wrote.
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…
Posted by Janelle Aguiar on Thursday, April 29, 2021
The horse was trained by Steve Margolis and was ridden by jockey Corey Lanerie on a rainy day in Louisville.
Breonna Taylor, who was an ER technician, was murdered in her apartment by officers from the Louisville Police Department on March 13, 2020, in a botched police raid. Taylor and her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, were in bed when they heard loud pounding at the door.
Walker said that he and Taylor asked who it was several times but received no reply. Police then broke the door off the hinges with a battering ram, prompting Walker to fire his weapon one time. The police began shooting into the apartment and shot 26-year-old Taylor six times. While an ambulance was called for the injured officer, no medical aid was provided for Taylor. It was Walker who called 911.
Police said that they were serving a search warrant for drugs. No drugs were found in Taylor’s apartment.
“(Breonna Taylor) was just getting on the right path and getting things together and had dreams and aspirations,” said Mrs. Aguiar. “And I think that just really touched my heart, that that could have been me, that that could have been any young girl.”
