Eliza Carpenter was born enslaved in Virginia, and sold twice at the age of 6 and 8. She would gain her freedom at the end of the Civil War where she learned the business of horse racing becoming a jockey and later she would go on to become a full stable owner. Eliza was fierce, when displeased with the performance of her jockey, she would jockey the horse herself. At a time when women were unheard of in the horse racing industry, Eliza was a pioneer.