Kentucky's Famous Racehorses
5/5
()
About this ebook
Patricia L. Thompson
Patricia L. Thompson was born in Louisville and moved to Lexington as a child. There, she was educated in the local Catholic schools. Patricia worked in radio until 1968, when she was married to Gene; after the wedding, they moved to Aiken, South Carolina, and Palatine, Illinois. They have since returned to their hometown of Lexington, where Patricia works at the University of Kentucky. Patricia has three children and five grandchildren, and horses remain a part of her life.
Related to Kentucky's Famous Racehorses
Related ebooks
Dancer's Image: The Forgotten Story of the 1968 Kentucky Derby Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Most Glorious Crown: The Story of America's Triple Crown Thoroughbreds from Sir Barton to American Pharaoh Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Biography of the Tennessee Walking Horse Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsNever Say Die: A Kentucky Colt, the Epsom Derby, and the Rise of the Modern Thoroughbred Industry Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsChurchill Downs: America's Most Historic Racetrack Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Hidden History of Horse Racing in Kentucky Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsKentucky Horse Trails Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMustang: The Saga of the Wild Horse in the American West Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Stud: Adventures in Breeding Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5America's Wild Horses: The History of the Western Mustang Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Horse People: Scenes from the Riding Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Kentucky Handicap Horse Racing: A History of the Great Weight Carriers Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBelmont Park: The Championship Track Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings101 Interesting Facts on the History of Horse Racing Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBred To Run: The Making of a Thoroughbred Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Little Red Book of Horse Wisdom Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Horse God Built: The Untold Story of Secretariat, the World's Greatest Racehorse Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Celebrating Old Friends: Stories from Kentucky’s Thoroughbred Retirement Farm Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWild Ride: The Rise and Tragic Fall of Calumet Farm, Inc., America's Premier Racing Dynasty Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Horse-Racing Strangest Races Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Horse Crazy: The Story of a Woman and a World in Love with an Animal Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Best Australian Racing Stories: From Archer to Makybe Diva Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsNoor: A Champion Thoroughbred's Unlikely Journey From California to Kentucky Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Saratoga Race Course: The August Place to Be Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBlack Caviar Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sir Barton and the Making of the Triple Crown Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Nasrullah: Forgotten Patriarch of the American Thoroughbred Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5American Pharoah: Triple Crown Champion Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Justin Morgan And The Morgan Horse, Living On The Town Line Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Photography For You
Book Of Legs Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Betty Page Confidential: Featuring Never-Before Seen Photographs Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Digital Photography For Dummies Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Edward's Menagerie: Dogs: 50 canine crochet patterns Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Complete Portrait Manual: 200+ Tips & Techniques for Shooting the Perfect Photos of People Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Collins Complete Photography Course Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Extreme Art Nudes: Artistic Erotic Photo Essays Far Outside of the Boudoir Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5The iPhone Photography Book Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Photographer's Guide to Posing: Techniques to Flatter Everyone Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Photography Exercise Book: Training Your Eye to Shoot Like a Pro (250+ color photographs make it come to life) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHow to Photograph Everything: Simple Techniques for Shooting Spectacular Images Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Rocks and Minerals of The World: Geology for Kids - Minerology and Sedimentology Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Bare Bones Camera Course for Film and Video Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Photography for Beginners: The Ultimate Photography Guide for Mastering DSLR Photography Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Bombshells: Glamour Girls of a Lifetime Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5On Photography Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Exposure Mastery: Aperture, Shutter Speed & ISO: The Difference Between Good and Breathtaking Photographs Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Declutter Your Photo Life: Curating, Preserving, Organizing, and Sharing Your Photos Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWorkin' It!: RuPaul's Guide to Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Style Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Advancing Your Photography: Secrets to Making Photographs that You and Others Will Love Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Cinematography: Third Edition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Humans of New York Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Photography Bible: A Complete Guide for the 21st Century Photographer Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5LIFE The World's Most Haunted Places: Creepy, Ghostly, and Notorious Spots Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5David Copperfield's History of Magic Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Patterns in Nature: Why the Natural World Looks the Way It Does Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5How the Other Half Lives Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Humans of New York: Stories Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A Haunted History of Louisiana Plantations Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Jada Pinkett Smith A Short Unauthorized Biography Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5
Reviews for Kentucky's Famous Racehorses
1 rating0 reviews
Book preview
Kentucky's Famous Racehorses - Patricia L. Thompson
work.
INTRODUCTION
Most of the time, when someone talks about a racehorse, only the horse’s racing or breeding statistics are discussed. This book does not cover that information. Instead, I am sharing the personality of the horses, some of the little known facts about them, and their particular quirks.
When I began researching information for this book, I mentioned to an old friend and well-respected horseman, Neville Collins, the difficulties in getting the information I wanted regarding the personality of the horse. Collins told me I needed to talk to the grooms: stallion grooms, broodmare grooms, and race track grooms. I found that frequently horsemen who are normally rather shy and not particularly talkative will easily talk about the horses—their horses.
Horses are perceptive. They can sense fear and strength, and they know affection when they get it. Some horses are practical jokers, some are mean, some have a streak of independence, some are grateful, and some are skittish. They all develop their own individual personality.
Arrange for several horse farm tours; each tour will add to your knowledge. On a tour, the guide will point out interesting things about the area before even setting foot onto the farm proper. Once on the farm, visitors are met by a farm employee who will know the farm’s history and horses. The guide may go over the tour rules for visitors’ protection. Racehorses can be skittish and are probably worth more money than the average tourist.
The person introducing visitors to the horses loves these animals. On a tour, visitors will discover where and how the horses live, their daily routine, and the particular quirks that will endear the horse to the visitors or cause them to use extra caution. Either way, tourists see a beautiful animal that has done his or her job well. These horses can be derby and breeders’ cup winners, including some of the most famous and expensive horses in the world. The guides will bring the horse to the visitors for an up-close experience, and visitors may even be allowed to give the horse a carrot or mint. Often, tourists are allowed to take photographs. The horses are quite used to it, and some will automatically strike a pose.
While I do not speak car or electronics, I do speak a little horse. If horse is not your native tongue, please see the Glossary on page 126 to assist in your translation.
One
BREEDING IS NOT EVERYTHING
LEXINGTON, 1850–1875. A blood bay standing just over 15 hands high, Lexington’s earnings totaled $56,500. He spent his final years blind, a disability that fortunately did not affect his offspring. Lexington’s first appearance on a racetrack was in 1853 under the name Darley in the Association Stakes for three year olds. At that time, a horse would be entered in a race that might be 4 miles long but divided into heats. Half way through the heats, he was sold to Richard Broeck, who renamed him Lexington. He stood his first season at stud in 1855, was sold to R. A. Alexander for $15,000, and stood at stud at Woodburn Farm until his death. Lexington founded a line of offspring unequalled by any other sire in this country or England. Lexington also sired Gen. Ulysses S. Grant’s favorite horse, Cincinnati. During the Civil War, horses were conscripted from Kentucky farms to serve as mounts in battles. Lexington, 15 years old and blind, was hidden to save him from this fate. His remains are currently in the Smithsonian Museum under catalogue number 16020. (Courtesy of author; artwork by L. Maurer, reprint from lith by N. Currier.)
ARISTIDES, 1872–1893. Aristides, owned by Hal Price McGrath, was named for McGrath’s best friend, Aristides Welch, another noted horseman. Aristides won the first Kentucky Derby in 1875. He did not receive a blanket of roses because they were not given until 1896, the same year the distance of the derby was reduced to its present 1.25 miles. Aristides raced 21 times with nine wins, five places, and one show. (Courtesy of author; artwork by R.H. Polenske.)
SALVATOR, 1886–1909. Salvator was bred by Daniel Swigert of Elmendorf Farm in Lexington, Kentucky, and was born in California. Ben Ali Haggin purchased Salina, Salvator’s dam, in foal. Being one of the wealthiest men in the country, he wanted the largest breeding operation in the world, so he began purchasing farms and breeding horses from everywhere that bred fine thoroughbreds. He bought Swigert’s Elmendorf Farm and moved his base of operations there. Eventually Elmendorf was broken up, becoming Spendthrift, Normandy, Old Kenney, Green Gates and Clovelly Farms. Haggin had his eastern trainer chose the best young horses to take back to the East Coast. One of these horses was Salvator. (Courtesy of Anne Peters.)
SALVATOR. Salvator raced against the best of his day: Proctor Knott and Tenny. Proctor Knott was Salvator’s racing nemesis as a two year old. Then along came Tenny, and the two competed for the three-year-old honors. Tenny and Salvator competed in the Suburban Handicap, and Salvator won. A match race was set up, and Salvator won that too. Salvator beat everything he ran against, so he raced the clock and beat that too. That would be his last race. Standing stud, he and Tenny were both good sires. They competed in everything, but he beat Tenny again when he died first in 1909