Kentucky (1861–1875), was a successful

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are c ...

racehorse Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic pr ...

who won 21 of his 23 starts, including 20 consecutive wins.

Background

Kentucky was sired by Lexington, who sired three colts in 1861 (out of Glencoe mares) and each of whom become one of the best race horses in America – Norfolk,

Asteroid An asteroid is a minor planet of the inner Solar System. Sizes and shapes of asteroids vary significantly, ranging from 1-meter rocks to a dwarf planet almost 1000 km in diameter; they are rocky, metallic or icy bodies with no atmosphere. ...

and Kentucky. Norfolk and Asteroid went undefeated throughout their racing careers, and one of the few horses who ever defeated Kentucky was Norfolk. Kentucky's dam was Magnolia, by the imported British champion Glencoe; Glencoe stood at John Harper's Nantura Stock Farm in Kentucky. His sire line traced back to Herod. A rangy

bay A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a Gulf (geography), gulf, sea, sound (geography), sound, or bight (geogra ...

with a narrow white stripe and white off-fore pastern, Kentucky was owned by John Hunter, one of the founders of the

Saratoga Race Course Saratoga Race Course is a Thoroughbred horse racing track located on Union Avenue in Saratoga Springs, New York, United States. Opened in 1863, it is often considered to be the oldest major sporting venue of any kind in the country, but is actua ...

and co-owner (and the first chairman) of

The Jockey Club The Jockey Club is the breed registry for Thoroughbred horses in the United States and Canada. It is dedicated to the improvement of Thoroughbred breeding and racing and fulfills that mandate by serving many segments of the industry through its s ...

Racing record

Probably trained by A. Jackson Minor (the facts are unclear), Kentucky won his only two-year-old start. At age three, racing for John Hunter,

William R. Travers William Riggin Travers (July 1819 – March 19, 1887) was an American lawyer who was highly successful on Wall Street. A well-known cosmopolite, Travers was a member of 27 private clubs, according to Cleveland Amory in his book ''Who Killed Soci ...

and George Osgood, he lost his second start in the inaugural

Jersey Derby The Jersey Derby is a $60,000 American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds held annually in late July/early August at Monmouth Park Racetrack in Oceanport, New Jersey. Since 1993, it has been raced on grass at a distance of miles. A Jerse ...

– coming in fourth to Norfolk. After that he won 20 consecutive races, including the first

Travers Stakes The Travers Stakes is an American Grade I Thoroughbred horse race held at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. It is nicknamed the "Mid-Summer Derby" and is the third-ranked race for American three-year-olds according to internation ...

in 1864 and the first two runnings of the

Saratoga Cup The Saratoga Cup was an American Thoroughbred horse race open to horses of either sex age three and older although geldings were not eligible from 1865 through 1918. Between 1865 and 1955 it was hosted by Saratoga Race Course, in Saratoga Springs, ...

at a distance of 2¼ miles. He also won the first Inaugural Stakes in four mile heats at the newly opened

Jerome Park Racetrack Jerome Park Racetrack was an American thoroughbred horse racing facility from 1866 until 1894. It was located in a part of Westchester County, New York that was annexed into the Bronx in 1874. Jerome Park Racetrack was the home of the Belmont Sta ...

. For three seasons (1864, 1865 and 1866), when races were two, three and four miles long, he was the undisputed champion of East Coast racing.Hall of Fame: Kentucky
Retrieved 2010-9-30 In 1866 he was sold for the then-enormous sum of $40,000 to

Leonard Jerome Leonard Walter Jerome (November 3, 1817 – March 3, 1891) was an American financier in Brooklyn, New York, and the maternal grandfather of Winston Churchill. Early life Leonard Jerome was born in Pompey in Onondaga County, New York, on Novembe ...

, after whom the

Jerome Handicap The Jerome Stakes is a stakes race for thoroughbred horses run each January at Aqueduct Racetrack. Open to three year olds, the race is run at one mile and carries a purse of $150,000. It is a Road to the Kentucky Derby qualifying race, with the wi ...

is named. Kentucky was then resold to Annieswood Stable (a partnership of

August Belmont August Belmont Sr. (born August Schönberg; December 8, 1813November 24, 1890) was a German-American financier, diplomat, politician and party chairman of the Democratic National Committee, and also a horse-breeder and racehorse owner. He was ...

, John Hunter, Leonard Jerome,

Roderick Cameron Sir Roderick William Cameron (July 25, 1825 – October 19, 1900) was a Canadian and American businessman noted for co-founding the ''R. W. Cameron and Company'' shipping line in New York City, as well as for his role as an official representativ ...

, and William Travers). He was again sold at auction in October 1868, and Belmont bought him outright for $15,000. Two match races were arranged by Joseph Kleb between Asteroid (the top horse in Kentucky) and Kentucky (the best horse in New York). Both owners were confident of winning the two matches – one in New York and one in Louisville for $20,000 winner-take-all. Unfortunately, Asteroid pulled a tendon during training and was retired before the match races were held.Montgomery, E.S, "The Thoroughbred", Arco, New York, 1973 He lost his only start at age six in 1867, the second loss of his entire career.

At stud

In 1869 Belmont sent Kentucky to stand at his

Babylon, New York The Town of Babylon is one of ten towns in Suffolk County, New York, United States. Its population was 218,223 as of the 2020 census. Parts of Jones Beach Island, Captree Island and Fire Island are in the southernmost part of the town. It bord ...

Nursery Stud Nursery may refer to: Childcare * Nursery (room), a room within the house designed for the care of a young child or children. * Nursery school, a daycare facility for preschool-age children * Prison nursery, for imprisoned mothers with their youn ...

, where he sired the champion

filly A filly is a female horse that is too young to be called a mare. There are two specific definitions in use: *In most cases, a ''filly'' is a female horse under four years old. *In some nations, such as the United Kingdom and the United States, t ...

Woodbine (1869). He also produced the stakes winners Bertram (

colt Colt(s) or COLT may refer to: *Colt (horse), an intact (uncastrated) male horse under four years of age People * Colt (given name) *Colt (surname) Places *Colt, Arkansas, United States *Colt, Louisiana, an unincorporated community, United States ...

1873), Elastic (filly 1871), Beatrice, Medora and Dublin. He died at Nursery Stud in April 1875 – the same year his sire Lexington (the "Blind Hero of Woodburn") died. Kentucky was inducted into the

National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame was founded in 1950 in Saratoga Springs, New York, to honor the achievements of American Thoroughbred race horses, jockeys, and trainers. In 1955, the museum moved to its current location on Union Av ...

in 1983.

Sire line tree

*KentuckyHerod Sire Line
/ref> **Silk Stocking **Scratch **Bertram

References

{{Reflist

External links

Kentucky's pedigree and race record

Kentucky in the Thoroughbred Bloodlines 1861 racehorse births 1875 racehorse deaths Racehorses bred in Kentucky Racehorses trained in the United States United States Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame inductees Belmont family Byerley Turk sire line Thoroughbred family 4-m