Robert Aitcheson Alexander (1819 – December 1, 1867) was an American

breeder A breeder is a person who selectively breeds carefully selected mates, normally of the same breed to sexually reproduce offspring with specific, consistently replicable qualities and characteristics. This might be as a farmer, agriculturalist, or ...

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 ...

and

Standardbred horse The Standardbred is an American horse breed best known for its ability in harness racing, where members of the breed compete at either a trot or pace. Developed in North America, the Standardbred is recognized worldwide, and the breed can trace i ...

Biography

Born on a

farm A farm (also called an agricultural holding) is an area of land that is devoted primarily to agricultural processes with the primary objective of producing food and other crops; it is the basic facility in food production. The name is used fo ...

near Midway, Woodford County,

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

, he and his siblings inherited the property on his father's death. Alexander was sent to study in England, where he earned a degree at

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by Henry VIII, King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any college at either Cambridge ...

. While there he became the beneficiary of the Scottish estate of

Sir William Alexander William Alexander, 1st Earl of Stirling (c. 1567 in Menstrie, Clackmannanshire12 February 1640) was a Scottish courtier and poet who was involved in the Scottish colonisation of Charles Fort, later Port-Royal, Nova Scotia in 1629 and Long Is ...

, his uncle, at Airdrie and Cowdenhill. He lived on this estate for nine years, then in 1849 returned to Kentucky. Back home, Alexander set about establishing a stud farm, and in the early 1850s returned to

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

to spend two years studying the techniques of breeding farms in Germany, France, and England. Starting with purchased from his family, Robert Alexander built his

Woodburn Stud Woodburn Stud was an American horse breeding farm located in Woodford County, Kentucky about ten miles (16 km) from the city of Lexington. It was established in the 18th century as an original land grant property of General Hugh Mercer to ...

Spring Station, Kentucky Spring Station, Kentucky is an unincorporated community in the northern part of Woodford County, Kentucky located approximately three miles west of Midway. The area is believed to have been settled during the early part of the 19th century and i ...

into the leading horse breeding operation in the United States. Alexander purchased two

African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...

enslaved people,

Ansel Williamson Ansel Williamson (1806-1881) was an American thoroughbred horse racing trainer and a member of the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame. He trained horses who won the Kentucky Derby, Travers Stakes, Belmont Stakes, Jerome Handicap, Phoenix ...

and

Edward D. Brown Edward Dudley Brown (c. 1850 – May 11, 1906) was an American who, although born as a slave, rose to become a Belmont Stakes-winning jockey, a Kentucky Derby-winning horse trainer, and an owner of several of the top racehorses during the l ...

, who were taught the business of breeding and training horses. Both became

horse trainer A horse trainer is a person who tends to horses and teaches them different disciplines. Some of the responsibilities trainers have are caring for the animals' physical needs, as well as teaching them submissive behaviors and/or coaching them for e ...

s and had careers. After being given their freedom, they remained as employees of Alexander until his death. They went on to train

Kentucky Derby The Kentucky Derby is a horse race held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States, almost always on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The competition is a Grade I stakes race for three-year ...

winners and are both inductees of 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 February 1865, soldiers of the

Confederate Army The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...

attacked the village of Midway. They burned down the

railroad station A train station, railway station, railroad station or depot is a railway facility where trains stop to load or unload passengers, freight or both. It generally consists of at least one platform, one track and a station building providing such ...

, robbed its residents, and stole fifteen of Alexander's prized thoroughbred horses. Alexander died on December 1, 1867. His brother, Alexander John Alexander (known as "A.J."), took over the management of Woodburn Stud and further enhanced its reputation. Alexander is portrayed in best selling novel ''Horse'' by Geraldine Brooks, published in 2022, which is based upon the life of the racehorse Lexington. A depiction of the Confederate attack is included in the book.

Biography

References

Bibliography

Further reading