Although it is hard to know for certain, many believe the earliest horse races happened in Ancient Greece during the Olympic Games, 700-40 B.C.

When did horse racing begin?

 What is Thoroughbred Horse Racing? 

Thoroughbred horse racing is exactly what it sounds like. It is horse racing ran usually on a dirt or grass track, counter-clockwise, only using horses that belong to the Thoroughbred breed. 

The Thoroughbred: Where did the breed come from?

The Thoroughbred breed has three foundation sires: the Darley Arabian, the Godolphin Arabian and the Byerly Turk.

These sires were brought to England from the Middle East, and then bred to native English horses in the early 1700's. They were were stronger but “less precocious."

They would soon be prized for their racing ability, and brought to the American Colonies in the 1730s. 

Pictured above and below:

Arabian Sires

When did Kentucky start racing horses?

Although not known for certain, we do know a few things.

For starters, the great explorer Daniel Boone brought pack horses to Kentucky in 1769, and these were stolen by Native Americans.

Shortly after this in 1775, Harrodsburg, Kentucky was established, and a track was built there.

In 1780, William Whitley established the first circular track called "Sportsman's Hill" in Crab Orchard Kentucky.

William Whitley: The father of Thoroughbred Racing in Kentucky

William Whitley was born in Virginia in 

1749 to Scotch-Irish parents. 

In 1775, him and his wife, Esther, traveled to Kentucky during the early pioneer days.

Whitley became known for fending off the British during the revolutionary war, and developed quite the disdain towards British culture (we'll see why that matters in the coming pages).  

William Whitley, Continued

In the late 1780s, shortly before Kentucky became a state in 1792, William and Esther settled in Crab Orchard, Kentucky, and built the first brick house west of the Appalachian Mountains. 

At Crab Orchard, Whitley built one of the first horse racing tracks in Kentucky. 

This track was called Sportsman's Hill, and was a uniquely "American" racetrack. 

William Whitley, Continued                     

Sportsman's Hill was the first truly American

racetrack. 

Because of Whitley's hatred for all things British, he decided to make his track different from British tracks.

Traditionally, the British raced horses on clockwise, grass tracks. 

Whitley decided to go against this, making 

Sportsman's Hill a counter-clockwise, dirt track.

This is how all major thoroughbred races are still run today.

  Sportsman's Hill

William Whitley, Continued

Whitley's contributions to Kentucky horse racing were great, and his legacy remains to this day.

In the War of 1812, Whitley once again answered the call to war against the British.

He perished in the Battle of the Thames in 1813 at 64 years old.

Racing continued at Crab Orchard until the outbreak of the Civil War in the 1860s. 

Racing in Lexington, Kentucky: The Early Days

During the time of Whitley and Crab Orchard in the 1790's, Kentucky's rich horse racing tradition was being influenced by the residents of Lexington, Kentucky. 

In 1789, a track was built there, and by 1790, 

Lexington was home to 9,607 horses.

Arguments were said to be settled by quarter-mile street races, and a 3 day horse meet was established in October of 1791. 

Racing in Lexington, Continued

The quarter-mile street races became a problem for Lexington's residents in the 1790s. 

Authorities had to put rules in place regulating these races, making it so the races were confined to “the lower end of the Commons (West Water Street) where stud horses can be shown.”

Lexington's early fascination with racing wasn't isolated. By the beginning of the 1800s, tracks had been built in Georgetown, Danville, Bardstown, Shelbyville, Versailles, Winchester, and Maysville.

Famous Kentucky Racetracks

Despite there being many racetracks built in the early 1800s, the first truly important racetrack was the Kentucky Association Racetrack built in Lexington in 1828.

The Kentucky Association Racetrack held the first official Thoroughbred race in Kentucky.

It was also home to the Phoenix Hotel 

Stakes, which is still ran today at 

Keeneland Racetrack under the name 

Phoenix Stakes.           

Kentucky Association Track

Turfway Park: Florence, Kentucky

Turfway traces it's origins to the Latonia Race Course that opened in 1883 in Latonia, Kentucky. Latonia was ten miles from where Turfway currently is, and closed in 1939. 20 years later, Turfway was born.

Turfway Park has winter and night racing, and is home to the Jeffy Ruby Stakes. 

This race is a Kentucky Derby 

qualifier, awarding 20 points to the

horse that wins it! 

Turfway Park

Churchill Downs: Louisville, Kentucky

Churchill Downs was created in 1875 and is home to the world-famous Kentucky Derby. 

The Kentucky Derby was created by Colonel Meriwether Lewis Clark, who, in 1872, attended the Epsom Derby in England. 

The Epsom Derby inspired him to create a racing tradition that would showcase Kentucky's Breeding industry. The famous African-American jockey, Oliver Lewis, and his horse, Aristides, won the first Kentucky Derby in 1875. 

The Kentucky Derby has made Churchill Downs the most popular of  

Kentucky's racetracks, and is the longest continually running sporting event 

in the USA.

Churchill Downs in 1875

Ellis Park: Henderson, Kentucky

Ellis Park began as Dade Park in 1922, created by the Green River Jockey Club. 

It was built for Thoroughbred Racing, but its opening race, on October 19th, 1922, was a Grand Circuit Harness race. 

On November 18th, 1922, the first Thoroughbred meet took place at Ellis Park.

Today, Ellis Park is one of 

Kentucky's most popular tracks. 

Ellis (Dade) Park in it's early days

Keeneland Race Course: Lexington, Kentucky

Located in the heart of the Bluegrass in Lexington, Kentucky, Keeneland was founded in 1936. 

Today, Keeneland is the world's largest Thoroughbred Auction House. Sales happen in January, April, September, and November.

April and October are the months when Keeneland hosts some of the best Thoroughbred Horse Racing in the

world.

Keeneland rivals Churchill Downs in terms of 

popularity and influence in Kentucky.

Early Keeneland

Kentucky Downs: Franklin, Kentucky

Kentucky Downs began as the Dueling Grounds Racecourse in 1990. 

The track hosts Thoroughbred racing, but not in the traditional American way created by William Whitley. Kentucky Downs is a European Style track, being completely all turf and not in the shape of an oval.

The original name, Dueling Grounds Racecourse, was 

inspired by the countless duels that occurred in the 1800s on 

the property where Kentucky Downs is located.

At a point in time, Tennessee made dueling illegal, but 

Kentucky had not, so people crossed the border to settle 

their differences (not recommended). 

Kentucky Downs

Famous Kentucky Racehorses

Although there have been many historical people and places that have influenced Thoroughbred Horse racing in Kentucky, nothing has influenced it more than the Thoroughbred horses who make the sport what it is. 

In the next few pages, we will look at 5 historical Kentucky Thoroughbreds who made their mark and solidified Kentucky as a horse breeding powerhouse.

Aristides

Owned by Hal Mcgrath and born at McGrathiana Farm in Fayette County, Kentucky in 1872. 

Aristides and his African-American Jockey, Oliver Lewis, won the first Kentucky Derby in 1875.

He lived until 1893, finishing with 

a racing record of 9 wins, 5 places,

and 1 show. 

Aristides and Oliver Lewis

Ben Brush

Ben Brush was born at Runnymede Farm near Paris, Kentucky in 1893. Although Aristides was the first horse to win the Kentucky Derby, Ben Brush was the first horse to win it at it's modern distance of 1.25 miles, which was established in 1896. Ben Brush lived until 1918.

Fun Fact: Ben Brush was owned by 

an African-American, Ed Brown. 

Brown named Ben Brush after the 

superintendent of the 

Gravesend Race Track, who gave Ed Brown

stall space when it was limited. 

Ben Brush

Sir Barton

Sir Barton was born in 1916 and lived until 1937. 

Bred at Hamburg Place in Fayette County, Kentucky, 

he became the first ever Triple Crown Winner.

In 1919, he won the Preakness Stakes, Belmont Stakes, and the Kentucky Derby 

in just 32 days. 

In 1919, Sir Barton won the 

"Horse of the Year" award. 

Sir Barton

Man O' War

Born in 1917 in Lexington, Kentucky at the Nursery Stud Farm, Man O' War is widely regarded as one of, if not the best racehorse of all time.

He won 20 of the 21 races he participated in and set 

countless records. He won the Preakness and Belmont Stakes in 1920, but his owner would not run him in the Kentucky Derby, denying him the chance 

to win the Triple Crown.

Due to a number of his offspring being killed in the U.S. Calvary 

during WW2, he was given the rank of Major in the U.S. Army.

He passed away in 1947, given a funeral with 

full military honors, and became the first horse to ever be 

embalmed.

Man O' War

Citation

Yet another Kentucky-bred Triple Crown Winner, Citation was born at Calumet Farm in Lexington, Kentucky in 1945 and won the Triple Crown in 1948.

His lifetime earnings total is $1,085,760, which made him the first horse to win over a million dollars in his career.

He died in 1975 and is regarded as one 

of the greatest horses of all time. 

Citation