Reinventing the American Thoroughbred - by Gary A O'Dell (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

Most equine authorities consider Alexander Keene Richards (1827-1881) one of the nineteenth century's most significant Thoroughbred importers and breeders. Born in Georgetown, Kentucky, and orphaned as a toddler, Richards was adopted by his grandfather, from whom he inherited not only the family farm in Georgetown but also Transylvania, a cotton plantation in East Carroll Parish, Louisiana. Horses fascinated Richards from an early age, and as his passion deepened, he became convinced that the key to improving the stamina of the Thoroughbred, in an era when American racing consisted of grueling long-distance competitions, was to crossbreed American horses with the magnificent steeds of the Middle East.

As Reinventing the American Thoroughbred recounts, Richards traveled thousands of miles on expeditions into the heart of Syria to obtain Arabian stock of the purest blood. He became the first American--indeed the first Westerner--to venture into the desert to bargain directly with nomadic tribesmen for their horses. Richards transported the animals back to his grandfather's farm near Georgetown, which he transformed into a premier breeding establishment called Blue Grass Park. He also used his Transylvania plantation in Louisiana for similar purposes. Richards relied on Ansel Williamson, an enslaved horse trainer, to prepare his Thoroughbreds for racing. Williamson developed a reputation as one of the best handlers in the nation.

The Civil War interrupted Richards's equine breeding experiment. Dependent on southern cotton produced by enslaved labor for his wealth, Richards sided with the Confederacy and was appointed volunteer aide-de-camp by General John C. Breckinridge. During his brief military career, he served at Vicksburg and later in the attack on Baton Rouge. In late 1862, he received Breckinridge's permission to travel to England to purchase artillery for the general's Kentucky brigade. Richards remained in London for the remainder of the war, returning to the United States after receiving amnesty. Bankrupt, he spent the rest of his life attempting to rebuild Blue Grass Park as a nationally recognized Thoroughbred facility.

Richards's life story, chronicled here for the first time by Gary A. O'Dell, is an epic tale of adventure, experimentation, and devastation that illuminates the grand history of the American Thoroughbred industry in fresh and fascinating ways.

Review Quotes

"Accessible and absorbing . . . a narrative that extends beyond racing history. The earlier development of the English Thoroughbred in Yorkshire is complemented by the equally important though distinctive narrative of the development of the American Thoroughbred in Kentucky."--Miriam A. Bibby, author of Invisible Ancestor: The Galloway Nag and Its Legacy

"In Reinventing the American Thoroughbred, Gary O'Dell has provided us with a masterful telling of a pivotal moment in American racing history. As the American Thoroughbred was expanding into the international arena, the plantation breeding era was ending, and the great breeders of our heat-racing gallopers faded with it. O'Dell has given us an understanding of those times and one of its gifted breeders, Alexander Keene Richards, and his ill-fated Arabian program. This is a great story, and O'Dell tells it exceptionally well . . . a fascinating and valuable volume that all serious turf historians, breeders, and Thoroughbred enthusiasts should include in their library."--Kathleen H. Kirsan, author of North American Sport Horse Breeder

"O'Dell's significant and fine study of an influential breeder of thoroughbreds deserves wide attention. In a very well researched and clearly written narrative, he tells the story of Alexander Keene Richards, of his rise and fall, and of his adventures in places as diverse as Arabia, England, and American Civil War battlefields. I recommend this book to all interested in the Thoroughbred and Standardbred, in Kentucky and the South, and in good biography generally."--James C. Klotter, author of Henry Clay: The Man Who Would Be President

About the Author

Gary A. O'Dell is professor emeritus of geography at Morehead State University and the author of Bluegrass Paradise: Royal Spring and the Birth of Georgetown, Kentucky.