Lexington – The Extraordinary Life and Turbulent Times of America’s Legendary Racehorse
Price as reviewed:
£19.75 hardback
Author: Kim Wickens
Published: 11 July, 2023
Available as hardback or Kindle edition
View now on Amazon UK or Amazon US
About Lexington – The Extraordinary Life and Turbulent Times of America’s Legendary Racehorse
Set against the turbulent background of the American Civil War, this dramatic true story covers the incredible life of an outstanding Kentucky-born Thoroughbred colt named Lexington. At the time horse racing was America’s supreme spectator sport, with horses being required to run over a gruelling four miles, two or three times in succession, to be crowned the winner. This format required both stamina and speed – a combination referred to as “bottom” – of which this horse had almost endless reserves.
Despite being partially blind, Lexington recorded numerous victories and shattered the world speed record for a four-mile race showing a war-torn nation that extraordinary was possible, even in those perilous times.
Once his groundbreaking achievements as a racehorse ended in 1855, his role as a sire began. Horses from Lexington’s bloodline went on to win more money than the offspring of any other thoroughbred, which led Lexington to be named America’s leading sire of the year an unprecedented 16 times. But his years as stud were less than idyllic as the Civil War raged and soldiers ran amok, looting and kidnapping horses from top stables.
Review
This is a truly remarkable story. I take my hat off to Kim Wickens, not only for her long and meticulous research, but also for her skillful story-telling, in which the life of Lexington – and those associated with him – is brought to life in such captivating fashion.
The book serves as an engrossing history lesson on American horse racing during the 1850s, the challenges faced by horses in that era, and the realities of living through the Civil War in the American South.
I quickly became immersed in this compelling real-life story of a horse I had never heard of, but whose achievements were such that I believe every horse enthusiast on both sides of the Atlantic should know his name. Hopefully this book will go some way towards righting that wrong and spreading awareness of his incredible achievements.
Verdict
A must-read for anyone interested in horse racing, thoroughbred breeding, or wider horse sport.
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