io Making the American Thoroughbred 



Arkansas 4, Tennessee io, Kentucky 17, Texas 2, Florida 

 i, and Missouri, Illinois, Ohio and Indiana 6. Usually 

 two, and often three, meetings of from 2 to 6 days were 

 held each year at each of these tracks. Besides, there 

 were many tracks without organized Jockey Clubs, and 

 tracks from which no reports were made. 



Of the 1 60 public stallions (thoroughbred) whose loca- 

 tions were known to the general public in 1839, 37 stood 

 in Tennessee, 36 in Kentucky, 23 in Virginia, 17 in Ala- 

 bama, 7 in Arkansas, 6 in Georgia, 5 in North Carolina 

 and the remaining 29 in the other states named. This 

 list embraces nearly all of the most celebrated stallions; 

 for the custom then was to stand them wherever their 

 services were most in demand, and to advertise them. 

 Still, there were others not advertised; and, in addition, 

 there were many of equal breeding but of less general 

 renown. Of these 160 stallions 45 were imported and 11 

 of these 45 stood in Tennessee in the year named. 



The Doncaster St. Leger named for Lieut.-Gen. St. 

 Leger was established in 1776; the Oaks, at Epsom, 

 in 1779 and the Derby at Epsom in 1780. The Oaks, 

 named for the Earl of Derby's estate, near Epsom 

 was open only to 3-year old fillies; the Derby and St. 

 Leger to 3-year old colts and fillies alike; the entries at 

 Doncaster, however, being confined to 3-year old winners 

 of the six months preceding. 



At the opening of the season in the spring came the 

 Derby and the Oaks in the South, and at its close in 

 September came the St. Leger at Doncaster in the North. 

 The sectional rivalries common to the United States 

 were manifest at these meetings, the people of the respec- 

 tive sections North and South backing their own 

 horses whenever the contests narrowed down to this 

 point. Thus, in 1836, the South won $1,500,000 on Elis, 



