Luke Blackburn (horse)
Encyclopedia
Luke Blackburn was a Thoroughbred
race horse born and bred in Tennessee
by Capt. James Franklin.
America
ever produced, the great Lexington
. A bay foal, he was sold at two to Capt. Jim Williams who paid $510 for him. (Just over a decade since the American Civil War
, men who could afford to race horses were also the men who had been officers, hence the copious captains.)
Williams named the colt for Luke P. Blackburn
, the then governor of the state of Kentucky
and proceeded to race him thirteen times. Luke won twice. When the horse turned three, Capt. Williams sold him to the famous (or infamous) Dwyer Brothers
for $2,500 and the Dwyer Brothers placed him in the hands of the Hall of Fame
trainer, James G. Rowe, Sr..
who would win the Kentucky Derby
that year), but then he won twenty three of his next twenty four races…and he won them by six lengths or ten lengths or even fifteen, breaking records as he did. Luke Blackburn was so strong and pulled so hard his jockeys complained when they rode him. Sports writers wrote that he was the most muscular horse in America even though he stood only 15 and a quarter hands high.
The famous Hall of Fame jockey
, Jim McLaughlin
, said Luke could not be held back. He also said he was the best horse he’d ever ridden. McLaughlin had the mount on Hindoo
, Hanover
, Miss Woodford, Firenze
, Kingston
, George Kinney, Tremont
, Tecumseh and Salvator
.
In his final start as a three-year-old, Luke was injured, but came back to the races at four. After two races, he was retired. The injury had proved the end of his days on the track.
’s “Belle Meade Stud
” located near Nashville, Tennessee
. Luke produced one great horse, Proctor Knott
, the only horse Salvator could never beat.
In 1904, at the age of twenty seven, Luke Blackburn was sold at auction for $20 to a W.H. Allison. He died within months.
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...
race horse born and bred in Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
by Capt. James Franklin.
Background
Sired by Bonnie Scotland, his dam was Nevada out of perhaps the most influential stallionStallion
A Stallion is a male horse.Stallion may also refer to:* Stallion , an American pop rock group* Stallion , a figure in the Gobot toyline* Stallion , a character in the console role-playing game series...
America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
ever produced, the great Lexington
Lexington (horse)
Lexington was a United States Thoroughbred race horse who won six of his seven race starts. Perhaps his greatest fame came however as the most successful sire of the second half of the nineteenth century; he was the Leading sire in North America 16 times, and of his many brood mare and racer...
. A bay foal, he was sold at two to Capt. Jim Williams who paid $510 for him. (Just over a decade since the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, men who could afford to race horses were also the men who had been officers, hence the copious captains.)
Williams named the colt for Luke P. Blackburn
Luke P. Blackburn
Luke Pryor Blackburn was a physician, philanthropist, and politician from the US state of Kentucky. He was elected the 28th governor of Kentucky, serving from 1879 to 1883. Until the election of Ernie Fletcher in 2003, Blackburn was the only physician to serve as governor of Kentucky...
, the then governor of the state of Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
and proceeded to race him thirteen times. Luke won twice. When the horse turned three, Capt. Williams sold him to the famous (or infamous) Dwyer Brothers
Dwyer Brothers Stable
Dwyer Brothers Stable was an American thoroughbred horse racing operation owned by Brooklyn, New York businessmen, Phil and Mike Dwyer.The Dwyer brothers hired trainer Evert Snedecker and purchased their first Thoroughbred, Rhadamanthus, in 1874. In October of that same year they acquired Vigil...
for $2,500 and the Dwyer Brothers placed him in the hands of the Hall of Fame
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...
trainer, James G. Rowe, Sr..
Racing Career
In his first start at three, Luke lost again (to a colt named FonsoFonso
Fonso was an American Thoroughbred racehorse and was the winner of the 1880 Kentucky Derby. Fonso was bred in Kentucky and was a chestnut colt sired by King Alfonso out of the mare Weatherwitch....
who would win the Kentucky Derby
Kentucky Derby
The Kentucky Derby is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred horses, held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The race is one and a quarter mile at Churchill Downs. Colts and geldings carry...
that year), but then he won twenty three of his next twenty four races…and he won them by six lengths or ten lengths or even fifteen, breaking records as he did. Luke Blackburn was so strong and pulled so hard his jockeys complained when they rode him. Sports writers wrote that he was the most muscular horse in America even though he stood only 15 and a quarter hands high.
The famous Hall of Fame jockey
Jockey
A jockey is an athlete who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing.-Etymology:...
, Jim McLaughlin
Jim McLaughlin
James "Jim" McLaughlin was an American thoroughbred race horse jockey.Orphaned and homeless in his early teens, McLaughlin was taken in by horse trainer William Daly who taught him how to ride. While individual statistics from all of McLaughlin's career races aren't documented, McLaughlin began...
, said Luke could not be held back. He also said he was the best horse he’d ever ridden. McLaughlin had the mount on Hindoo
Hindoo (horse)
Hindoo was an outstanding American Thoroughbred race horse who won 30 of his 35 starts, including the Kentucky Derby, the Travers Stakes and the Clark Handicap. He later sired the Preakness Stakes winner Buddhist and the Belmont Stakes winner and Leading sire in North America, Hanover.He was a bay...
, Hanover
Hanover (thoroughbred horse)
Hanover was a champion American Thoroughbred racehorse that won his first 17 race starts. He was the only American stallion to head the Leading sire in North America list for four consecutive years until Bold Ruler did so in 1965.-Background:...
, Miss Woodford, Firenze
Firenze (horse)
Firenze , also recorded as "Firenzi,", was an American Thoroughbred Champion and Hall of Fame filly racehorse. The New York Times called Firenze: "...one of the greatest distaffers of the 19th Century."...
, Kingston
Kingston (horse)
Kingston was an American Thoroughbred racehorse. He won 89 races, the most in the history of the sport of Thoroughbred racing. Of his 138 starts, he was out of the money only on four occasions. He was later inducted into the United States Racing Hall of Fame.-Breeding:He was bred by James R. Keene...
, George Kinney, Tremont
Tremont (horse)
Tremont an American Thoroughbred racehorse who, according to the New York Racing Association, was acclaimed by 19th Century Thoroughbred Horse Racing historians as the best two-year-old ever bred in the United States....
, Tecumseh and Salvator
Salvator (horse)
Salvator was an American thoroughbred race horse considered by many to be one of the best during the latter half of the 19th Century.-California born:...
.
In his final start as a three-year-old, Luke was injured, but came back to the races at four. After two races, he was retired. The injury had proved the end of his days on the track.
Stud Career
Luke Blackburn was sent to General William Hicks JacksonWilliam Hicks Jackson
William Hicks "Red" Jackson was a cotton planter, horse breeder, and general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War.-Early life and career:...
’s “Belle Meade Stud
Belle Meade Plantation
Belle Meade Plantation, located in Belle Meade, Tennessee, is an historic plantation mansion whose grounds now function as a museum.-History:...
” located near Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
. Luke produced one great horse, Proctor Knott
Proctor Knott (horse)
Proctor Knott was an American Thoroughbred racehorse gelding. His sire was the Hall of Famer Luke Blackburn, and his dam Tallapaloosa. He was bred by Belle Meade Stud and like his father who had been named for the then current governor of Kentucky, he was named for Governor J. Proctor Knott...
, the only horse Salvator could never beat.
In 1904, at the age of twenty seven, Luke Blackburn was sold at auction for $20 to a W.H. Allison. He died within months.