Overview

A reference book on the American Thoroughbred for the breeder and owner, with particular focus on the supreme bloodlines developed during the heat racing era (1665-1870), and their effect on the international breeding and racing interests. The resulting backlash of the Jersey Act (1913-1949), and the real reasons for its institution. The bloodline of Lexington RH and his peers and their value for the breeder today. The American Thoroughbred in Olympic style sport and the hidden American bloodlines in the European product. And how to regain the superior genetics of the 1800s in our product today. A short outline: * History of the American Thoroughbred * Distance racing era and its resultant bloodlines * Story of Lexington RH, and his peers and relatives and their amazing talents * American Thoroughbred in International sport and breeding from 1856 to present * Jersey Act, why it was imposed and its far reaching effects * Modern power bloodlines * Unsoundness and what to do about it * American Thoroughbred in Olympic style sport and its best bloodlines

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9780578503615

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Reviews

In Legacy of Lexington the author achieves much more than the title suggests. She explains the history of American racing and the American Running Horse, both of which predate the establishment of the American Thoroughbred by 225 years. In fact, according to the author, the American Running Horse breed of that era reached a pinnacle of performance in speed and stamina that has not been equalled or surpassed by any breed of racehorse worldwide. She explains the origins of the British Thoroughbred and how crossing it with the American Running Horse base produced an American Thoroughbred that was so superior to its British counterpart that it was banned from inclusion in the General Stud Book for spurious reasons under the Jersey Act from 1913 to 1949. This effectively impounded it in North America but paradoxically led to further consolidation of the strong American bloodlines so that when the export of American Thoroughbreds to Europe resumed in the 1960s its superiority continued, ultimately resulting in the worldwide diffusion of these outstanding genes when Vincent O'Brien & Co. invested their faith and fortune in Northern Dancer's colts. The rest as they say is history. Unfortunately, when the history of thoroughbred breeding is discussed and written, what happened before this seminal 1970s era is largely, and sometimes conveniently forgotten. The author redressed the balance and brought this vital information into focus and context, including the facts that what many regard as the ultimate British Thoroughbred stallion of modern times, Sadlers Wells, was born and bred in North America--and has over one hundred lines of Lexington in his pedigree! She also addresses the sport horse history and in particular the contribution of the American Thoroughbred to so many successful sport horse breeds. She pulls no punches in using hard facts to contradict the skewed promotional narrative of some warmblood governing bodies who promote their original native beeeds as the jump source of their present-day breed and that the Thorougbred is the common improver and the main jump source in all these breeds. She devotes a chapter to the American Showjumping Hall of Fame inductees and traces their bloodlines. Amazingly, most go back to the same Thoroughbred root stock that provided the jump source for most modern warmblood breeds! She then outlines how the warmblood experiment has failed in North America and why breeders should go back to the Thoroughbred and the breeding methods that produced such outstanding horses in the past. She explains how modern breeders can identify and harness these thoroughbred jump genes for their breeding programmes using the linebreeding methods developed by Federico Tesio, the most successful thoroughbred breeder and refined by equine scholars, historians and statisticans. The product of years of meticulous research and study, this book is a treasure trove of breeding knowledge and no matter your role or interest in horse breeding or sport: Legacy of Lexington has something for you. It is illustrated by excellent photographs and drawings which enhance the readers experience and brings them right back to the particular period under discussion. Legacy of Lexington is a great read, both for professionals in the thoroughbred and sport horse industries and for those with a general interest in horse-breeding and history Seamus Davis, Traditional Irish Horse breeder, Kilkenny, Ireland

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