Secretariat. Seabiscuit. Phar Lap. All names of racehorses that even people who’ve never watched a horse race would recognize. Each horse was made iconic in American pop culture after being profiled in movies and books. Now, Lexington can be added to the list of horses growing in popularity despite the fact he hasn’t been part of mainstream consciousness for about a century and a half.

His sudden growth in fame can be attributed to author Kim Wickens and her smash biography: “Lexington: The Extraordinary Life and Turbulent Times of America’s Legendary Racehorse.” What stood out to us when we first heard about the book were some of the reviews written by people who had no prior experience or knowledge of horse racing. Check those out below. It’s clear that Kim Wickens’ “Lexington,” his journey as a racehorse and the way it unfolded in the Civil War-era South, transcends racing and is making an impact on people far beyond the sport.

We were fortunate enough to be able to catch up with Kim and ask her about “Lexington.” She shared with us the challenging yet exhilarating process of researching a horse who had to a certain extent been lost to history — despite being one of the undisputed legendary sires in American Thoroughbred history. Kim also explained to us what brought her to being a writer and she shared some of her favorite places and events in the sport.

AMERICA’S BEST RACING: What was the inspiration for the book about a stallion born almost 175 years ago in the Civil War era for your first book?

WICKENS: I discovered Lexington while reading a book about Man o’ War, a horse I considered to be the best racehorse who ever ran. The authors made a parallel to an obscure horse named Lexington. Comparing Man o’ War to him, they wrote, “No other horse since Lexington had so stirred the emotions of an entire nation, even those who had never seen him run. Both horses had that indescribable quality of greatness which lifted those who saw them out of their ordinary lives and made them conscious that they had witnessed something that would stir their memories as long as they lived.”

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Why had I never heard of such a legendary horse? When I first looked into Lexington, there was about a half-page of information on Wikipedia. There was no book about him. Intrigued, I set off on several years of research into racing repositories and historical archives spread across many states to discover everything I could about Lexington.

As I started digging deeper into the research, I learned the true impact this horse had, not only on the 19th century, but also our present day. He ran at a time when American races were run in heats of up to four miles, the upper echelon of racing. A horse had to win two heats — each heat followed by a 45-minute cooling period — to win the purse. A four-mile horse would be required to run a minimum of eight miles in a single race.

Not only did Lexington excel in this strenuous level of racing — breaking a 100-year world speed record for four miles — but he ran them disabled by limited vision, blind entirely in his right eye with his left also impacted. It took a horse of extreme stamina and courage, what was called “bottom,” to pull off such feats. That was why the 19th century people adored him. At that time, in 1854 and 1855, when America was already torn and on the brink of a civil war, this horse gave them hope. People from the North and South cheered for him, and he reached such a celebrity status that his every movement was recorded in the press.

At this time in history, racehorse training and riding was done primarily by freed or enslaved Black men. Freedman Harry Lewis initially trained Lexington. Lecomte, Lexington’s rival, was ridden by the famed Black jockey Abe Hawkins. Although Black horsemen of that era could enjoy such luxuries as high salaries ($300 to ride a single race) and the ability to travel at will, that life was often precarious. Black enslaved horsemen could be sold and regressed back to a life where such freedoms and earnings were not allowed.  

Lexington was eventually retired after only seven races due to worsening vision, but during those seven races he accomplished more than most horses ever would. He retired to a stud farm in Midway, Ky., where he established one of the greatest Thoroughbred lines in America, and this during the Civil War when horse racing was disrupted in the South. He is the only horse who holds the title of America’s Leading Sire an unprecedented 16 times. He crosses into the pedigree of nearly every horse who ran after him. Or who ever will.

It wasn’t just the horse. Lexington’s two owners, Richard Ten Broeck and Robert Alexander, also suffered tragedies and setbacks. Lexington’s stud farm, Woodburn, was raided three times by Confederate guerrillas seeking fast horses, including one guerrilla named Jerome Clarke, a cross-dressing and beautiful person who answered to the nom de guerre of Sue Mundy. Alexander eventually moved Lexington and the lot to Illinois for their protection. It was through Lexington’s two owners’ perseverance that he was able to shine. I felt compelled to write his history.

ABR: One of the interesting aspects of Lexington is that a good percentage of the positive reviews come from people outside the Thoroughbred racing circle, what aspects of the book broadened the appeal?

WICKENS: I wanted this book to appeal to a broad readership and my publisher Ballantine shared this view. Readers do not have to come to this book with even a basic understanding of horse racing, breeding, or racing terms and famous names. The story has rich historical context with the party-fervor of New Orleans, where Lexington ran his races, as well as the darker contrast of slavery and the Civil War. I wrote as much about the times as I did about the horse. As far as my writing style and structure, I love to read nonfiction history written by Tom Wolfe, Erik Larson, and Candice Millard. History that while true, is told in a story format. I love the play of words, their beauty and feel, and strived to create a story that was alive for the reader. Many readers have commented that the book reads like a novel, but it’s nonfiction and all of it is fact.

Author Kim Wickens

ABR: Do you have any advice in terms of marketing horse racing to a broader audience?

WICKENS: I think the efforts taken by America’s Best Racing and individuals like Dan Tordjman to reach out to a different age group and societal makeup is on key. Also, making this sport accessible and understandable, not to mention more transparent, for a wider audience is important. For the recent Breeder’s Cup, ABR published a “quick guide” to the day’s races. Really genius! Not all of us our handicappers. A fresh view is also welcoming. Horse racing, being as grand and as old a sport as it is, sometimes takes on a stodgy reputation, like “oh, that’s a sport for granddads.” But horse racing has always, and I believe still does, connect people of all ages, class, and backgrounds. When Lexington ran, he ran for the North and the South and, astoundingly, whites and freed Blacks sat in the same grandstand, elbow to elbow. Remarkable. When his sons ran, they reunited a nation struggling with the war’s horrible aftermath. Horse racing did that. This sport’s appeal is endless.

ABR: What was the process for researching this book in terms of uncovering the riveting details of the story?

WICKENS: I had so much fun researching this book. As the historian Barbara Tuchman has said, “Research is endlessly seductive. Writing is the hard work.” So true. Since there was no book on Lexington with documented sources on where to look, I pieced his story together from scratch. Like an investigation of sorts. The Spirit of the Times, a 19th century sports periodical with a GQ magazine flair, proved indispensable in providing not only Lexington’s race records but the humor and flavor of 19th century society. I also dug deep into historical archives for letters written by his owners, which shed light on who they were as people and their feelings. Those letters also contained dialogue, which is extremely rare in nonfiction. Since we are talking about the 19th century, recording of events was not always as precise. There are historical gaps in the explanations for how something occurred. The press wrote of racing matters as if they were common knowledge, which of course to 19th century people, they were. I had to turn to other sources of the era to learn how horses travelled, how they were trained to run heat races, and how they recovered between heats and after the race itself.

To understand the Civil War’s impact on horses, and why horses were in such high demand, I turned to the The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies which contains cavalry and battery reports. I also relied on war journals written by men in the field as well as the hand-written trial transcripts of the court martial proceedings for Sue Mundy and his guerrilla gang.

ABR: What did you learn from your first book that you would do differently looking ahead?

WICKENS: Nothing. I put a lot of time into understanding everything about the 19th century, horse racing of that era, and the Civil War, and although it was time-consuming, that kind of detail pays off. Not everything an author reads or discovers will make its way into the actual words on the page, but the information serves as a basis from which the author writes. I believe readers can sense that.

The author enjoying time at the racetrack with her husband. (Kim Wickens photo)

ABR: You grew up in Dallas and practiced law in New Mexico. What brought you to Lexington?

WICKENS: I ended up in Lexington because of horse racing and bourbon. My husband started joining me on research trips and we fell in love with the city and all that it offered. We bought land in Georgetown and moved here. I’ve always loved to write. Even as a child I wrote stories and cartoon segments about dogs dressed in human clothes. Don’t ask. As a lawyer, writing is paramount. I turned back to writing in the narrative form so I could write Lexington.

ABR: Your author bio says you ride dressage and have three horses, have you always been enamored with horses?

WICKENS: Yes absolutely. As a child I grew up with the names of Secretariat, Man o’ War, and Ruffian. I had Breyer figures of the famous horses and my Barbies rode them in disco outfits. When I was older my granddad started taking me to races at Ruidoso Downs in New Mexico, where we had a family cabin. He was there to play the horses, but I fell in love with the horses themselves and the sport. My granddad also bought my first horses, a stubborn Shetland pony who disliked everyone, and a beautiful Quarter Horse filly I named Ginger after the starlit movie-wonder on “Gilligan’s Island.” Horses have been a part of my love and life ever since.

ABR: Outside of Lexington, who we’re sure holds a special place in your heart, who are your favorite Thoroughbreds from our lifetime?

WICKENS: Easy. Wise Dan is perhaps my favorite modern horse. Not only is he a two-time Horse of the Year, but he’s a horse driven by courage. I was fortunate to see his last race at Keeneland in the 2014 Shadwell Turf Mile. He broke dead-last and ran trapped in the field down the backstretch. At the second turn, Wise Dan was still running behind in sixth, but John Velazquez ran him to the outside and then asked him for another gear. Wise Dan delivered, charging down the entire field on the homestretch. You should have seen the crowd when he won. I hugged some guy I didn’t even know who said to me “He’s [Wise Dan] the best miler I’ve ever seen!” Special horses do that.  

ABR: What is your favorite racetrack?

WICKENS: I’ve been to quite a few racetracks from New York to California and in between. For historical significance, Saratoga, which was founded in 1863. Lexington’s son Kentucky won the inaugural Travers Stakes there. But for beauty, I love Keeneland. The limestone architecture is so Kentucky, and the parking lot with its grass and abundant trees is by far the best venue for tailgating. As a bonus, on any day of the year, anyone can enter the Keeneland Race Course to sit in the stands, watch morning workouts, or to walk their dog around the parking lot.

ABR: What is your favorite racing event?

WICKENS: I’m not partial. I’ve been to some of the big ones, the Kentucky Derby, Travers, but give me just any race, a seat in the general grandstand, and access to the hotdog stand and cocktail and I’m content. I don’t bet on my phone. I prefer the actual window and the lingo there and the paper ticket at the end. It might just be a ticket I decide to keep for historical posterity. Anything can happen.