Book Review: Reinventing the American Thoroughbred: The Arabian Adventures of Alexander Keene Richards
Reinventing the American Thoroughbred: The Arabian Adventures of Alexander Keene Richards. By Gary O’Dell. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 2025. Hardcover, 392 pp., $28.79
Reviewed by Sara L. Elliott
Often thought of as the first mass spectator sport in the United States, thoroughbred horse racing has captured the imagination (and financial resources) of many people. Alexander Keene Richards was one of those people. Born into a wealthy family in Georgetown, Kentucky, Richards had the resources and community connections to pursue his dream of creating the “perfect” thoroughbred racehorse on the eve of the Civil War.
Horse racing in the 18th and 19th centuries typically focused on long distance running rather than the speed-based racing we see today. A horse running several long-distances multiple times during a day would need far more stamina than a horse who was running short heats with more speed. Richards’ idea was to cross English Thoroughbreds or American running horses with legendary Arabian horses. Those latter horses were known for their stamina in enduring the heat and long-distance travel in their native desert countries. When Richards saw some on his tour of Europe in 1851, he knew he had found the key to breeding a high-quality thoroughbred. In 1855 he returned to the countries along the eastern Mediterranean and began his efforts to purchase Arabian horses directly from their Bedouin owners. Through his efforts and those of his cousin, Morris Keene, and his friend, artist Edward Troye, he was able to acquire the stallions and mares necessary for his dream experiment, but just as the nightmare of war appeared on the horizon.
Author Gary O’Dell has put together an interesting account of Richards and his attempts to create a superior form of thoroughbred. Being the first (or one of the first) westerners to deal directly with the Bedouins adds a sense of adventure to Richards’ story that is usually missing in narratives of the American thoroughbred industry. O’Dell contextualizes Richards experiences in the Middle East by including information about the political and cultural events of the time.
The book follows Richards through the breeding and racing of his Thoroughbred/Arabian horses and gives a good overview of the 19th century racing industry in the United States especially in the South. It also shows the devastation that the Civil War had not only on the country but on racing in general and on Richards specifically.
As a Southern sympathizer and resident of Kentucky, Richards knew he was in danger of being arrested and his property, i.e., his horses, being confiscated. Further, as also a resident of Louisiana, he knew his horses could be seized by either side of the conflict. He arranged for his Kentucky horses, which included his most prized, to be taken to Illinois where they stayed until the end of the war. His horses in Louisiana were moved to Texas to prevent them from being taken by Union troops. They remained in exile for the duration of the war.
In an act of generosity Richards gave Confederate generals John Hunt Morgan and Basil Duke mounts bred from one of his prized Arabian-mixed horses. As a replacement for Morgan’s horse Black Bess, Richards gave him a bay gelding named Glencoe, Jr. Duke’s horse was a dark colored bay. He presented the horses to the men in 1862. After Morgan was killed in 1864, his horse was given to General Winfield Scott.
Although he did not lose any of his horses during the Civil War, Richards did lose his income from his cotton plantation in Louisiana. Adding the overall economic impact of the war onto his loss of revenue prevented Richards from reaching the same levels of success as before the war.
Even more devastating to his breeding efforts was the change in the style of racing. After the Civil War horse racing turned away from the long-distance stamina races and focused on the speed racing that we are familiar with today. Although Richards efforts to create a “super” thoroughbred fell short of the mark, one of his horses, eventually named “Australian”, became the progenitor of world-famous Man O’ War. Although now somewhat diluted, the blood lines of “Australian” can still be found in racehorses today.
Alexander Keene Richards was just one of the many people who turned their love of a particular sport into a driving compulsion. Although his experiment failed to create a “super” thoroughbred, the bloodlines he helped create were used to enhance the qualities of standardbred and trotting/pacing horses. Reinventing the American Thoroughbred: The Arabian Adventures of Alexander Keene Richards is a good companion piece to the recent books on outstanding Thoroughbreds like “Seabiscuit” and “Lexington.”
Sara L. Elliott is a retired history museum professional and lives in central Kentucky.
