The conflicts of the Civil War continued long after the conclusion of the war: jockeys and Thoroughbreds took up the fight on the racetrack. A border state with a shifting identity, Kentucky was scorned for its violence and lawlessness and struggled to keep up with competition from horse breeders and businessmen from New York and New Jersey. As part of this struggle, from 1865 to 1910, the social and physical landscape of Kentucky underwent a remarkable metamorphosis, resulting in the gentile, beautiful, and quintessentially southern Bluegrass region of today.
How Kentucky Became Southern offers an accessible inside look at the Thoroughbred industry and its place in Kentucky history.
A Tale of Outlaws, Horse Thieves, Gamblers, and Breeders
by Maryjean Wall
The University Press of Kentucky, 2012
