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Kentucky First Visited By Horses Back in 1750 State Has Held Brilliant Place InThoroughbred World Since 1860 CHURCHILL DOWNS, Louisville, Ky., May 6. — The tradition of the horse is a long one here in Kentucky, home of the world-famous Kentucky Derby, and, while the archives on the matter are quite musty, it has been established that the first horses to come to this territory were brought over the mountains from Virginia by one Thomas Walker in 1750. The first horses to arrive were saddle mounts, later came work horses and, not long after, the thoroughbred. Kentucky documented history bears put that the horse of all types flourished in that unique outcrop of limestone grassland, watered by gentle streams and brooks, which became famous later on as the "Blue Grass country." Kentucky, from the very beginning, was able to produce good thoroughbreds, but it took a catastrophic event, the war between the states, to make the state pre-eminent as a bloodstock center. The fighting took a deadly toll of farms in Virginia and Tennessee in particular, and some of the best stock was moved to the border state, Kentucky, and there it remained. Ever_ since 1860, Kentucky has held a firm and brilliant place in the thoroughbred world because, in addition to its matchless natural advantages of limestone base soil, rich blue grass and water, together with an equable climate, it also, found itself in the possession of the greatest assembly of sires and broodmare stock any section of any nation has ever known. Hence it is not surprising, even, though the Kentucky Derby is a truly national race, that a vast preponderance of the winners have been Kentucky-breds. Of the 80 winners in the past, 66 were, foaled in Kentucky. Of the* others, three were foaled in Tennessee, two in Texas, Spokane in the Northwest Territory now Montana, El-wood in Missouri, Wintergreen in Ohio, Regret and Cavalcade in New Jersey, Mor-vich in California, Reigh Count in Virginia, Lawrin in Kansas, and Omar Khayyam in England.
