Ten Broeck–Mollie McCarty match race

The Ten Broek–Mollie McCarty match race was a match race on July 4, 1878, between Ten Broeck, a stallion from Kentucky, and Mollie McCarty, a mare from California. The race was held at the Louisville Jockey Club (now Churchill Downs) in front of a record crowd of 30,000. Both horses were champions of the period, and the win by Ten Broeck marked the first loss of Mollie McCarty's career. Ten Broek was ridden to victory by African-American jockey Billy Walker, one of Kentucky's leading riders of his day.[1][2]

The race was immortalized in the folk song, Molly and Tenbrooks.[3]

References

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  1. ^ "Mollie McCarty vs Ten Broeck (horse race) · Notable Kentucky African Americans Database". nkaa.uky.edu. Retrieved 2024-11-09.
  2. ^ "Walker, William, Sr. "Billy" · Notable Kentucky African Americans Database". nkaa.uky.edu. Retrieved 2024-11-09.
  3. ^ Bennett, Bud (May 12, 2014). "The True Story of Molly and Tenbrooks". Highlights of the McConnell Library Appalachian Music Collection, Radford University. The Bristol Sessions. Retrieved November 9, 2024.