Kentucky Association (Lexington, Ky.) Records, 1907-1932
Held by The Filson Historical Society
Creator: Kentucky Association (Lexington, Ky.)
Title: Records, 1907-1932
Rights: For information regarding literary and copyright interest for these papers, contact the Curator of Special Collections.
Size of Collection: 2.25 cubic feet (in 3 boxes) and 34 volumes
Location Number: Mss. BK K37
Scope and Content Note
Collection contains the records of the Kentucky Association, an organization formed to promote the breeding and racing of thoroughbred horses in Kentucky. Records are primarily from the 1920s to early 1930s, and concern financial dealings of the Association, records of Futurity races (a horse race usually for two-year-olds in which the competitors are nominated at birth or before), and a small amount of correspondence to and from the Association.
Folder 1 contains bank balance books for the years 1923 and 1926. Books show dates, deposit amounts, and the balance in the account.
Folders 2-5 contain claim envelopes for the years 1923-1926. These envelopes are titled “Lexington Claim Envelope” and appear to be a form for requesting compensation when a race track patron lost their actual betting slip or there was some other irregularity. Claim envelopes contain dates, name and address of claimant, price of ticket, type and amount of wager, race and horse bet on, nature of the claim, and whether or not payment was received. Although these records are printed on envelopes, they do not appear to have been mailed at any point.
Folder 6 contains booklets entitled “Entries Remaining Eligible in Stakes to be Run Under the Auspices of the Kentucky Association Incorporated.” These booklets each list two breeders’ fortuity races for the years 1924-1929, and list officers of the Kentucky Association, rules for entering the race, number of horses entered, and a list of participating horses arranged by owner. Color and sex of each horse provided in the form of abbreviations (“br c” and “ch f” for example), but no key to the meaning of the abbreviations is provided in the booklets.
Folders 7-11 contain correspondence for the years 1924-1932 concerning entry of horses into fortuity races, fees paid, withdrawal of horses from those races, and queries regarding rules of those races. Some typed lists of horses (arranged by owner) in various fortuity races are also included. These lists provide the color and sex of the horses, much of it in the form of abbreviations similar to the booklets in folder 6. A significant portion of the correspondence is on letterhead for various organizations associated with horse racing or breeding.
Folder 12 contains business papers related to the Kentucky Association for the 1920s. Records include general admission tickets, business licenses, cancelled checks, receipts (primarily for advertising services), insurance policies, and bills or estimates from various contractors.
Folders 13-18 contain entry forms for various Breeders’ Futurity races for the years 1924-1927 and 1931-1932. Forms show the name of the horse, color and sex of the horse, age of the horse in the year of the race, the horse’s sire and dam, amount enclosed to enter the horses in the race, name and address of person entering the horse, and date.
Folders 19-21 contain receipts for entry fees into Breeders’ Futurity races for the years 1924-1933. Receipts list the name, color and sex, sire, and dam for the horse entered, as well as date, signature, and address. Receipts are in no readily apparent order.
Folders 22-26 contain further receipts for entry fees into Breeders’ Futurity races for the years 1924-1927 and 1931-1932. Receipts are the same form as in folders 19-21; however, these receipts are arranged by year.
Folder 27 contains entry forms for the 1926 Centennial Futurity race, a special futurity race marking the one-hundredth anniversary of the founding of the Kentucky Association. Forms show the name of the horse, color and sex of the horse, age of the horse in the year of the race, the horse’s sire and dam, amount enclosed to enter the horses in the race, name and address of person entering the horse, and date.
Folder 28 contains list of horses participating in various stake races (a race in which part of the prize or purse is put up by the owners of the horses running) for the years 1921-1928. Forms show the name of the horse, color and sex of the horse, age of the horse in the year of the race, the horse’s sire and dam, amount enclosed to enter the horses in the race, name and address of person entering the horse, and date.
Folders 29-30 show transfer of engagements for the years 1926-1932. These documents appear to have been filed when an owner sold or otherwise transferred ownership of a horse entered into a future race. Forms show date, organization transferred to, name or description of horse, year foaled, sire and dam, race engaged in, signature of person conducting the transfer, agent, and acceptance by the Kentucky Association.
Folder 31 contains a booklet of blank entry forms for the Fairmount Park Spring Stakes for the year 1928.
Folder 32 contains a booklet of what appear to be betting slips for the year 1929. Slips show number of the horse, ticket number, position, and amount of wager.
Folder 33 contains index cards listing horses, color and gender, and what is likely the owner for the year 1931.
Volumes 34-35 contain cancelled stock certificates from the Kentucky Association for the years 1907-1918. Certificates show who the stock was issued to, who it was transferred from, number of shares, and dates.
Volumes 36-41 contain check stubs for the years 1912-1916, 1923-1928, and 1930-1932. Check stubs show the check number, date, payee, frequently a memo or some indication of what it was for, and the amount of the check.
Volumes 42-43 are labeled “Kentucky Association Journal” and cover the years 1918 and 1923. These journals show the dates of a series of races, owners and the horses they have entered in the races, a list of figures that appear to be fees paid by each owner to enter the races, the winning horses and what appears to be their jockeys for the races for the day, and the amount of prize money they received.
Volume 44 is the Kentucky Jockey Club Ledger for the years 1919-1925. The ledger is arranged by name of owner or jockey with an index in the front of the volume, and shows fees charged by the Kentucky Association for stall rental and other fees related to housing horses.
Volume 45 is an unbound ledger showing entries for various stake races for the years 1920-1929. The record shows the year of the race, the horse’s number, breeder and original nomination, name of horse, color and sex of horse, sire and dam of horse, and entry fee.
Volume 46 is an untitled ledger that shows work performed on the Kentucky Association grounds between 1 January 1922 and 14 September 1922. Ledger entries give a date, name (often first initial and surname) of individual hired, task or job title (“mowed grass on tractor” or “barn man” for example), and number of hours they worked. Page 51 contains a notation that some of the individuals hired were “women.”
Volume 47 is an unbound volume containing records showing entries in the breeders’ futurity races for the years 1922-1931. The ledger shows the year of the race, the horse’s number, breeder and original nomination, name of horse, color and sex of horse, sire and dam of horse, and entry fee.
Volume 48 is the unbound payroll ledger for the Kentucky Jockey Club for the year 1923. The ledger shows the names of workers, their occupation, days worked, wages per day, total wages, and the workers signature acknowledging they received payment for the week.
Volumes 49-55 are the yearly general accounts cash books for the years 1924-1927 and 1929-1931. The books show the date, the type of expense, a name (likely the individual receiving the payment), a number of unknown origin or use, amount, and balance in the account.
Volumes 56-61 are the yearly general accounts ledger books for the years 1924-1926 and 1929-1931. An index at the front identifies which page various expense categories are listed on, which generally have a date, who received payment, and the amount of payment.
Volumes 62-66 are volumes labeled as “Racing Ledger” for the years 1924, 1926-1927, and 1929-1930. Each ledger is arranged by individual surname (likely that of horse owners), with an index in the front providing page numbers. Each entry has dates, an entry which is either “Cash” or an individual’s name, a second number of unknown significance, and an amount. It is not clear what purpose these volumes served.
Volume 67 is the Kentucky Association Club Register from circa 1920s. The ledger contains columns for name of member, address, account, and two columns entitled “Grand Stand” and “Clubhouse.” The last two columns are sub-divided by gender, and numbers are written in these columns. It is unclear what the numbers are tracking.
Box 68 contains cancelled checks issued by the Kentucky Association. The checks show the date, check number, payee, amount, and the signature of a Kentucky Association representative.
Related Materials
Additional historical records for the Kentucky Association are maintained at the University of Kentucky Library’s Special Collections & Digital Programs Division.
Historical Note
The Kentucky Association (also known as the “Kentucky Racing Association” and the “Kentucky Association for the Improvement of the Breeds of Stock”) was formed 23 July 1826 to promote the breeding and racing of thoroughbred horses in Kentucky. It was founded by a group of prominent locals including planter and politician Henry Clay, Jesse Bledsoe, Dr. Elisha Warfield, and Thomas F. Marshall. Between 1828 and 1834, the Association acquired 65 acres of land in the city of Lexington, Kentucky that is today at the east end of 5th Street at Race Street. The Association built a one-mile dirt racetrack with grandstand and stables to host thoroughbred flat racing events.
Financial problems led to the track being sold in 1890 to a group of investors. The economic depression following the Panic of 1893 was a serious blow, and financial difficulties plagued the new owners. Due to the poor economy the track owners had difficulty attracting horses for important events. Facing foreclosure the track was put up for sale on 18 March 1897. Charles Green of St. Louis, Missouri, who had been a trustee for the stockholders, purchased the track in 1901 for $1 plus other considerations.
During 1918-1919, the Kentucky Jockey Club was formed to take over the four race tracks in the state, consisting of the Kentucky Association, Churchill Downs, Latonia Race Track, and the Douglas Park Racetrack.
The Kentucky Association racetrack closed in the spring of 1933 and its facilities were torn down in 1935. On 17 April 1933, articles of incorporation were filed for the Keeneland Association; their new race course opened in 1935 about six miles outside of Lexington. Today city roads Versailles and Man O’ War Boulevard intersect at one corner of the track. The Kentucky Association racetrack’s historic gates were replicated at the Keeneland Race Course.
From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kentucky_Association
Folder List
Folder 1: Bank Balance Books, 1923, 1926
Folder 2: Claim Envelopes, 1923-1926
Folder 3: Claim Envelopes, 1923-1926
Folder 4: Claim Envelopes, 1923-1926
Folder 5: Claim Envelopes, 1923-1926
Folder 6: Entries Remaining Eligible for Breeders’ Futurity, 1924-1929
Folder 7: Correspondence, 1924-1932
Folder 9: Correspondence, 1924-1932
Folder 10: Correspondence, 1924-1932
Folder 11: Correspondence, 1924-1932
Folder 12: Business Papers, 1920s
Folder 13: Breeder’s Futurity Entries, 1924
Folder 14: Breeder’s Futurity Entries, 1925
Folder 15: Breeder’s Futurity Entries, 1926
Folder 16: Breeder’s Futurity Entries, 1927
Folder 17: Breeder’s Futurity Entries, 1931
Folder 18: Breeder’s Futurity Entries, 1932
Folder 19: Breeder’s Futurity Receipts, 1924-1933
Folder 20: Breeder’s Futurity Receipts, 1924-1933
Folder 21: Breeder’s Futurity Receipts, 1924-1933
Folder 22: Breeder’s Futurity Receipts, 1924-1925
Folder 23: Breeder’s Futurity Receipts, 1926
Folder 24: Breeder’s Futurity Receipts, 1927
Folder 25: Breeder’s Futurity Receipts, 1931
Folder 26: Breeder’s Futurity Receipts, 1932
Folder 27: Centennial Futurity Entry Form, 1926
Folder 28: Stake Race Entries, 1926
Folder 29: Transfer of Engagements, 1926-1932
Folder 30: Transfer of Engagements, 1926-1932
Folder 31: Spring Stakes Entry Forms (blank), 1928
Folder 32: Betting Slips, 1929
Folder 33: Index Cards Listing Horses, 1931
Volumes
Volume 34: Kentucky Association Stock Certificates, 16 April 1907 – 3 April 1919
Volume 35: Kentucky Association Stock Certificates, 1 March 1918 – 3 December 1918
Volume 36: Check Stubs, 1912-1916
Volume 37: Check Stubs, 20 April 1923 – 6 May 1925
Volume 38: Check Stubs, 1 May 1923 – 29 April 1927
Volume 39: Check Stubs, 6 May 1925 – 9 September 1926
Volume 40: Check Stubs, 10 September 1926 – 2 June 1928
Volume 41: Check Stubs, 28 February 1930 – 4 March 1932
Volume 42: Kentucky Association Journal, 1918
Volume 43: Kentucky Association Journal, 1923
Volume 44: Kentucky Jockey Club Ledger, 1919-1925
Volume 45: Stakes Entries, 1920-1929
Volume 46: Grounds workers Ledger, 1 January 1922 – 14 September 1922
Volume 47: Breeder’s Futurity Ledger, 1922-1931
Volume 48: Payroll Kentucky Jockey Club, 1923
Volume 49: General Accounts Cash Book, 1924
Volume 50: General Accounts Cash Book, 1925
Volume 51: General Accounts Cash Book, 1926
Volume 52: General Accounts Cash Book, 1927
Volume 53: General Accounts Cash Book, 1929
Volume 54: General Accounts Cash Book, 1930
Volume 55: General Accounts Cash Book, 1931
Volume 56: General Accounts Ledger Book, 1924
Volume 57: General Accounts Ledger Book, 1925
Volume 58: General Accounts Ledger Book, 1926
Volume 59: General Accounts Ledger Book, 1929
Volume 60: General Accounts Ledger Book, 1930
Volume 61: General Accounts Ledger Book, 1931
Volume 62: Racing Ledger, 1924
Volume 63: Racing Ledger, 1926
Volume 64: Racing Ledger, 1927
Volume 65: Racing Ledger, 1929
Volume 66: Racing Ledger, 1930
Volume 67: Kentucky Association Club Register, circa 1920s
Box 68: Cancelled checks, 1923-1931
Subject Headings
Gambling – Kentucky.
Horse owners – Kentucky.
Horse racing – Kentucky.
Horses – Breeding – Kentucky.
Horses – Pedigrees.
Jockeys – Kentucky.
Keeneland Association (Lexington, Ky.)
Kentucky Jockey Club.
Letterheads.
Racetracks (Horse racing) – Kentucky.
Women – Employment – Kentucky – Lexington.
