The early days of American horse racing were grueling. Four-mile races, run two or three times in succession, were the norm, rewarding horses who brandished both stamina and speed. The stallion Lexington, named after the Kentucky city where he was born, possessed these winning qualities, which pioneering Americans prized. Lexington shattered the world speed record for a four-mile race, showing a war torn nation that the extraordinary was still possible. He would continue his winning career until deteriorating eyesight forced his retirement in 1855. But once his ground-breaking racing career ended, his role as a sire began. Horses from his bloodline won more money than the offspring of any other Thoroughbred-for sixteen consecutive years. Yet with the Civil War raging, Lexington's years at a Kentucky stud farm were far from idyllic. Confederate soldiers looted freely and kidnapped horses from the top stables. They soon focused on the prized Lexington and his valuable progeny. Kim Wickens, a lawyer and dressage rider, became fascinated by this legendary horse when she learned that twelve of Thoroughbred racing's thirteen Triple Crown winners descended from Lexington. Wickens spent years researching the horse and his legacy-and with Lexington, she presents an absorbing, exciting account that transports readers back to the raucous beginning of American horse racing and introduces them to the stallion at its heart.