Author: cathymoser

Spokane won his next two starts, the Clark Stakes at Churchill on May 14 and the American Derby at Washington Park, Chicago, on June 20. All the nation’s famed turfmen wanted to win the American Derby. No other race for three-year-olds in that era was comparable to it in prestige or as rich.  Spokane’s defeat […]

The racing schedule Noah put in place for three-year-old Spokane included the Peabody Handicap on April 24, 1889, at Montgomery Park Racecourse in Memphis. The youngest of the seven entries, Spokane stood sixteen hands and looked to be a worthy competitor, “big frame, fine bone and an abundance of muscle and clean cut as a […]

The day came in 1886 when Interpose lay down in her stall inside of the red round barn at Doncaste Ranch and bore her colt. She began licking him, the equine way to learn each other’s scent and sounds. The colt’s coat gleamed like copper, but chestnut was the true color. Noah Armstrong learned of […]

In the last post, Noah Stocks the Red Barn, Noah imported Interpose, in foal to Hyder Ali, from Meadows Farm in Illinois. Interpose was one of the broodmares I researched early. In time, my digging uncovered a curious trend in that little was written about broodmares, save the ones who earned a lot of money as […]

Owing to steel-blue grass rooted in top of soil nourished by limestone and plenty of good water, the Bluegrass Country in Kentucky was exceptionally well suited for horse breeding. Nineteenth century Kentucky horsemen were passionate about breeding Thoroughbreds and would breed only the finest stallions to the finest mares.  But American Thoroughbred breeding has its […]

Noah Armstrong, one of the characters in my book, laid his foundation for breeding expensive horses by first becoming a mining success. He and his wife were raising three children on their Minnesota farm when hearing news reports of gold seekers by the thousands rushing to California, to the Pacific Northwest, and the Rocky Mountains […]