| Famous Horses at Belle Meade |
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In 1842, the first famous stud at Belle Meade Plantation was Priam. He was the American Thoroughbred Horse of the Year in 1842 and again from 1844-1846.
Other famous horses at the plantation came after the Civil War. Bonnie Scotland (1853-1880), acquired by William Giles Harding in 1872, made Belle Meade a world famous stud. He was the leading American sire in 1880 and 1882. His most famous descendent was Luke Blackburn, whose winnings totaled $63,875. Bonnie Scotland's blood descendents are still racing today. They include Northern Dancer, Never Say Die, Sunday Silence, and the 1973 Triple Crown winner Secretariat.
Iroquois was acquired by Billy Jackson in 1886 for $20,000 in gold. Pierre Lorillard, a tobacconist who shipped Iroquois to train and race in England, previously owned the horse. This was a successful venture because Iroquois became the first American owned and bred horse to win the English Derby in 1881. When the Americans learned of Iroquois' feat, they temporarily closed business on Wall Street to celebrate the victory. That year, Iroquois also won the St. Ledger's Stakes and the Prince of Wales' Stakes and became the first horse, American or British, to win all three races in one year. After arriving at Belle Meade, Iroquois was treated as the family pet. By the mid-1890s, he was advertised as a private stud, commanding $2,500 as his fee for services. The average stud fee in the 1880s was $100-$300.
Enquirer (1867-1895) was named for the Cincinnati Enquirer newspaper and carried one of the best bloodlines. He was named best three-year-old of 1870. He was the eleventh-ranked stud when he stood at Belle Meade in 1885. This is the only horse honored with a monument at Belle Meade. John R. McLean, publisher of the Enquirer, erected this monument during the Tennessee Centennial Exposition in 1897.
Luke Blackburn (1877-1906) was the son of Bonnie Scotland. He was the longest standing Belle Meade sire at twenty-two years. He sired Proctor Knott, Uncle Bob, and other winners, and in 1888, his descendents earned about $100,339. In 1904 the old horse sold for only $20 at the Belle Meade dispersal sale.
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