Andrew Jackson loved horses since early boyhood

AJ: Rider and Racer

The story of 12-year-old Andrew Jackson serving as messenger in the Continental Army and later captured and imprisoned is true, told in every history book. Besides his daring and rash personality and general knowledge of the woods and trails in the Carolinas, it was his superb riding skill that got him the messenger job.

He had a good way with horses from the start. By 15, he was considered an excellent judge of horseflesh, and a savvy trader. He also discovered the spirit of the speculator within himself. It cost him his modest inheritance. Nevertheless, the Sport of Kings would always be a passion with Old Hickory.

He came to Nashville, TN when he was twenty, having read law sufficiently to pass the South Carolina bar. In pre-statehood Tennessee, lawyers were a welcome commodity. There was land to purchase, debts to claim, business to buy and sell and above all, money to be made. Jackson would make and lose a few fortunes within the next decade. Horses however, were always part of his inventory of wealth.

AL: The Fortuitous Purchase

By 1804, Tennessee had become the 16^th state, it’s population growing by leaps and bounds. Its also-growing social scene was enhanced by actual formalized racetracks. (Previously, if a horse race was to be run, it was marked out by the participants on an open field.) If horse racing was popular, it could arguably be outstripped by the thrill of gambling.

Jax was already strapped for cash, but he owned Indian Queen, a fine horse, which he arranged to race with the unbeaten Greyhound, a gelding owned by a neighbor, Lazarus Cotton. In a heavy blow to Jackson’s pride and purse, a triumphant Greyhound won all three heats.

Greyhound had also won a race against a splendid Virginia import named Truxton, whose reputation preceded him into Tennessee. That loss practically bankrupted his owner, one John Verrell, and the big bay was his last asset, about to be seized to pay his debts. At six-years-old, Truxton was a handsome stallion, more than fifteen hands high, well-formed with white hind feet. His pedigree was impeccable, sired by a champion British horse, Diomed, out of Nancy Coleman, from a Chesterfield County Virginia stable. Jackson wanted him – badly. He was nearly bankrupt himself, but staked practically everything on his own knowledge of horseflesh, and smelled a winner!

He offered Verell $1500 for Truxton, plus three geldings and a promise of two more, should Truxton “win a purse” next fall. In return, Jackson would pay off Verell’s debts of $1170.

Once Truxton was his, Andrew Jackson entered him in a return match with Greyhound – for a side bet of $5000. According to Marquis James, a Jackson biographer of nearly a hundred years ago, “how Jackson raised five thousand dollars at this critical juncture is a point the present reviewer is unable to clarify.” Other biographers have inferred that debts and gambling never seemed to interfere with Jackson’s forward thrusts.

And…..They’re Off!

Jackson and Verell worked together to train Truxton to his purpose. It is said that Jax was a hard trainer, (easy to believe) pushing the horse to the limit of endurance, but somehow instilling in the animal a will to win – not unlike the character of Andrew Jackson himself.

The match race between Truxton and Greyhound was the last race of the 1805 season – and nearly everyone from miles around was in attendance, including the ladies. Greyhound was the favorite, based on his previous wins, plus the ongoing gossip that Jax had exhausted Truxton in training. Betting was heavy. Not only cash was wagered, but according to Congressman Balie Peyton who had heard the story from Jackson himself, numerous 640 acre tracts were staked. Plus several wagers in “wearing apparel.”

Patton Anderson, Jackson’s 125-pound jockey, bet all his worth on Truxton – plus, it is said, he wagered a few other horses that he didn’t even own, including a few with “ladies’ saddles on them.”

The race was a very big deal in Nashville.

Truxton’s eye-of-the-tiger training came through, whipping Greyhound soundly. The jockey treated his co-winners with a barrel of cider and a basket of ginger cakes. The winnings paid off all Verell’s debts, made a small fortune for Andrew Jackson, and the hats and belts helped replenish his wardrobe.

After beating Greyhound, Jackson bought him immediately, and added to his stable at the new Clover Bottom Racetrack, of which he was a part-owner.

Truxton was also coincidentally responsible for one of Jackson’s most famous duels – but that is another story to be told at another time!

The Future of Truxton

For five years Jackson did not lose a major race that had not been immediately offset by a major victory. Truxton alone won more than twenty thousand dollars in early 1800’s prize money!

Meanwhile, like all fine racehorses, Truxton was put to service, and went on to sire some excellent foals, earning Jackson a considerable amount in stud fees. Truxton offspring were considered some of the finest racehorses in Tennessee.

By the time Andrew Jackson became President in 1829, Truxton was an old horse, but Jackson was still an avid horse owner-racer. He brought a string of fine horses to an already crowded White House stable, and convinced Congress to cough up another $3500 for additional renovations. Legend has it, his beloved Truxton lived there, although he would have been past thirty – very old for a horse. Even Andrew Jackson’s horse.

Sources:

Brands, H.W. – Andrew Jackson: His Life and Times – Doubleday, 2005

James, Marquis – The Life of Andrew Jackson: The Border Captain; Portrait of a President – Bobbs Merrill, 1937

https://vault.si.com/vault/1956/07/16/tennessee-turfman

https://www.loc.gov/resource/maj.01006_0086_0087/?st=text

Andrew Jackson