Nancy Hanks (horse)

Black-and-white photo of mare, facing left
Nancy Hanks

Nancy Hanks (1886–August 16, 1915) was an undefeated Standardbred trotting mare named for Abraham Lincoln's mother. She was the first 2:05 trotter in harness-racing history.[1]

She was foaled in 1886 on what is now known as Poplar Hill Farm, near Lexington, Kentucky. Bred by Hart Boswell, she was sired by Happy Medium; her dam, Nancy Lee, was by Dictator.

While owned by John Malcolm Forbes, on September 28, 1892 the brown mare trotted a mile in 2 minutes and 4 seconds at Terre Haute's Four Cornered Track with a bicycle sulky, breaking all Sunol's mark of 2 minutes 8.25 seconds set in 1891.[2] Nancy Hanks lost one race heat (in her first start), but was undefeated in her races. She was inducted into the Harness Racing Museum & Hall of Fame in 1955.[3]

Nancy Hanks died on August 16, 1915 at age 29, and is buried in the Hamburg Place equine cemetery.[4] A statue of her was created by sculptor Charles Cary Rumsey.

A passenger train from Atlanta to Savannah from 1947 to 1971 was named in her honor.

References

  1. ↑ "To The First Ladies of Harness Racing". Harness Racing Standardbred Community. Retrieved February 25, 2013.
  2. ↑ "The Two-Minute Trotter". New York Times. December 9, 1892. Retrieved February 25, 2013.
  3. ↑ "The Horse Immortals: Gr–Ni". Harness Racing Museum & Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on February 25, 2013. Retrieved February 25, 2013.
  4. ↑ "Nancy Hanks through Kenneth Owen inductees". Harness Racing Hall of Fame: US North. Retrieved February 25, 2013.
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