Foxhall Parker Keene (December 18, 1867 - September 25, 1941) was an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
thoroughbredThe Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed...
race horse owner and
breederHorse breeding is reproduction in horses, and particularly the human-directed process of selective breeding of animals, particularly purebred horses of a given breed. Planned matings can be used to produce specifically desired characteristics in domesticated horses...
, a World and
OlympicThe Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
Gold Medallist in
poloPolo is a team sport played on horseback in which the objective is to score goals against an opposing team. Sometimes called, "The Sport of Kings", it was highly popularized by the British. Players score by driving a small white plastic or wooden ball into the opposing team's goal using a...
. He was rated the best all-around polo player in the United States for eight consecutive years, a
golfGolf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
er who competed in the
U.S. OpenThe United States Open Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Open, is the annual open golf tournament of the United States. It is the second of the four major championships in golf, and is on the official schedule of both the PGA Tour and the European Tour...
, and a pioneer
racecar driverAuto racing is a motorsport involving the racing of cars for competition. It is one of the world's most watched televised sports.-The beginning of racing:...
who vied for the
Gordon Bennett CupAs one of three Gordon Bennett Cups established by James Gordon Bennett, Jr., millionaire owner of the New York Herald, the automobile racing award was first given in 1900 in France....
.
Biography
He was born in
San Francisco, CaliforniaSan Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
on December 18, 1867 to Sarah Jay Daingerfield and James Robert Keene. At the time of his birth, his father was president of the San Francisco Stock Exchange. James R. Keene was also a major owner/breeder of thoroughbred racehorses and a founder of
The Jockey ClubThe Jockey Club, formed on February 9, 1894, is the keeper of The American Stud Book. It came into existence after James R. Keene spearheaded a drive in support of racehorse trainers who had complained about the Board of Control that governed racing in New York State.-History:On its formation, The...
from whom Foxhall Keene inherited
Castleton FarmCastleton Lyons near Lexington, Kentucky, is an American horse racing stable and breeding business best known by the name Castleton Farm....
, an important breeding operation near
Lexington, KentuckyLexington is the second-largest city in Kentucky and the 63rd largest in the US. Known as the "Thoroughbred City" and the "Horse Capital of the World", it is located in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass region...
. In addition to his substantial involvement in
flat racingFlat racing is a form of Thoroughbred horse racing which is run over a level track at a predetermined distance. It differs from steeplechase racing which is run over hurdles...
, he was also a founding member of the
National Steeplechase AssociationThe National Steeplechase Association is the official sanctioning body of American steeplechase horse racing.The National Steeplechase Association was founded on February 15, 1895 by August Belmont, Jr., the first president of The Jockey Club and chairman of the New York State Racing Commission,...
.
Keene was an avid
golfGolf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
er who competed in the 1897
U.S. OpenThe United States Open Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Open, is the annual open golf tournament of the United States. It is the second of the four major championships in golf, and is on the official schedule of both the PGA Tour and the European Tour...
and who made it to the quarterfinals in the 1898 U.S. Amateur. Although he played at a high level in a number of sports, he excelled at the game of polo. A 10-goal player, he was a member of the Rockaway Hunting Club in
Lawrence, Nassau County, New YorkLawrence is a village in Nassau County, New York in the USA. As of the United States 2010 Census, the village population was 6,483.The Village of Lawrence is in the southwest corner of the Town of Hempstead, adjoining the border with the New York City borough of Queens to the west and near the...
, today the oldest country club in the United States. With team captain
Tommy HitchcockThomas Hitchcock, Jr. was an American polo player who was killed in an air crash during World War II. He was inducted into the Museum of Polo and Hall of Fame.-Biography:...
, in 1886 he was part of the first U.S. international polo team that competed in the inaugural
International Polo CupThe International Polo Cup, also called the Newport Cup and the Westchester Cup is a trophy in polo that was created in 1876 and was played for by teams from the United States and Great Britain. The match is the best of three games. In 1886 it was decided to make the polo match a continuing...
matches against
EnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. He was rated the best all-around polo player in the United States for eight consecutive years and won the Gold Medal in
Polo at the 1900 Summer Olympics-Foxhunters Hurlingham:* John Beresford * Denis St. George Daly * Foxhall Parker Keene * Frank MacKey * Alfred Rawlinson -BLO Polo Club Rugby:* Walter Buckmaster * Frederick Freake * Jean de Madre...
. Following its formation, he was inducted posthumously into the
Museum of Polo and Hall of FameThe Museum of Polo and Hall of Fame is in Lake Worth, Florida.The first inductions were in 1990.-Honorees:*Rodolphe Louis Agassiz *Lester Armour, III*Harold A. Barry*Harold L. Barry*Paul W. Barry*Roy M. Barry*Carlton Beal...
in 1992.
With the advent of automobile racing, Keene competed in the 1903
Gordon Bennett CupAs one of three Gordon Bennett Cups established by James Gordon Bennett, Jr., millionaire owner of the New York Herald, the automobile racing award was first given in 1900 in France....
at
AthyThe town developed from a 12th century Anglo-Norman settlement to an important British military outpost on the border of the Pale.The first town charter dates from the 16th century and the town hall was constructed in the early 18th century...
,
County KildareCounty Kildare is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Mid-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Kildare. Kildare County Council is the local authority for the county...
,
IrelandIreland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
driving a
MercedesMercedes was a brand of the Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft . DMG which began to develop in 1900, after the death of its co-founder, Gottlieb Daimler...
. In a race won by
Camille JenatzyCamille Jenatzy was a Belgian race car driver. He is known for breaking the land speed record three times and being the first man to break the 100 km/h barrier....
, he did not finish after his car experienced axle problems.
Several publications, including
The American Heritage Cookbook and Illustrated History of American Eating and Drinking and the
Encyclopedia of North American Eating and Drinking Traditions, Customs and Rituals claim that
Chicken à la KingChicken à la King is a recipe consisting of diced chicken in a cream sauce, and often with sherry, mushrooms, and vegetables, served over bread or pasta.-History:...
was prepared at Keene's suggestion.
Keene maintained a country home at
Monkton, MarylandMonkton is an unincorporated community in northern Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. It has a population of about 4,856 people. It is in area, with approximately...
and a home in England with a stable at
Melton MowbrayMelton Mowbray is a town in the Melton borough of Leicestershire, England. It is to the northeast of Leicester, and southeast of Nottingham...
where he kept up to ten
field hunterA field hunter, or a fox hunter, is a type of horse used in the hunt field for fox hunting. It may be of any breed, but should possess stamina, a level head, and bravery. The horse should have a safe jump, so as not to get caught on any of the solid obstacles found in the hunt field...
s for
fox huntingFox hunting is an activity involving the tracking, chase, and sometimes killing of a fox, traditionally a red fox, by trained foxhounds or other scent hounds, and a group of followers led by a master of foxhounds, who follow the hounds on foot or on horseback.Fox hunting originated in its current...
. In addition, he had a seasonal residence at
Ayer's Cliff, QuebecAyer's Cliff is a village on Lake Massawippi, near the mouth of the Tomifobia River, part of the Memphrémagog Regional County Municipality in the Eastern Townships region of Quebec located just north of the Vermont/Canada border....
on
Lake MassawippiLake Massawippi is a freshwater lake in Memphrémagog Regional County Municipality in the Eastern Townships region of Quebec, Canada. The Tomifobia River is the source of the lake at its southern tip, near the village of Ayer's Cliff, Quebec. In early records, the lake was also called "Lake Tomifobi"...
where he died on September 25, 1941.
Legacy
His father named one of his horses Foxhall who won the 1882
Ascot Gold CupThe Gold Cup is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to thoroughbreds aged four years or older. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 2 miles and 4 furlongs , and it is scheduled to take place each year in June....
in England. Recently, two Thoroughbred racehorses, one born in 1983 and another in 2002, were named after Foxhall Keene.
External links