Lexington in Fayette County, Kentucky — The American South (East South Central)
John D. Hertz
1879-1961
Photographed by Ken Smith, July 11, 2012
1. John D. Hertz Marker
Inscription.
John D. Hertz. Yellow was the color and name of his taxicab company, and yellow and black were his stable colors. Mr. and Mrs. John D. Hertz' most famous Thoroughbred was Count Fleet, which won the triple Crown (Kentucky Derby, Preakness, Belmont Stakes) in 1943. Count Fleet was a son of Reigh Count, which had won the Knetucky Derby for the Hertz stable in 1928, and he sired a later derby winner in Count Turf (1951). Hertz embodied the American success story. An immigrant from Austria, he left home and first found work driving a newspaper delivery wagon in Chicago. He later scuffled through his youth as a newspaperman, boxer, fight manager, and bookmaker's assistant. After marriage to Fannie Kesner, he sought more stability. Hertz established the Yellow Cab company and at one point was building a majority of the cabs used in the United States. He later launched the Hertz Rental Car system. During the 1920s, Hertz' interest in racing led him to organize respectable businessmen in Chicago to purchase the financially troubled Arlington Park, blocking the plans of Al Capone's mob to take over the track. The Hertzes originally had a breeding farm in Illinois, but then established Stone creek Stud near Paris, Ky.
Yellow was the color and name of his taxicab company, and yellow and black were his stable colors. Mr. and Mrs. John D. Hertz' most famous Thoroughbred was Count Fleet, which won the triple Crown (Kentucky Derby, Preakness, Belmont Stakes) in 1943. Count Fleet was a son of Reigh Count, which had won the Knetucky Derby for the Hertz stable in 1928, and he sired a later derby winner in Count Turf (1951). Hertz embodied the American success story. An immigrant from Austria, he left home and first found work driving a newspaper delivery wagon in Chicago. He later scuffled through his youth as a newspaperman, boxer, fight manager, and bookmaker's assistant. After marriage to Fannie Kesner, he sought more stability. Hertz established the Yellow Cab company and at one point was building a majority of the cabs used in the United States. He later launched the Hertz Rental Car system. During the 1920s, Hertz' interest in racing led him to organize respectable businessmen in Chicago to purchase the financially troubled Arlington Park, blocking the plans of Al Capone's mob to take over the track. The Hertzes originally had a breeding farm in Illinois, but then established Stone creek Stud near Paris, Ky.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Animals • Entertainment • Sports. A significant historical year for this entry is 1943.
Location.
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38° 2.518′ N, 84° 29.436′ W. Marker is in Lexington, Kentucky, in Fayette County. It can be reached from the intersection of East Main Street (U.S. 60) and Midland Avenue (U.S. 60), on the right when traveling west. Located in Thoroughbred Park. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 100, Lexington KY 40508, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Kentucky’s Bluegrass Region. It is also in the American South and specifically in the Upper South. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture and also the Antebellum South.
Credits. This page was last revised on October 29, 2020. It was originally submitted on August 11, 2012, by Ken Smith of Milan, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 946 times since then and 60 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on August 11, 2012, by Ken Smith of Milan, Tennessee. • Craig Swain was the editor who published this page.
