Born A Slave—Won Belmont Stakes—History Erased His Name Edward Dudley Brown was born enslaved in Kentucky in 1850. At age seven, he was sold to Robert A. Alexander, proprietor of Woodburn Stud, one of the most prestigious horse farms in America. By age fourteen, Brown was riding Asteroid, one of the greatest sons of the legendary stallion Lexington. He won his first race in May 1864 in St. Louis. A year later, the Thirteenth Amendment freed him from slavery, but Brown continued working at Woodbu