One of the first recordings of the song was the Carver Boys' 1929 version called "Tim Brook.
"[1] The song was recorded by Bill Monroe and His Blue Grass Boys on October 28, 1947, but not released until 1949.
[3] Their version was later recorded by the well-known Canadian folk duo Ian and Sylvia for their album, Play One More.
This song is a fictional account of the July 4, 1878 match race between the Kentucky horse Ten Broeck and the California mare Mollie McCarty at the Louisville Jockey Club (now Churchill Downs).
[6] The song refers to a fatal outcome, which did not in fact occur; Mollie McCarty lived nearly five more years, winning multiple races and producing three foals.