Roseben
Encyclopedia
Roseben was an American
Thoroughbred
Hall of Fame
race horse who grew to such an enormous size (one inch less than 18 hands) he was known as "The Big Train." Because of his great size, he was slow to mature but when he finally got moving in his fourth, fifth and sixth years of racing, he began to be called the greatest sprinter of his time. There are those who consider him the greatest sprinter of all time, for not only did he break records, he broke them for decades, and under weights that would have crushed almost any other horse. He ran under weights as high as 130 pounds in 59 of his races, and as high as 140 pounds in 29 races. On more than one occasion, he won under 144 pounds, 146 pounds, and 147 pounds. Once he was required to carry 150 pounds and for this came in second. He conceded huge weights to his opponents in 86 of his starts, once asked to give away 60 pounds at Brighton Beach Race Course
in 1907, and still winning by two lengths.
At four, Roseben raced twenty nine times, winning 19, placing in 5, and showing in 2. In his career, Roseben went to the starting gate 111 times, and win almost half of the time. He was out of the money only 22 times and always conceding enormous weight.
In those days, handicapping races were all the rage. Roseben ran in "overnighters," races where the weights were set the day before. On the day he would run, his people could take the weight or scratch. They had one hour to decide.
His most famous achievement came in a 1906 allowance race at Belmont Park
. He set an American
record for seven furlong
s, clocking in at 1:22. The previous record was 1:25. It was close to thirty years before another good sprinter, Clang, equalled the time at Arlington Park
in 1935. A further twelve years passed before it was beaten by Honeymoon at Hollywood Park Racetrack. It took Bold Ruler
to surpass the record at Belmont Park, fifty years after it was set.
(There appears to be some confusion concerning the race in which Roseben set his greatest record. In Robertson's book...see references...it was an allowance race at Belmont. On Roseben's Hall of Fame page, it states it was during his first running of the Manhattan.)
Roseben was a popular sensation for three seasons, running his races of seven or less furlongs, putting together winning streaks of six and seven races at a time. But in the end, at age eight, he wound up in three lowly claiming races. In the last, where he could have been claimed for $1,000, he bowed a tendon. He was second and gaining when he, as the record book says, "stopped badly."
In 1918, Roseben died at the age of 17.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Thoroughbred
Thoroughbred
The 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...
Hall of Fame
National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame
The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame was founded in 1950 in Saratoga Springs, New York, to honor the achievements of American thoroughbred race horses, jockeys, and trainers...
race horse who grew to such an enormous size (one inch less than 18 hands) he was known as "The Big Train." Because of his great size, he was slow to mature but when he finally got moving in his fourth, fifth and sixth years of racing, he began to be called the greatest sprinter of his time. There are those who consider him the greatest sprinter of all time, for not only did he break records, he broke them for decades, and under weights that would have crushed almost any other horse. He ran under weights as high as 130 pounds in 59 of his races, and as high as 140 pounds in 29 races. On more than one occasion, he won under 144 pounds, 146 pounds, and 147 pounds. Once he was required to carry 150 pounds and for this came in second. He conceded huge weights to his opponents in 86 of his starts, once asked to give away 60 pounds at Brighton Beach Race Course
Brighton Beach Race Course
The Brighton Beach Race Course was an American Thoroughbred horse racing facility opened at Brighton Beach, Coney Island, New York on June 28, 1879 by the Brighton Beach Racing Association. Headed by real estate developer William A. Engeman, who owned the Brighton Beach Hotel, the one-mile race...
in 1907, and still winning by two lengths.
Racing Years
Purchased as a yearling by John Drake, it took Roseben until late in his three-year-old season to reach the winner's circle. At two, he raced once and lost. At three, he raced nine times and won three. After his first win, Drake auctioned him off and the big horse went to Davy Johnson for $3,800. It took only a few days for Roseben to win his next two races for Johnson.At four, Roseben raced twenty nine times, winning 19, placing in 5, and showing in 2. In his career, Roseben went to the starting gate 111 times, and win almost half of the time. He was out of the money only 22 times and always conceding enormous weight.
In those days, handicapping races were all the rage. Roseben ran in "overnighters," races where the weights were set the day before. On the day he would run, his people could take the weight or scratch. They had one hour to decide.
His most famous achievement came in a 1906 allowance race at Belmont Park
Belmont Park
Belmont Park is a major thoroughbred horse-racing facility located in Elmont in the Town of Hempstead in Nassau County, New York, on Long Island adjoining New York City. It first opened on May 4, 1905...
. He set an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
record for seven furlong
Furlong
A furlong is a measure of distance in imperial units and U.S. customary units equal to one-eighth of a mile, equivalent to 220 yards, 660 feet, 40 rods, or 10 chains. The exact value of the furlong varies slightly among English-speaking countries....
s, clocking in at 1:22. The previous record was 1:25. It was close to thirty years before another good sprinter, Clang, equalled the time at Arlington Park
Arlington Park
Arlington Park is a horse race track in the Chicago suburb of Arlington Heights, Illinois. Horse racing in the Chicago region has been a popular sport since the early days of the city in the 1830s, and at one time Chicago had more horse racing tracks than any other major metropolitan area...
in 1935. A further twelve years passed before it was beaten by Honeymoon at Hollywood Park Racetrack. It took Bold Ruler
Bold Ruler
Bold Ruler was an American Thoroughbred Hall of Fame racehorse.Bred by the Wheatley Stable of Gladys Mills Phipps, Bold Ruler was foaled on April 6, 1954 at Claiborne Farm in Paris, Kentucky to Nasrullah and Miss Disco by Discovery...
to surpass the record at Belmont Park, fifty years after it was set.
(There appears to be some confusion concerning the race in which Roseben set his greatest record. In Robertson's book...see references...it was an allowance race at Belmont. On Roseben's Hall of Fame page, it states it was during his first running of the Manhattan.)
Roseben was a popular sensation for three seasons, running his races of seven or less furlongs, putting together winning streaks of six and seven races at a time. But in the end, at age eight, he wound up in three lowly claiming races. In the last, where he could have been claimed for $1,000, he bowed a tendon. He was second and gaining when he, as the record book says, "stopped badly."
Retirement
Retired, he was given to James Wadsworth, a New York State politician, who then gave the huge gelding to his daughter as a pleasure horse.In 1918, Roseben died at the age of 17.