Sysonby
Encyclopedia
Sysonby was an American
Thoroughbred
racehorse. He won every start easily, except one, at distances from one mile to two and a quarter miles. His superiority as a two and three-year-old was unchallenged during his short career of 15 race starts.
, he was a bay son of the 1885 Epsom Derby
winner, Melton, out of the English
mare Optime by Orme (by the undefeated Ormonde
). The mating of Melton and Optime was arranged by Marcus Daly
who was involved with the Anaconda Copper Mine. But Daly died before Optime, stabled in England, could foal. His stock, including the still pregnant Optime, was brought to New York
to be auctioned. James R. Keene
, purchased Optime for $6,600, sending her to his Castleton Stud in Kentucky, which he rarely visited.
Apparently Optime's foal, observed in his paddock, was anything but inspiring. Considered unattractive and small, as well as slow, young Sysonby was to be sent back to England for sale. But Keene's trainer, the well-regarded James G. Rowe, Sr. had seen Sysonby in action during some early trials. When it was time for the yearlings to be sent away, Rowe, a leading trainer who had once been a leading jockey (guiding Harry Bassett to his Saratoga Cup win amongst many other successes), covered Sysonby in blankets convincing Keene he was too ill to make the long ocean journey.
where he came in an unaccountable third, beaten by the filly
Tradition and the filly Artful
. Artful ranked 94th in the top 100 U.S. Thoroughbred champions of the 20th Century by Blood-Horse magazine). Rowe wrested the truth from Sysonby's groom whom he'd seen exhibiting a rather large sum of money. The groom admitted he'd been bribed to drug Sysonby before the race.
If not drugged, nothing beat Sysonby. The turf writer Neil Newman ranked Sysonby as one of the three best colts he'd ever seen. The other two were Colin
(also trained by Rowe) and Man o' War
.
Sysonby's racing life was brief, but brilliant with winning margins of up to 10 lengths. His only loss was the Sheepshead Bay Futurity. Sysonby was the top money earner of 1905 and his lifetime earnings were $184,438.
's American Museum of Natural History
to become part of the Chubb series of skeletons as studies in anatomy and locomotion. At this time, Sysonby is in the storage area of the Museum with other horses of the Chubb Collection. These other horses include Lexington
, General Philip Sheridan
's American Civil War
steed, Winchester, General Robert E. Lee
's Traveller
, Commanche, the sole survivor of the Battle of the Little Big Horn, and Roy Rogers
' Trigger
.
in Saratoga Springs, New York
in 1956. He was also recognized by Blood Horse magazine as one of the true greats of the Twentieth Century. In the list of the top 100 U.S. Thoroughbred champions of the 20th Century by Blood-Horse magazine, the little bay Sysonby ranks 30th.
James Rowe, Sr. was also inducted posthumously into the Hall of Fame as a trainer.
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...
racehorse. He won every start easily, except one, at distances from one mile to two and a quarter miles. His superiority as a two and three-year-old was unchallenged during his short career of 15 race starts.
Background
Foaled in KentuckyKentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
, he was a bay son of the 1885 Epsom Derby
Epsom Derby
The Derby Stakes, popularly known as The Derby, internationally as the Epsom Derby, and under its present sponsor as the Investec Derby, is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies...
winner, Melton, out of the English
England
England 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...
mare Optime by Orme (by the undefeated Ormonde
Ormonde
Ormonde was an English Thoroughbred racehorse, an unbeaten Triple Crown winner, generally considered to be one of the greatest racehorses ever.-Breeding:...
). The mating of Melton and Optime was arranged by Marcus Daly
Marcus Daly
Marcus Daly redirects here, see also Marcus Daly Marcus Daly was an Irish-born American businessman known as one of the three "Copper Kings" of Butte, Montana, United States.- Early life:...
who was involved with the Anaconda Copper Mine. But Daly died before Optime, stabled in England, could foal. His stock, including the still pregnant Optime, was brought to New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
to be auctioned. James R. Keene
James R. Keene
James Robert Keene was a Wall Street stock broker and a major thoroughbred race horse owner and breeder.-Biography:He was born in London, England in 1838. He was fourteen years of age when his family emigrated to the United States in 1852...
, purchased Optime for $6,600, sending her to his Castleton Stud in Kentucky, which he rarely visited.
Apparently Optime's foal, observed in his paddock, was anything but inspiring. Considered unattractive and small, as well as slow, young Sysonby was to be sent back to England for sale. But Keene's trainer, the well-regarded James G. Rowe, Sr. had seen Sysonby in action during some early trials. When it was time for the yearlings to be sent away, Rowe, a leading trainer who had once been a leading jockey (guiding Harry Bassett to his Saratoga Cup win amongst many other successes), covered Sysonby in blankets convincing Keene he was too ill to make the long ocean journey.
Racing career
In the care of James Rowe, Sysonby showed his true mettle. He won everything Rowe entered him in, and by sizable margins... all except the Futurity Stakes (USA)Futurity Stakes (USA)
The Futurity Stakes, commonly referred to as the Belmont Futurity, is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually in mid September at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. Open to two-year-old horses, it is raced on dirt over a distance of seven furlongs.The creation of James G. K...
where he came in an unaccountable third, beaten by the filly
Filly
A filly is a young female horse too young to be called a mare. There are several specific definitions in use.*In most cases filly is a female horse under the age of four years old....
Tradition and the filly Artful
Artful (horse)
Artful was born at the Westbury Stable at Old Westbury on Long Island into a prominent racing family begun in 1898 by William Collins Whitney. The Whitney family remain to this day a leading name in the sport of Thoroughbred horse racing....
. Artful ranked 94th in the top 100 U.S. Thoroughbred champions of the 20th Century by Blood-Horse magazine). Rowe wrested the truth from Sysonby's groom whom he'd seen exhibiting a rather large sum of money. The groom admitted he'd been bribed to drug Sysonby before the race.
If not drugged, nothing beat Sysonby. The turf writer Neil Newman ranked Sysonby as one of the three best colts he'd ever seen. The other two were Colin
Colin (horse)
Colin was one of America's greatest Thoroughbred racehorses. He retired undefeated after 15 starts and as a sire appears in the pedigree of the champion racehorse, Alsab.-Pedigree:...
(also trained by Rowe) and Man o' War
Man O' War (horse)
Man o' War, is considered one of the greatest Thoroughbred racehorses of all time. During his career just after World War I, he won 20 of 21 races and $249,465 in purses....
.
Sysonby's wins
Over the course of his two year racing career, Sysonby won:- 1st - Brighton Junior Stakes
- 1st - Flash StakesFlash StakesThe Flash Stakes was an important and prestigious race for two-year-old Thoroughbred horses and one of the longest running horse racing events in America. Run before races were graded, the Flash was won by a host of starry names...
- 1st - Saratoga Special StakesSaratoga Special StakesThe Saratoga Special Stakes is an American grade II thoroughbred horse race run annually in mid-August at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. The race is for two-year-olds willing to race six and a half furlongs on the dirt....
- 1st - Junior Champion Stakes
- 1st - Metropolitan HandicapMetropolitan HandicapThe Metropolitan Handicap, frequently called the "Met Mile," is an American Grade I Thoroughbred horse race held annually during the last week of May at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. Open to horses age three and older, it is contested on dirt over a distance of one mile .The Met Mile was first...
(in a dead heat with the older horse, Race King, who carried 97 pounds against his 107 pounds and who had raced seven times while Sysonby had not raced for seven and a half months. It was also Sysonby's first experience in a race longer than 6 furlongFurlongA 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.) - 1st - Tidal Stakes
- 1st - Commonwealth Handicap
- 1st - Lawrence Realization StakesLawrence Realization StakesThe Lawrence Realization Stakes was an American horse race first run on the turf in 1889. The race, for three-year-old Thoroughbred colts, geldings and fillies, was last run in 2005.-History:...
- 1st - Iroquois StakesIroquois HandicapThe Iroquois Handicap run at Belmont Park on Long Island, New York in the fall of the year, is a 7 furlong race for Thoroughbred fillies and mares, aged three and up, that are New York-bred. It offers a purse of $125,000...
- 1st - Brighton DerbyBrighton DerbyThe Brighton Derby was an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually by the Brighton Beach Racing Association at its Brighton Beach Race Course at Brighton Beach on Coney Island, New York. Open to three-year-olds, it was contested at a distance of one and one half miles on dirt...
- 1st - Great Republic Stakes (where he was left at the post and had to overcome an almost hundred yard disadvantage, still beating Oiseau as well as BroomstickBroomstick (horse)Broomstick was a Thoroughbred race horse born and bred at the famous McGrathiana Stud in Kentucky, but more importantly, he was one of the great sires of American racing. Out of another great sire, the Hall of Famer Ben Brush, Broomstick went on after his racing career to produce champion after...
, a great son of the great Ben BrushBen Brush (horse)Ben Brush was a high class Thoroughbred racehorse and sire who won the 1896 Kentucky Derby. He was a bay stallion by Bramble out of Roseville by Reform...
.) - 1st - Century Stakes
- 1st - Annual Champion Stakes
Sysonby's racing life was brief, but brilliant with winning margins of up to 10 lengths. His only loss was the Sheepshead Bay Futurity. Sysonby was the top money earner of 1905 and his lifetime earnings were $184,438.
Death
At only four years and four months of age, Sysonby's career was cut short by death. He'd broken out with bloody sores all over his body, having contracted a serious disease called variola—and it proved fatal. Sysonby died on June 17, 1906 in his stall at Sheepshead Bay from septicemia brought on by an illness consisting of multiple skin lesions, fever and profound muscle wasting, now thought to be variola. After his early and unexpected death, his owner Keene donated his remains to New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
's American Museum of Natural History
American Museum of Natural History
The American Museum of Natural History , located on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City, United States, is one of the largest and most celebrated museums in the world...
to become part of the Chubb series of skeletons as studies in anatomy and locomotion. At this time, Sysonby is in the storage area of the Museum with other horses of the Chubb Collection. These other horses include Lexington
Lexington (horse)
Lexington was a United States Thoroughbred race horse who won six of his seven race starts. Perhaps his greatest fame came however as the most successful sire of the second half of the nineteenth century; he was the Leading sire in North America 16 times, and of his many brood mare and racer...
, General Philip Sheridan
Philip Sheridan
Philip Henry Sheridan was a career United States Army officer and a Union general in the American Civil War. His career was noted for his rapid rise to major general and his close association with Lt. Gen. Ulysses S...
's American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
steed, Winchester, General Robert E. Lee
Robert E. Lee
Robert Edward Lee was a career military officer who is best known for having commanded the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia in the American Civil War....
's Traveller
Traveller (horse)
Traveller was Confederate General Robert E. Lee's most famous horse during the American Civil War.-Birth and war service:...
, Commanche, the sole survivor of the Battle of the Little Big Horn, and Roy Rogers
Roy Rogers
Roy Rogers, born Leonard Franklin Slye , was an American singer and cowboy actor, one of the most heavily marketed and merchandised stars of his era, as well as being the namesake of the Roy Rogers Restaurants franchised chain...
' Trigger
Trigger (horse)
Trigger was a palomino horse, made famous in American Western films with his owner/rider, cowboy star Roy Rogers.-Pedigree:...
.
Honors
Sysonby was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of FameNational 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...
in Saratoga Springs, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
in 1956. He was also recognized by Blood Horse magazine as one of the true greats of the Twentieth Century. In the list of the top 100 U.S. Thoroughbred champions of the 20th Century by Blood-Horse magazine, the little bay Sysonby ranks 30th.
James Rowe, Sr. was also inducted posthumously into the Hall of Fame as a trainer.