Nostalgic Horse

IRON HORSES
Part I
by Don Coleman

There have been Thoroughbred champions! There have been Thoroughbred greats! None of them were necessarily Iron Horses! An Iron Horse might never have won a classic like the Kentucky Derby or earned millions of dollars or even raced in the top flight ranks of their particular generation. A good deal of them will never be known. Their records are hidden way back in the scrolls and parchment of horse racing’s minor histories,the claiming races and overnight handicaps and the rest of those events not in the spectrum of added money. Most of the ‘champions’ and ‘greats’ claim their status and soon are retired to the elysian pastures of breeding farms across the country and the world. Their time on the track is limited, and the way in which they are handled could sometimes be described as mild. In comparison to the stories of most Iron Horses, their lives are easy. An Iron Horse is one that raced, at whatever level, competing under either long or what normally might be considered harsh conditions. Usually both. Iron Horses are the ones that never seemed to falter from the assigned tasks at hand, whether that was trackside longevity or toting huge amounts of weight in the majority of their starts. A lot of them were geldings,whose long careers were determined by that circumstance. Some were regulated to their fate by the times into which they were foaled. Some were just too sound and productive to be retired early. Some didn’t race all that long, but put in performances so far beyond the norm that their abilities became legends.

During the decade from 1900 to 1910 one single old gelding probably epitomized this Iron Horse tradition more than any other. Roseben, by the imported Bend Or stallion Ben Strome out of Rose Leaf by Duke of Montrose was a standout in his era. A massive bay gelding, reaching nearly 18 hands high, he was foaled in 1901 at Dixiana Stud outside of Lexington, Kentucky. He was a sprinter, his best distances being below a mile, but formed that ability into something beyond just talent. From 1903, until he was retired at age 8 in 1909, he swept past the competition and garnered the racing world’s acknowledgement as the ‘Big Train’. The old saw that you can stop a freight train with weight didnít seem to apply to Roseben,and thus the nickname given him by his admirers. He faced the barriers 111 times, won 52 of those races, placed in 25 others, and ran third 12 times,going unplaced in less than one quarter of his attempts,usually under extreme assignments from the handicappers.

Large and uncoordinated as a youngster, Roseben took time to develop into the horse he later became. His breeder sold him, as a yearling, to John Drake who only kept him for a brief time. His only race, at two, was without merit,seeing him finish unplaced in against other maidens. Brought back to the races, at three, he had begun to reach some maturity and won his initial victory in a Morris Park event late in October of 1904. Drake immediately put Roseben up for auction, and he was taken away by Mr. Davy Johnson,his new owner. Under that gentleman’s colors he proceeded to add two more wins to his sophomore tallies, and ended the season with 9 starts and 3 firsts. At four his brilliance began to become apparent. His huge frame had filled in and he was at the beginning of the peak of his racing days. The early months of 1905 had seen him compete in 7 races and take 4, before being pointed to a meeting with the talented Race King in that yearís Tobaggan Handicap. Having dead heated, with Sysonby, in the Metropolitan Handicap earlier, Race King was the heavy favorite for the Tobaggan. Roseben won,despite having been required to concede Race King a 2 pound advantage for no apparent reason,considering the two horses’ previous records. The Claremont Handicap, and another meeting with Race King, followed. Race King was given a 9 pound draw in the weights in this one and again was beaten by Roseben. Johnson then regulated his horse to mostly overnight handicaps until late in the Fall. In several of these minor events he carried 140 pounds or more and won the majority. The highlight of his 1905 season was the Manhattan Handicap, though, then ran at 6 furlongs. Giving away from 42 to 47 pounds to his rivals, and carrying 147 pounds himself, he won by 5 lengths over the three year old Aeronaut and Race King again. He clocked the six furlongs in 1:11 3/5. He finished the 1905 campaign with a tally of 29 starts and 19 wins. 1906 saw him return to the races for 22 trips to the post and 11 wins. He won once under 144 pounds, came in second under 150, and then steamed his way to victories in the Carter, Manhattan, and Bayview Handicaps. He toted just 129 pounds to win the Carter, but in the Manhattan and Bayview his assignments were 147 and 146. Among his other starts that year was a 7 furlong allowance, at Belmont, where he established a world record for the distance of 1:22 flat. That marker remained on the books until Honeymoon broke it, at Hollywood Park, some decades later. It, also, stood as a Belmont record until Bold Ruler bested it in the 50s. In 1907 he won the Flight Handicap to continue his stakes winning accounts,but it would be the last. He wasn’t short on ability, but nonetheless was confined to allowance and overnight handicaps for his wins during the rest of that year. His weight carrying abilities certainly hadn’t disappeared. In one six furlong sprint he gave away 60 pounds and won going away. 1908 and 1909 finally saw him begin to decline. He started 26 times at 7 and won 9 races. At 8 he made only 10 appearances and could only win on 3 occasions,having dropped in class to the claiming ranks.

Looking at Roseben’s 111 starts, it can be found that he carried 130 pounds or more on 59 occasions, 140 pounds or more during 29 races, and was giving away weight to his opponents in 86 of his trips to the post. He won 14 of the times he carried 140 pounds or more. Few horses could accomplish so much under such burdens,even if their owners or trainers would permit it. As it became apparent that Roseben’s legs would no longer carry him in any sort of racing endeavor, Johnson showed heart and gave the gelding to a Mr. James Wadsworth to use as a hack. Wadsworth was a congressman, and Roseben could later be seen on the bridle paths of Washington D. C. being ridden by the new owner’s daughter. He died in 1918 and was inducted into the Racing Hall of Fame in 1956.

Sweetwater, Texas is probably the last place one would look to find the birthplace of a Thoroughbred as remarkable as Pan Zareta. Foaled in 1910, at about the same time as Roseben left the ranks, she was by the Hanover stallion Abe Frank out of Caddie Griffith by Iroquois’ son Rancocas. Her breeders were J.H. and H.S. Newman,Texas horsemen,in an era when Texas could still be considered part of the old west,and certainly not a piece of the established and regulated racing scene. These two gentlemen had, probably, acquired the dam for a reasonable sum,since her own granddam, Sallie Johnson, was one of those rare individuals registered by the Jockey Club, but given an asterisk as a non-Thoroughbred, her pedigree not being complete to the extents required for full registration. Trained and raced by the last named Newman, Pan Zareta made her own pedigree during the four years 1912 through 1916.

Her first start was an unplaced effort over 3 furlongs, at Juarez, on January 2, 1912. It would be followed by 150 additional races, 76 wins, 31 placings, and 21 shows,all to earn $39,082. The times were tough for racing and the pay was low when Pan Zareta came on the scene. During her days on the track she raced at Juarez, in Utah, in Montana, in Canada, back down in Texas, over in Arkansas, in Kentucky, New York, and Louisiana. It was a matter of going where she could earn a dollar with her absolute speed and heart. Most of the events she raced in were run without titles or names,though she did take the likes of the Chihuahua Stakes, Rio Grande Stakes, Chapultepec Handicap, and Senorita Stakes down in Mexico,her home base. Her fame never was acquired in stakes competition,it was gained by her record setting races and weight carrying abilities and rugged disposition. She equaled the American record for 5 1/2 furlongs, of 1:04 3/5, then lowered it to 1:04 2/5. She set a world record for 5 furlongs of :57 1/5. She ran a 1:11 4/5 6 furlongs under 146 pounds at Juarez. She claimed a track record at New Yorkís Jamaica Racecourse of 1:05 3/5 for 5 1/2 furlongs. She held the track record of 1:39 for the mile at Oaklawn Park. She carried imposts of up to 147 pounds numerous times,in winning efforts at Juarez, Oaklawn Park, Empire City, and Aqueduct.

E.T. Colton managed to purchase the mare, in 1916, when the Newmans were in financial difficulties. His intention was to retire and breed her. That venture proved fruitless, however, when she failed to conceive. As an eight year old, in 1918, she was placed back in training at the Fair Grounds. Before making her return, though, she was stricken with pneumonia and died on December 25, 1918. She was buried, there, in the track infield.

Col. Matt Winn once described Exterminator as the greatest all around Thoroughbred in American racing history,all around, being the keywords in this statement from the man known as the father of the Kentucky Derby. By McGee out of Fair Empress by Jim Gore, Exterminator was foaled on May 30, 1915 outside of Nicholsville, Kentucky, and by the time he finished his racing days he had indeed proven the truth of what Col. Winn later would say about him. He had established himself at distances from 6 furlongs to 2 1/4 miles, and claimed a spot in the Racing Hall of Fame,as well as fame as a true Iron Horse.

His breeder was F. D. Knight, who sold him to J. Cal Milam, as a yearling at the 1916 Saratoga Yearling Auction. The price was $1500. Milam was one of the original pinhookers,his intention in purchasing Exterminator being that he would eventually sell the horse, himself, at a profit. Until that time came around, though, he raced under Milam’s colors. Gelded as a two year old, Exterminator’s first start was on June 30, 1917 at Latonia Race Course. It was a six furlong maiden event, and he won by 3 lengths in 1:14 4/5. It was the first of 50 victories from 100 starts that included 34 added money wins and 20 tallies under 130 pounds or more.

At two he won the previously mentioned maiden affair and one other race, but ran out of the money on two occasions. After his fourth start, in July of 1917, he came back sore and was put away for nearly 10 months. During Exterminator’s time away from the track, W. S. Kilmer’s colt Sun Briar had marched on the scene and taken the nation’s juvenile championship to become the future book favorite for the next year’s Kentucky Derby. Reportedly, however, the Kilmer horse was not up to standards in the weeks before the Derby, and his trainer thought the presence of a horse to work with him in the mornings might correct some of the problems he was having. Kilmer purchased Exterminator for that purpose, paying Milam $9000 for the gelding. When Sun Briar failed to come to form, for the Derby, the new owner was left with the workhorse to carry his silks. Frustrated with the defection of his star entry, Kilmer told the press that: “Against my better judgment I’ll send him to the post instead of to a livery stable.” Those were words that Kilmer must have wished had never been spoken after the events of May 11, 1918. Off at odds of 30 to 1, Exterminator won the Derby by a length under jockey Willie Knapp. It was his first win in a stakes race and his first start of the year. During the rest of 1918 he added the Carrolton Handicap (8 1/2 furlongs), Ellicott City Handicap (9 furlongs), Pimlico Autumn Handicap (16 furlongs), and Latonia Cup (2 1/4 miles) to his record. ‘Old Bones’ as the fans nicknamed him would have six more seasons ahead of him.

In 1919 his skills were called upon 21 times,for 9 wins, 6 placings, and 3 shows. Among the nine were the Ben Ali Handicap (8 1/2 furlongs), Camden Handicap (10 furlongs under 132 pounds), Saratoga Cup (1 3/4 miles), and Pimlico Cup (2 1/4 miles). 1920 saw the gelding race 17 more times for an additional 10 victories,including the Long Beach Handicap (9 furlongs), Brookdale Handicap (9 furlongs under 129 pounds), Hendrie Handicap (8 1/4 furlongs toting 131 pounds), Windsor Handicap (9 furlongs), Ontario Cup (2 1/4 miles burdened with 134 pounds), Saratoga Cup (1 3/4 miles), Belmont Autumn Gold Cup (16 furlongs with 128 pounds), Toronto Autumn Cup (10 furlongs carrying 132 pounds), and another Pimlico Cup (2 1/4 miles). During these two years he was acknowledged as the best older horse in the country. 1919 and 1920 were, however, the years that Man O’ War was raging across America’s racing imagination, and Exterminator drew only a small measure of the recognition associated with that powerhouse. A match was suggested in 1920, but Man O’ War’s owner, Samuel Riddle, refused the offer and they never met.

1921 saw Exterminator race another 16 times for a total of 8 wins, 2 seconds, and 5 third place finishes. Two of his 8 victories were run in world record times. He took the Belmont Autumn Gold Cup, at 2 miles, in 3:21 4/5 and the Saratoga Cup, at 1 3/4 miles, in 2:56 2/5. He was handicapped with 130 pounds in the former. Among his other wins, that year, were the Long Beach Handicap (9 furlongs under 130 pounds), Merchants’ and Citizens’ Handicap (1 3/16 miles under 130 pounds), Independence Handicap (16 furlongs with 130 pounds on board), Toronto Autumn Cup (10 furlongs under 137), and once more the Pimlico Cup (2 1/4 miles). He had gained clear title to the honors of best older horse in the U.S.A., but was now, also, established as the best horse in the country,Man O’War having been retired to stud at the end of the previous year.

As a seven year old, in 1922, he had what was probably his finest season, with 10 wins from 17 attempts. Along with success comes weight, at least among the older horse divisions. In Exterminator’s case his average impost was 133 pounds, which he seemed to carry around like a feather. He won the Pimlico Handicap (8 1/2 furlongs under 133), Clark Handicap (10 furlongs under 133), Kentucky Special (10 furlongs with 138), Toronto Autumn Cup (10 furlongs under 132), Laurel Stakes (8 furlongs with 132), Harford Handicap (6 furlongs under 132), Saratoga Cup (1 3/4 miles with 126), and the Brooklyn Handicap (9 furlongs under 135). In the last named event he gave the Belmont Stakes winner Grey Lag his only defeat of the year,while conceding him nine pounds in the weights.

Age, the weights, and all of the rest caught up with Exterminator in 1923 and 1924. He won the Philadelphia Handicap (8 1/2 furlongs under 132) at eight, in 1923, but that was his last stakes victory and the only win from 3 starts that year. In 1924 he was brought out again for 7 more races, but could only claim 3 overnight trials. He was pensioned at the close of that season, and spent the rest of his days in retirement at Kilmer’s Sun Briar Court Farm in New York. He was inducted into the Racing Hall of Fame in 1957,a great Iron Horse among mere greats.

During the period from 1900 through the 1920s there were several Thoroughbreds that might be considered reliable nominees for this list of Iron Horses. Mike Hall, Iron Mask, and Osmand ranked high as weight carriers. Grey Lag was in and out of training from 1920 until 1931,never quite sound. Old Rosebud won the Kentucky Derby and raced 80 times, but had an up and down scenario similar to Grey Lag’s. Tippity Witchet, by Broomstick out of Lady Frivoles by St. Simon, who retired in 1929 at age 14, could have joined this cadre based on longevity. Never a player in the added money ranks, this one left the track with a record of 266 starts and 78 wins,certainly representative of the many lesser known horses that plowed on through the years from one racecourse to the next,keeping their stables in the black and pleasing the fans. One more from this era, though, does need mentioning here.

Bred by John E. Madden’s Hamburg Place nursery, Princess Doreen was by Spanish Prince II out of Lady Doreen by Ogden, and raced under the banner of Audley Farm. From 1923 until 1927, at ages 2 to 6, she made 94 trips to the post. 34 of those journeys resulted in winning efforts,generally against major competition and often under high imposts. As a juvenile there was nothing remarkable about her 13 starts and 5 wins that garnered $6,525 in earnings. She was a promising filly with a few races under her belt. During the next four seasons, though, she would come into her own, rise to the top of her divisions, and displace the 40 year old earnings record of Miss Woodford,with a sum of $174,745 in the bank. 1924 put Princess Doreen in competition 18 times for 8 wins. Her major victories came in the Kentucky Oaks and C.C.A. Oaks, racing against her own gender and three year old age group. 1925, however, marked a change in the way she was handled. She made it to the post on 25 different afternoons to record 11 wins, usually racing against males and under high weight assignments. She claimed the Cincinnati Enquirer Handicap carrying 129 pounds, the Western Hills Handicap under 126, the Covington Handicap toting 130, a running of the Autumn Handicap with 133 up, and ended the season via a light burden of 116 that put her to the advantage over Aga Khan in the Bowie Handicap. At five, in 1926, she made 26 starts and held sway in 6 races. Her two major stakes wins came in the Saratoga Handicap, where she bested Sarazan, and the Inaugural Handicap at Latonia. It was apparent that age and weight assignments, in 1926, were beginning to have their toll. Still, in 1927, she was returned to racing for another 12 races and 4 wins. Two of those 4 came in the Greater Chicago and Independence Handicaps, but it was obvious that her form had dwindled, and she was retired at the end of the season. She died in 1952 and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1982.

The glory days of the 1930s revolved around horses like Phar Lap, Equipoise, Gallant Fox and his son Omaha, Black Helen, War Admiral, Cavalcade, Johnstown, Sun Beau, Challedon, and Seabiscuit Everyone of them a champion. Sticking to the concept of the Iron Horse, though, one particular hero of that decade seems to fit into this specific description more than the rest.

By Fair Play’s highly temperamental son Display out of Ariadne by Light Brigade, Discovery was foaled at Walter J. Salmon, Sr.ís Mereworth Farm near Lexington, Kentucky in 1931. This particular bright chestnut colt, with characteristic white markings, caught the eye of Maryland’s Country Life Farm owner Adolph Pons, and he was duly purchased and put into training as a member of that gentleman’s stable. Brought up to the races in the Spring of 1933, Discovery concluded that year with 14 starts and just a pair of minor wins. He did, however, place in the Walden Handicap, Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes, Breedersí Futurity, Richard Johnson Stakes, and Hopeful Stakes,earning $6,397. Pons would be approached by fellow Maryland horseman Alfred G. Vanderbilt II, the following year, with an offer to purchase the colt for $25,000.

Cavalcade had been Discovery’s nemesis throughout the previous season, and would continue to be his main obstacle as a three year old under Vanderbiltís colors. He ran second to that colt in the Kentucky Derby, third behind him in the Chesapeake Stakes, second to him in the American Derby, and again second to him in the Arlington Classic, went unplaced in his Detroit Derby, and ran third behind the Brookmeade Stable colt in High Quest’s Preakness Stakes. Without the competition of Cavalcade, though, he did win a number of major races in 1934. His more prominent victories were in the Brooklyn Handicap, Kenner Stakes, Whitney Stakes, Potomac Handicap (under 128 pounds), and the Rhode Island Handicap (where he set a world record of 1:55 flat for 1 3/16 miles). Cavalcade was recognized as the year’s leading three year old, with Discovery drifting in his wake. From 16 starts he had won exactly one half,8 races,but was obviously out of his league against the star sophomore.

Discovery’s four year old campaign began in May of 1935, and by its conclusion his status had been adjusted to the championship level. He would race in 19 events and win 11 of them, all while carrying an average assignment of 130 pounds. The beginning of that season was not auspicious, though, as he lost his first five starts. From June 22nd on, however, he seemed to mature completely and take the bit in his teeth. He won a second Brooklyn Handicap (by 8 lengths in the world record time of 1:48 1/5 for 9 furlongs), beat Azucar by 30 lengths in the Detroit Challenge Cup (while equaling a 1 3/16 mile track record), took the Butler Handicap under 132 pounds, the Stars and Stripes Handicap by six lengths, the Arlington Handicap (carrying 135 and setting a 10 furlong track record of 2:01 1/5), the Bunker Hill Handicap (by 15 lengths under 131), Cincinnati Handicap (under 132), Wilson Stakes (by six lengths), Whitney Stakes (a second time), Hawthorne Gold Cup, and Merchants’ and Citizens’ Handicap (by two lengths under 139). In addition he had ran placed in the Narragansett Special (giving the winner a 19 pound concession below his 139 handicap) and Suburban Handicap. In the Massachusetts Handicap he gave up 22 pounds and 30 pounds, respectively, to the first and second place horses, Top Row and Whopper, and finished third,beaten a nose and a neck. The year was an extraordinary demonstration of talent, and earned the Vanderbilt colt the handicap champion and over all champion accolades.

At five Discovery made 14 more trips to the gate and won six of them. On 10 occasions he carried 130 pounds or more. He won the San Carlos Handicap (under 130), a third Whitney Stakes, a third Brooklyn Handicap (carrying 136), the Wilson Stakes, the Saratoga Handicap (beneath 132), and the Inchcape Handicap (toting 135). It wasn’t as spectacular a season as the previous one, after the weights started to rise each time he appeared on the track. When he was assigned 143 pounds for the 1 3/4 mile Merchants’ and Citizens’ Handicap and went unplaced it was certain that his useful days on the racecourse were numbered.

At the year’s end he was once more proclaimed the handicap division’s leader. It was, also, announced, however, that he would be retired to stud at Vanderbilt’s Sagamore Farm outside of Baltimore,where he remained active for 21 years. His racecourse totals read 63 starts, 27 wins, 10 placings, and 10 shows,with earnings of $195,287 in depression era cash. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1969.

Discovery represents all of the reasons that a good horse should be kept in training,if it is to prove its potential genetic worth. He was only a middling two year old and just above being only another accomplished three year old. At four and five, however, he was a formidable divisional leader and one of the most highly regarded horses of his times. If he had been retired at the end of his sophomore season the record would have told the story of his having been almost good enough,as opposed to one that screamed accomplishment. What the results of the former scenario might have been are hard to say. It might have led to his being ignored by a large segment of the country’s breeders. He could well have lost the opportunity to sire the broodmares Geisha, Miss Disco, and My Recipe,among others. That would have lost horse racing the likes of Native Dancer, Bold Ruler, Northern Dancer, Intentionally, In Reality, Raise A Native, Seattle Slew, Secretariat, and so on,like a tumbled row of dominoes. As it turned out, in the end, Discovery wasn’t sent to stud early and did prove to be more than worthy of the opportunities given him as a progenitor.

It is easy to see the wisdom in keeping Discovery on the track. With the sport’s current trend, horses retired early, like Empire Maker, Smarty Jones, Bernardini, Afleet Alex, Ghostzapper, even Scat Daddy,to name a few, may actually harm the breed tremendously in the long run.

No Responses yet