Colin (horse)
Encyclopedia
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
.
with three white socks, a stripe and snip on his face, foaled in 1905 at Castleton Stud in Kentucky
, owned by London
born financier, James R. Keene
. Colin was from the third crop of foals by the stakes-winning and leading sire, Commando
(by Domino
), who had been bred by James Keene. Colin's dam was the English
stakes-winning Pastorella (GB), by Springfield.
inductee, James G. Rowe, Sr. Rowe had handled many top quality horses in his long career, including Sysonby
, Hindoo
(who was never unplaced), and the first filly to win the Kentucky Derby
, Regret
. Rowe and his horses, Miss Woodford
, Luke Blackburn
, Whisk Broom II
, Commando
, Peter Pan
were inducted into the Hall of Fame.
James Keene, was not keen on Colin, noting the disfiguring curb, or thoroughpin, meaning that Colin had an enlarged hock. He'd been just as disdainful of an earlier purchase: Colin's grandsire Domino, (another eventual Horse of the Year
in 1893 and Hall of Famer), but his son, Foxwell Keene, went ahead and bought Domino anyway.
A friend of Keene's, De Courcey Forbes, always named the Castleton foals. Colin was for "Poor Colin", a pastoral poem by the English poet laureate
Nicholas Rowe
, thus neatly connecting the name of Colin's dam and the name of his trainer, a trainer who took a keen interest in his horses. A hands-on trainer, Rowe was famous for the personal attention he paid to his horses. He literally traveled in the same railroad car with them. Aware that Colin's swollen hock would give him trouble, Rowe attended to it diligently with massages and cold water baths.
Consistently rated as one of the best horses in American
racing history, and a real celebrity with both fans and horsemen, Colin started fifteen times in his two-year career and never lost a race. Twelve of these races were when he was still a two-year-old. In an age that valued stamina and maturity, Colin was still viewed with awe by the horsemen of his time. Sportswriter Abram Hewitt said, "The blood surges, and the pulses quicken at the very sight of such Olympians on the track." Hewitt had "listened to old-time horsemen talk about Colin with an other-world expression on their faces." Colin was voted the Eclipse Award
for Horse of the Year
twice: in 1907 and 1908. He was also America's Champion Three-Year-Old Male in 1908.
Colin's last victory came on June 20, 1908 after which he was sent to England
to race, but was pulled up lame in a workout and was retired.
. He still managed to sire 11 stakes winners out of 81 foals in 23 seasons at stud, which translates into 14% of his get. His best galloper was Jock (1924 from Kathleen by *Sempronius; 17 wins and $95,255). His son, Neddie was the paternal grandsire of the great Alsab
. Another was On Watch, the broodmare sire of another great, Stymie
.
He died in 1932 at the age of twenty-seven on Belray Farm near Middleburg, Virginia. Colin's lifetime earnings amounted to $180,912.
Kent Hollingsworth wrote in "The Great Ones": "Great horses have been beaten by mischance, racing luck, injury and lesser horses running the race of their lives. None of these, however, took Colin. He was unbeatable."
in 1956. In The Blood-Horse magazine
ranking of the top 100 U.S. thoroughbred champions of the 20th Century
, he was ranked #15. It would be eighty years before another horse, Personal Ensign
, retired unbeaten in America.
During his day, James Rowe was considered America's greatest trainer. Yet all he wanted on his epitaph were these three words: He trained Colin.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
greatest 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...
racehorses. He retired undefeated after 15 starts and as a sire appears in the pedigree of the champion racehorse, Alsab
Alsab
Alsab was an American Hall of Fame Thoroughbred racehorse. Alsab was voted the 1941 U.S. Champion Two-Year-Old Colt and in his three-year-old season in which jockey Basil James rode him to a win in the Preakness Stakes and second-place to Shut Out in both the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes, he...
.
Pedigree
He was a brown coltColt (horse)
A colt is a young male horse, under the age of four. The term "colt" is often confused with foal, which refers to a horse of either sex under one year of age....
with three white socks, a stripe and snip on his face, foaled in 1905 at Castleton Stud in Kentucky
Kentucky
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...
, owned by London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
born financier, 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...
. Colin was from the third crop of foals by the stakes-winning and leading sire, Commando
Commando (horse)
Commando was an American Hall of Fame Champion Thoroughbred racehorse. Bred at Castleton Stud by owner James R. Keene, Commando raced at age two, winning five of his six starts and finishing second in the other as a result of jockey error. At age three, Commando raced only three times, winning the...
(by Domino
Domino (horse)
Domino was a 19th-century American thoroughbred race horse.-Background:A dark brown, almost black*, colt, Domino was sired by Himyar out of the mare Mannie Gray.Sam Hildreth writes in his book, "The Spell of the Turf" that he looked black was actually a deep chestnut. Himyar was out of speed...
), who had been bred by James Keene. Colin's dam was 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...
stakes-winning Pastorella (GB), by Springfield.
Racing career
Colin was trained by 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...
inductee, James G. Rowe, Sr. Rowe had handled many top quality horses in his long career, including Sysonby
Sysonby
Sysonby was an American Thoroughbred racehorse. He won every start easily, except one, at distances from one mile to two and a quarter miles...
, Hindoo
Hindoo (horse)
Hindoo was an outstanding American Thoroughbred race horse who won 30 of his 35 starts, including the Kentucky Derby, the Travers Stakes and the Clark Handicap. He later sired the Preakness Stakes winner Buddhist and the Belmont Stakes winner and Leading sire in North America, Hanover.He was a bay...
(who was never unplaced), and the first filly to win the Kentucky Derby
Kentucky Derby
The Kentucky Derby is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred horses, held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The race is one and a quarter mile at Churchill Downs. Colts and geldings carry...
, Regret
Regret (horse)
Regret was a famous American thoroughbred racehorse and the first of three fillies to ever win the Kentucky Derby.-Background:She was foaled at Harry Payne Whitney's Brookdale Farm in Lincroft, New Jersey...
. Rowe and his horses, Miss Woodford
Miss Woodford (horse)
Miss Woodford was a brown Thoroughbred racemare that became one of the best American fillies of all time. At one stage she won 16 consecutive races during her racing career....
, Luke Blackburn
Luke Blackburn (horse)
Luke Blackburn was a Thoroughbred race horse born and bred in Tennessee by Capt. James Franklin.-Background:Sired by Bonnie Scotland, his dam was Nevada out of perhaps the most influential stallion America ever produced, the great Lexington. A bay foal, he was sold at two to Capt. Jim Williams...
, Whisk Broom II
Whisk Broom II
Whisk Broom II was American-bred Thoroughbred racehorse who raced in the United Kingdom and in the United States.-Background:...
, Commando
Commando (horse)
Commando was an American Hall of Fame Champion Thoroughbred racehorse. Bred at Castleton Stud by owner James R. Keene, Commando raced at age two, winning five of his six starts and finishing second in the other as a result of jockey error. At age three, Commando raced only three times, winning the...
, Peter Pan
Peter Pan I
Peter Pan was an American Thoroughbred racehorse and sire, bred and raced by prominent horseman, James R. Keene. As winner of the Belmont Stakes, the Brooklyn Derby and the Brighton Handicap, he was later inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame...
were inducted into the Hall of Fame.
James Keene, was not keen on Colin, noting the disfiguring curb, or thoroughpin, meaning that Colin had an enlarged hock. He'd been just as disdainful of an earlier purchase: Colin's grandsire Domino, (another eventual Horse of the Year
Eclipse Award for Horse of the Year
The American Award for Horse of the Year is the highest honor given in American thoroughbred horse racing. It has been awarded since 1887 to the horse, irrespective of age, whose performance during the racing year is deemed the most outstanding....
in 1893 and Hall of Famer), but his son, Foxwell Keene, went ahead and bought Domino anyway.
A friend of Keene's, De Courcey Forbes, always named the Castleton foals. Colin was for "Poor Colin", a pastoral poem by the English poet laureate
Poet Laureate
A poet laureate is a poet officially appointed by a government and is often expected to compose poems for state occasions and other government events...
Nicholas Rowe
Nicholas Rowe (dramatist)
Nicholas Rowe , English dramatist, poet and miscellaneous writer, was appointed Poet Laureate in 1715.-Life:...
, thus neatly connecting the name of Colin's dam and the name of his trainer, a trainer who took a keen interest in his horses. A hands-on trainer, Rowe was famous for the personal attention he paid to his horses. He literally traveled in the same railroad car with them. Aware that Colin's swollen hock would give him trouble, Rowe attended to it diligently with massages and cold water baths.
Consistently rated as one of the best horses in American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
racing history, and a real celebrity with both fans and horsemen, Colin started fifteen times in his two-year career and never lost a race. Twelve of these races were when he was still a two-year-old. In an age that valued stamina and maturity, Colin was still viewed with awe by the horsemen of his time. Sportswriter Abram Hewitt said, "The blood surges, and the pulses quicken at the very sight of such Olympians on the track." Hewitt had "listened to old-time horsemen talk about Colin with an other-world expression on their faces." Colin was voted the Eclipse Award
Eclipse Award
The Eclipse Award is an American thoroughbred horse racing award named after the 18th century British racehorse and sire, Eclipse. The Eclipse Awards, honoring the champions of the sport, are sponsored by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association , Daily Racing Form and the National Turf Writers...
for Horse of the Year
Eclipse Award for Horse of the Year
The American Award for Horse of the Year is the highest honor given in American thoroughbred horse racing. It has been awarded since 1887 to the horse, irrespective of age, whose performance during the racing year is deemed the most outstanding....
twice: in 1907 and 1908. He was also America's Champion Three-Year-Old Male in 1908.
Two-year-old season
- Won his maiden race against 23 rivals at Belmont ParkBelmont ParkBelmont 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...
on May 29, 1907 as the 6/5 favorite. - National Stallion Stakes (racing just three days later, he broke the track record)
- Eclipse StakesEclipse StakesThe Eclipse Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Sandown Park over a distance of 1 mile, 2 furlongs and 7 yards , and it is scheduled to take place each year in early July.-History:The event is named after Eclipse, a...
(raced four days later with bucked shins and carrying 125 pounds in the pouring rain) - Great Trial Stakes (given 24 days rest, carrying 129 pounds, won without extending himself)
- Brighton Junior Stakes (beginning to be talked of as the "best two-year-old in history. His swollen hock was beginning to recede, but he began coughing.)
- 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....
(still coughing, and not looking well, Colin defeated the previously unbeaten Uncle. His jockey, the eventual Hall of FameNational Museum of Racing and Hall of FameThe 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...
inductee, Walter MillerWalter Miller (jockey)Walter Miller was an American jockey.Miller was Jewish, and was born in Brooklyn, New York.He rode in his first race at age 14. At the age of 16, he won 388 races , and between the years 1905 and 1908 he won 1,094 races. He led the U.S...
, said, "I could have gone away at any time. Even if loafing along, he can get into action quicker than any horse I have ever seen when it becomes necessary. Seems to me he can go right from a loafing gallop into his full racing speed in one stride," but he "never wants to do any more than he has to.") - Grand Union Hotel StakesGrand Union Hotel StakesThe Grand Union Hotel Stakes was an American Thoroughbred horse race run at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. A sprint race, it was open to two-year-old horses and run on dirt over a distance of six furlongs....
(four days later, without exertion and without a cough. Said the "The Thoroughbred Record," "Colin has become as much of a public idol at SaratogaSaratoga Race CourseSaratoga Race Course is a Thoroughbred horse racing track in Saratoga Springs, New York, United States. It opened on August 3, 1863, and is the oldest organized sporting venue of any kind in the United States. It is typically open for racing from late July through early September.-History:John...
as he was at Brighton Beach and Sheepshead Bay and his defeat would have been looked upon as a public calamity.") - Futurity Stakes (50,000 showed up at Sheepshead Bay to watch. Colin was "the absolute master of the situation," winning in stakes-record time of 1:11⅕ for the straight six furlongs.)
- Flatbush Stakes (although promised time off and a rest, Colin raced one week later, winning by three lengths)
- Brighton Produce (about this and the Matron Stakes, "The Thoroughbred Record" exclaimed, "The more one sees of him, the more firm is the conviction that he is the best horse ever bred in America or ever raced here.")
- Matron StakesMatron Stakes (USA)The Matron Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race once held annually during the second week of September at Belmont Park in Elmont, Long Island, New York, but is now a Spring/Summer event along with the Futurity Stakes. Open to two-year-old fillies, it is contested on dirt at a distance at...
(Colt's Division, defeated Fair PlayFair Play (horse)Fair Play was an American-bred Thoroughbred racehorse who was successful on the track, but even more so as a sire.His grandsire was Spendthrift, whose grandsire was the English Triple Crown champion West Australian....
) - Champagne StakesChampagne Stakes (USA)The Champagne Stakes is an American Grade I Thoroughbred horse race for two-year-old horses. The race is run at a distance of one mile on the dirt at Belmont Park in October each year. It is nested exclusively by colts....
(won by six lengths, beating the only filly to show up, Stamina. Colin was mobbed in the paddock by fans. "The Thoroughbred Record" was overcome by his dominance. He also established a new American record of 1:23 for the distance on a straightaway.)
Three-year-old season
- Withers StakesWithers StakesThe Withers Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds willing to compete one mile on the dirt. Held at Aqueduct Racetrack every year at the end of April , it is a Grade III event, and offers a purse of $150,000...
- with regular jockey Walter Miller increasingly having difficulty making weight, a new jockey and another eventual Hall of Famer, Joe NotterJoe NotterJoseph A. Notter was an American Hall of Fame jockey and winner of two of the American Classic Races.A native of Brooklyn, New York, Joe Notter rode prominently in the first decades of the 20th century...
, rode him to victory. - Belmont StakesBelmont StakesThe Belmont Stakes is an American Grade I stakes Thoroughbred horse race held every June at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. It is a 1.5-mile horse race, open to three year old Thoroughbreds. Colts and geldings carry a weight of 126 pounds ; fillies carry 121 pounds...
. (Not timed because of heavy rain; Colin ran lame in the fog over the objections of Rowe, and thanks to the keenness of Keene. Again, he defeated a very game Fair Play.) - Tidal Stakes (a political statement by Keene, claiming Colin would fill the stands even though New YorkNew YorkNew 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...
had recently banned gambling. They came out to see him, though not exactly filling the stands.)
Colin's last victory came on June 20, 1908 after which he was sent to England
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...
to race, but was pulled up lame in a workout and was retired.
Stud record
Colin stood his first season in 1909 at Heath Stud, near Newmarket, England for a fee of 98 guineas. He was neglected by the English breeders due to his American bloodlines. First in England, and then back in Kentucky after Keene died, Colin was plagued by infertility problems. In c. 1913 Colin was purchased for $30,000 by Wickliffe Stud where he stood until the stud was dispersed in January, 1918. Edward B. McLean then purchased the 13-year-old Colin for $5,100 to stand at his Belray Farm, near Middleburg, VirginiaMiddleburg, Virginia
Middleburg is a town in Loudoun County, Virginia, United States with a population of approximately 976 as of July 2010.-History:The town was established in 1787 by American Revolutionary War Lieutenant Colonel and Virginia statesman, Levin Powell. He purchased the land for Middleburg at $2.50 per...
. He still managed to sire 11 stakes winners out of 81 foals in 23 seasons at stud, which translates into 14% of his get. His best galloper was Jock (1924 from Kathleen by *Sempronius; 17 wins and $95,255). His son, Neddie was the paternal grandsire of the great Alsab
Alsab
Alsab was an American Hall of Fame Thoroughbred racehorse. Alsab was voted the 1941 U.S. Champion Two-Year-Old Colt and in his three-year-old season in which jockey Basil James rode him to a win in the Preakness Stakes and second-place to Shut Out in both the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes, he...
. Another was On Watch, the broodmare sire of another great, Stymie
Stymie (horse)
Stymie was an American Thoroughbred racehorse. Stymie was bred by Max Hirsch, and was born on King Ranch, in Texas.As a young horse, Stymie possessed so terrible a disposition that his ability to race was hampered; his trainer did not see much in him...
.
He died in 1932 at the age of twenty-seven on Belray Farm near Middleburg, Virginia. Colin's lifetime earnings amounted to $180,912.
Kent Hollingsworth wrote in "The Great Ones": "Great horses have been beaten by mischance, racing luck, injury and lesser horses running the race of their lives. None of these, however, took Colin. He was unbeatable."
Honors
Colin 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 1956. In The Blood-Horse magazine
The Blood-Horse magazine
The Blood-Horse is an international weekly news magazine about Thoroughbred horses, horse breeding, and horseracing. It was founded in 1916, the oldest continually published North American Thoroughbred magazine. The magazine is based in Lexington, Kentucky, the Horse Capital of the World...
ranking of the top 100 U.S. thoroughbred champions of the 20th Century
Blood-Horse magazine List of the Top 100 U.S. Racehorses of the 20th Century
In 1999, a panel for The Blood-Horse magazine was made up of distinguished horse racing people: Howard Battle, Lenny Hale, Jay Hovdey, William Nack, Pete Pedersen, Jennie Rees and Tommy Trotter. These experts compiled a list of what they considered to be the top 100 United States thoroughbred...
, he was ranked #15. It would be eighty years before another horse, Personal Ensign
Personal Ensign
Personal Ensign was an American champion Thoroughbred racehorse.A bay filly by Private Account out of Grecian Banner , she was the undefeated winner of 13 races and won $1,679,880 in the United States from 1986 to 1988...
, retired unbeaten in America.
During his day, James Rowe was considered America's greatest trainer. Yet all he wanted on his epitaph were these three words: He trained Colin.