Hamburg (horse)
Encyclopedia
Hamburg was an American
Thoroughbred
race horse bred in Kentucky
by James E. Kittson, brother to Norman W. Kittson who had been partners in Erdenheim Stud. His sire was the great Hanover
by another great, Hindoo
.
In 1897, he was purchased for $1,200 by the Hall of Fame
trainer John E. Madden
who raced him as a two-year-old. Madden said he was the hardest colt
he'd ever trained. But once "tamed," he was quick to exercise and very eager to eat.
At two, Hamburg carried 129 pounds in the Double Event, Flash, and Autumn Stakes, 132 in the Electric Handicap, 134 pounds in the Congress Hall, and in the Great Eastern, he was loaded with 135 pounds. Some of his better rivals carried almost as much, but these weights were, and remain, very high, especially for a juvenile horse. On the Hall of Fame site, it states that Hamburg “carried the highest weights ever by a juvenile.”
Hamburg was so eager to race, his rapid breaks often caused the official starter's ability to be questioned. Tod Sloan
, the Hall of Fame jockey
who rode him and hundreds of other horses, many of whom were highly regarded, said, "Hamburg was the only great horse I ever rode."
In December 1897, Madden sold Hamburg for $40,000 to Marcus Daly
, the copper
magnate, who turned him over to his trainer, Billy Lakeland. (Even so, Madden thought so much of Hamburg, he named his farm in Lexington, Kentucky
Hamburg Place after him.) Marcus Daly, one of three men called the Copper Kings
, maintained the Bitter Root Stock Farm in Hamilton, Montana
but kept Hamburg in the East at his trainers facilities. At age three, Hamburg won for Daly as he'd won for Madden. In the Realization Stakes
, he beat Plaudit
, the winner of the 1898 Kentucky Derby
. In the Brighton Cup, he bested the Brooklyn and Parkway Stakes winner, Howard Mann.
That year, 1898, he won the American Horse of the Year honor.
.
Hamburg was the Leading sire in North America
in 1905. He produced at least 27 stakes winners, including Artful
, Dandelion, Burgomaster (out of the mare
Hurley Burley
), Pegasus, Frizette, and Borrow. He was the damsire of Regret
, the first filly
to win the Kentucky Derby
and of another great filly, Maskette
.
Hamburg was inducted into the Hall of Fame
in 1986.
Hamburg died in New Jersey on September 10, 1915.
Charles Cary Rumsey
, an American sculptor and polo playing friend, was commissioned by Harry Whitney to create a sculpture of Hamburg.
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...
race horse bred 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...
by James E. Kittson, brother to Norman W. Kittson who had been partners in Erdenheim Stud. His sire was the great Hanover
Hanover (thoroughbred horse)
Hanover was a champion American Thoroughbred racehorse that won his first 17 race starts. He was the only American stallion to head the Leading sire in North America list for four consecutive years until Bold Ruler did so in 1965.-Background:...
by another great, 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...
.
In 1897, he was purchased for $1,200 by the 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...
trainer John E. Madden
John E. Madden
John Edward Madden was a prominent AmericanThoroughbred and Standardbred owner, breeder and trainer in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. He owned Hamburg Place Stud in Lexington, Kentucky and bred five Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes winners.He was inducted into the National...
who raced him as a two-year-old. Madden said he was the hardest colt
Colt (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....
he'd ever trained. But once "tamed," he was quick to exercise and very eager to eat.
At two, Hamburg carried 129 pounds in the Double Event, Flash, and Autumn Stakes, 132 in the Electric Handicap, 134 pounds in the Congress Hall, and in the Great Eastern, he was loaded with 135 pounds. Some of his better rivals carried almost as much, but these weights were, and remain, very high, especially for a juvenile horse. On the Hall of Fame site, it states that Hamburg “carried the highest weights ever by a juvenile.”
Hamburg was so eager to race, his rapid breaks often caused the official starter's ability to be questioned. Tod Sloan
Tod Sloan (jockey)
James Forman "Tod" Sloan was an American thoroughbred horse racing jockey. He was elected to the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1955.-Early life and U.S. racing career:...
, the Hall of Fame jockey
Jockey
A jockey is an athlete who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing.-Etymology:...
who rode him and hundreds of other horses, many of whom were highly regarded, said, "Hamburg was the only great horse I ever rode."
In December 1897, Madden sold Hamburg for $40,000 to 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:...
, the copper
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
magnate, who turned him over to his trainer, Billy Lakeland. (Even so, Madden thought so much of Hamburg, he named his farm in Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington is the second-largest city in Kentucky and the 63rd largest in the US. Known as the "Thoroughbred City" and the "Horse Capital of the World", it is located in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass region...
Hamburg Place after him.) Marcus Daly, one of three men called the Copper Kings
Copper Kings
The Copper Kings, industrialists William Andrews Clark, Marcus Daly, and F. Augustus Heinze, were collectively known for the epic battles they fought in Butte, Montana and the surrounding region during the Gilded Age over the control of the local copper mining industry, a fight which had...
, maintained the Bitter Root Stock Farm in Hamilton, Montana
Hamilton, Montana
Hamilton is a city in and the county seat of Ravalli County, Montana, United States. The population was 3,705 at the 2000 census. Significant outlying population growth is shown in the area; the ZIP Code Tabulation Area for Hamilton's ZIP Code, 59840, had a population of 12,327at the 2000 census.-...
but kept Hamburg in the East at his trainers facilities. At age three, Hamburg won for Daly as he'd won for Madden. In the Realization Stakes
Lawrence Realization Stakes
The 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:...
, he beat Plaudit
Plaudit
Plaudit was an American Thoroughbred racehorse. A descendant of English Triple Crown champion, West Australian, Plaudit is best known for winning the 1898 Kentucky Derby....
, the winner of the 1898 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...
. In the Brighton Cup, he bested the Brooklyn and Parkway Stakes winner, Howard Mann.
That year, 1898, he won the American Horse of the Year honor.
Retirement
When owner Marcus Daly died in 1900, his horses were sold, with Hamburg bringing the highest price: $60,000. William Collins Whitney bought him for stud duty. W. C. Whitney died in 1904 at which point Hamburg was then auctioned, and bought for $70,000 by his son, Harry Payne WhitneyHarry Payne Whitney
Harry Payne Whitney was an American businessman, thoroughbred horsebreeder, and member of the prominent Whitney family.- Early years :...
.
Hamburg was the Leading sire in North America
Leading sire in North America
The list below shows the leading sire of Thoroughbred racehorses in North America for each year since 1830. This is determined by the amount of prizemoney won by the sire's progeny during the year...
in 1905. He produced at least 27 stakes winners, including 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....
, Dandelion, Burgomaster (out of the mare
Mare
Female horses are called mares.Mare is the Latin word for "sea".The word may also refer to:-People:* Ahmed Marzooq, also known as Mare, a footballer and Secretary General of Maldives Olympic Committee* Mare Winningham, American actress and singer...
Hurley Burley
Hurley Burley
Hurley Burley , was an American Thoroughbred race horse. Her breeder and owner was Ed Corrigan who raced out of the old Washington Park Race Track in Chicago, Illinois. In Corrigan’s time, he was the most powerful man in mid-Western racing...
), Pegasus, Frizette, and Borrow. He was the damsire of 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...
, the first 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....
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...
and of another great filly, Maskette
Maskette
Maskette was an American Thoroughbred Hall of Fame racehorse who never lost a race against her own sex.Bred by James R. Keene at his Castleton Farm near Lexington, Kentucky, Maskette was trained by future Hall of Fame inductee James G. Rowe, Sr...
.
Hamburg was inducted into the 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...
in 1986.
Hamburg died in New Jersey on September 10, 1915.
Charles Cary Rumsey
Charles Cary Rumsey
Charles Cary Rumsey was an American sculptor and an eight goal polo player.Born in Buffalo, New York, Charles Rumsey was the son of Laurence Dana Rumsey, a successful local businessman. His mother, Jennie Cary Rumsey, was the sister of sculptor, Seward Cary...
, an American sculptor and polo playing friend, was commissioned by Harry Whitney to create a sculpture of Hamburg.