Lieutenant Gibson was an American

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 that was 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...

 and is best remembered for winning the 1900 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...

. His winning time of 2:06 1/4 stood as the Derby record for 11 years. Lieut. Gibson also won the Latonia Derby

Latonia Derby

The Latonia Derby was an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually from 1883 through 1937 at Latonia Race Track in Latonia, Kentucky. Open to three-year-old horses, for its first 52 years the Latonia Derby was contested at a mile and a half; in 1935, the race was shortened to a mile and a...

, Clark Stakes and the Flatbush Stakes as a three year old. He was the crowd favorite for the 1900 running of the American Derby

American Derby

The American Derby is a Thoroughbred horse race in the United States run annually at Arlington Park in Arlington Heights, Illinois. The inaugural American Derby was held at the city's old Washington Park race track and raced there until 1905 when the facility was closed and the track demolished....

, but ran a disappointing third in that race.

Shortly after his failure at the American Derby, Lieut. Gibson sustained a bowed tendon

Bowed tendon

Tendinitis/tendonitis is inflammation of a tendon. Many times, the tendon tissue is torn. A bowed tendon is a horseman's term for a tendon after a horse has sustained an injury that caused the tendon fibers to be torn, and then healed with "bowed" appearance.-Description of a Tendinitis in...

 and was retired from racing. The condition progressively worsened until surgery was attempted to repair the tendon and reduce the swelling in his leg. Unfortunately, the colt died during the operation on December 18, 1900 at the Washington Park Race Track

Washington Park Race Track

Washington Park Race Track was a popular horse racing venue in the Chicago metropolitan area from 1884 until 1977. It had two locations during its existence. It was first situated in what is the current location of the Washington Park Subdivision of the Woodlawn community area of Chicago in Cook...

, formerly located in Chicago, Illinois. The horse was secretly buried with little fanfare, with his death being leaked to the press more than a week after his passing. When the New York Times interviewed Lieut. Gibson's owner for comment, Charles Head Smith said the following.

"It was not my intention to say anything about Gibson's death, but it is true that he died a week ago Tuesday and was buried without any publicity. I had great confidence in Gibson. His sufferings were far more a matter of regret to me than could have been any pecuniary loss I experienced by the disabling of the colt. He was a brave horse, a well-bred one, and when he died I wanted him buried with just as little publicity as possible."