Ten Broeck
Encyclopedia
Ten Broeck was an American
U.S. Racing Hall of Fame
Thoroughbred
racehorse
whose 1878 match race
win in Louisville
against the great California
mare
, Mollie McCarty
was immortalized in the Kentucky
folk song commonly called Molly and Tenbrooks
.
Bred by John Harper at his farm near Midway, Kentucky
, Ten Broeck was sired by United Kingdom
import Phaeton, a son of Baron Mayer de Rothschild's
stallion
, King Tom
. Ten Broeck's dam was Fannie Holton. On John Harper's death, the horse became the property of his nephew, Frank B. Harper.
Ten Broeck raced once at age two, finishing third in a race for two-year-old colts at Lexington, Kentucky. In 1875 the three-year-old Ten Broeck defeated Aristides to win the Phoenix Hotel Stakes
. However, in May's Kentucky Derby
he had moved into second place by the three-quarters of a mile pole but faded to finish fifth behind winner, Aristides. Overall, that year Ten Broeck won five of his nine starts and continued to improve at age four, taking seven of eight races while setting a new World record
time for a four-mile race on dirt. http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&d=WCT18761201.2.9 http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9C0DE7D61F3FE73BBC4051DFBF66838D669FDE At age five, of his ten starts he won nine and finished second once. That only defeat came to Pierre Lorillard IV's
future Hall of Fame colt, Parole
in the Baltimore Special.
With sixteen wins and two seconds in eighteen starts during his last two racing seasons, Ten Broeck was brought back to race twice more in 1878, and won both times. Ridden by Billy Walker
, his much talked about match race victory over the Californian star Mollie McCarty
is recounted in the lyrics of the Kentucky folk song, Molly and Tenbrooks
.
Retired to stud
duty, Ten Broeck met with modest success. He sired 1885 Travers Stakes
winner Bersan
, and the 1884 and 1886 Tennessee Derby winners Ten Strike and Jim Gray. He was also the sire of the filly Ten Penny who won the 1888 Kentucky Oaks
and Tolu, winner of the 1884 Alabama Stakes
. He is the grandsire of 1904 Kentucky Derby
winner, Elwood
.
Ten Broeck died in 1887 (the same year the great Kincsem
of Hungary
died) and is buried at Nantura Stock Farm, (the farm was named by its owner, Uncle John Harper, for the dam of Longfellow
) in Midway, Kentucky
. According to the National Sporting Library
, his headstone
was the first ever erected for a Thoroughbred in the state of Kentucky. In 1982, Ten Broeck was inducted in the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
U.S. Racing 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...
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
Horse racing
Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...
whose 1878 match race
Match race
A match race is a race between two competitors, going head-to-head.The term may be best known as a race between two sailing boats racing around a course...
win in Louisville
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
against the great California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
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...
, Mollie McCarty
Mollie McCarty
Mollie McCarty, , foaled in 1873, was an outstanding California-based Thoroughbred racehorse who won her first 13 race starts and was second on the two occasions when she was defeated.-Breeding:...
was immortalized in the 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...
folk song commonly called Molly and Tenbrooks
Molly and Tenbrooks
"Molly and Tenbrooks," also known as "The Racehorse Song," is a traditional song of the late 19th century. One of the first recordings of the song was the Carver Brothers' 1929 version called "Tom Brooks." The song was recorded by Bill Monroe and His Blue Grass Boys on October 28, 1947 but not...
.
Bred by John Harper at his farm near Midway, Kentucky
Midway, Kentucky
Midway is a city in Woodford County, Kentucky, United States. Its population was 1,620 at the 2000 census. It is located midway between Frankfort and Lexington along the single-track railroad between them. It is part of the Lexington-Fayette Metropolitan Statistical Area. The town is home to a...
, Ten Broeck was sired by United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
import Phaeton, a son of Baron Mayer de Rothschild's
Mayer Amschel de Rothschild
Mayer Amschel de Rothschild of the English branch of the Rothschild family was the fourth and youngest son of Nathan Mayer Rothschild . He was named Mayer Amschel Rothschild, for his grandfather, the patriarch of the Rothschild family.-Life:Known to his family as "Muffy", he was born in New Court,...
stallion
Stallion (horse)
A stallion is a male horse that has not been gelded .Stallions will follow the conformation and phenotype of their breed, but within that standard, the presence of hormones such as testosterone may give stallions a thicker, "cresty" neck, as well as a somewhat more muscular physique as compared to...
, King Tom
King Tom
King Tom was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and a Leading sire in Great Britain & Ireland.-Pedigree:He was a bay horse foaled in 1851, sired by Harkaway and out of the exceptional mare Pocahontas by Glencoe...
. Ten Broeck's dam was Fannie Holton. On John Harper's death, the horse became the property of his nephew, Frank B. Harper.
Ten Broeck raced once at age two, finishing third in a race for two-year-old colts at Lexington, Kentucky. In 1875 the three-year-old Ten Broeck defeated Aristides to win the Phoenix Hotel Stakes
Phoenix Stakes (United States)
The Phoenix Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Kentucky. Open to horses age three and older, it is contested on dirt over a distance of six furlongs and currently offers a purse of $250,000...
. However, in May's 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...
he had moved into second place by the three-quarters of a mile pole but faded to finish fifth behind winner, Aristides. Overall, that year Ten Broeck won five of his nine starts and continued to improve at age four, taking seven of eight races while setting a new World record
World record
A world record is usually the best global performance ever recorded and verified in a specific skill or sport. The book Guinness World Records collates and publishes notable records of all types, from first and best to worst human achievements, to extremes in the natural world and beyond...
time for a four-mile race on dirt. http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&d=WCT18761201.2.9 http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9C0DE7D61F3FE73BBC4051DFBF66838D669FDE At age five, of his ten starts he won nine and finished second once. That only defeat came to Pierre Lorillard IV's
Pierre Lorillard IV
Pierre Lorillard IV was an American tobacco manufacturer and thoroughbred race horse owner.-Biography:...
future Hall of Fame colt, Parole
Parole (horse)
Parole was a Thoroughbred race horse bred by Pierre Lorillard, a scion of the tobacco family. Lorillard and his brother George were both horsemen and competed throughout their careers...
in the Baltimore Special.
With sixteen wins and two seconds in eighteen starts during his last two racing seasons, Ten Broeck was brought back to race twice more in 1878, and won both times. Ridden by Billy Walker
William Walker (jockey)
William "Billy" Walker was an African American jockey.Born a slave in near Versailles, Kentucky, Billy Walker was the leading rider at Churchill Downs in the fall racing season of 1875-76 and the spring campaigns of 1876 through 1878...
, his much talked about match race victory over the Californian star Mollie McCarty
Mollie McCarty
Mollie McCarty, , foaled in 1873, was an outstanding California-based Thoroughbred racehorse who won her first 13 race starts and was second on the two occasions when she was defeated.-Breeding:...
is recounted in the lyrics of the Kentucky folk song, Molly and Tenbrooks
Molly and Tenbrooks
"Molly and Tenbrooks," also known as "The Racehorse Song," is a traditional song of the late 19th century. One of the first recordings of the song was the Carver Brothers' 1929 version called "Tom Brooks." The song was recorded by Bill Monroe and His Blue Grass Boys on October 28, 1947 but not...
.
Retired to stud
Horse breeding
Horse breeding is reproduction in horses, and particularly the human-directed process of selective breeding of animals, particularly purebred horses of a given breed. Planned matings can be used to produce specifically desired characteristics in domesticated horses...
duty, Ten Broeck met with modest success. He sired 1885 Travers Stakes
Travers Stakes
The Travers Stakes is an American Grade I Thoroughbred horse race held at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York.First held in 1864, it was named for William R. Travers, the president of the old Saratoga Racing Association. His horse, Kentucky, won the first running of the Travers...
winner Bersan
Bersan
Bersan was an American Thoroughbred Champion racehorse. Foaled in Kentucky and bred by Frank B. Harper, who also owned his sire Ten Broeck and dam, Sallie M. Green B. Morris purchased Bersan as a yearling for $10,000....
, and the 1884 and 1886 Tennessee Derby winners Ten Strike and Jim Gray. He was also the sire of the filly Ten Penny who won the 1888 Kentucky Oaks
Kentucky Oaks
The Kentucky Oaks is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred fillies staged annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States. The race currently covers 1⅛ miles at Churchill Downs; the horses carry 121 pounds . The Kentucky Oaks is held on the Friday before the Kentucky Derby each year...
and Tolu, winner of the 1884 Alabama Stakes
Alabama Stakes
The Alabama Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race open to three-year-old fillies. Inaugurated in 1872, the Grade I race is run over a distance of one and one-quarter miles on the dirt track at Saratoga Race Course. Held in mid August, it currently offers a purse of $500,000...
. He is the grandsire of 1904 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...
winner, Elwood
Elwood (horse)
Elwood was an American Thoroughbred racehorse that is best remembered for winning the 1904 Kentucky Derby and for being the first horse both bred and owned by a woman to win the Derby.-Pedigree:...
.
Ten Broeck died in 1887 (the same year the great Kincsem
Kincsem
Kincsem was the most successful Thoroughbred race horse ever, having won 54 races for 54 starts. Foaled in Tápiószentmárton, Hungary in 1874, she is a national icon, and is revered in other parts of the world, too...
of Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
died) and is buried at Nantura Stock Farm, (the farm was named by its owner, Uncle John Harper, for the dam of Longfellow
Longfellow (horse)
Longfellow was one of America's first great Thoroughbred racehorses and the sire of great racehorses. A legend in his own time, he was out of the first crop of the outstanding imported English stallion Leamington....
) in Midway, Kentucky
Midway, Kentucky
Midway is a city in Woodford County, Kentucky, United States. Its population was 1,620 at the 2000 census. It is located midway between Frankfort and Lexington along the single-track railroad between them. It is part of the Lexington-Fayette Metropolitan Statistical Area. The town is home to a...
. According to the National Sporting Library
National Sporting Library
The National Sporting Library & Museum The National Sporting Library and Museum, located in beautiful, historic Middleburg, Virginia, is dedicated to preserving, promoting, and sharing the literature, art, and culture of horse and field sports...
, his headstone
Headstone
A headstone, tombstone, or gravestone is a marker, usually stone, that is placed over a grave. In most cases they have the deceased's name, date of birth, and date of death inscribed on them, along with a personal message, or prayer.- Use :...
was the first ever erected for a Thoroughbred in the state of Kentucky. In 1982, Ten Broeck was inducted in the National Museum of Racing and 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...
.