History of the Kentucky Derby, 1875-1921O'Connor, John Lawrence
History
History of the Kentucky Derby, 1875-1921
O'Connor, John Lawrence
Horse racing -- Kentucky; Kentucky Derby
The ride which Old Rosebud received was second only to his own great
courage. Jockey McCabe, a midget whose head and hands are busy under all
conditions, rode a wonderful race. Coming through the stretch he was
working in perfect unison with his mount. McCabe was restraining the
high-strung gelding, and at the same time looking back into the rut of
blasted hopes where Hodge, Bronzewing and other stars of the turf
struggled toward the wire.
Old Rosebud seemed to realize the importance of the occasion. He had given
his best efforts and won. Except for flecks of foam and sweat upon his
arching neck, he seemed as though he had just come out of the barn for a
workout. He was the leading money-winner on the turf in 1913, and bids
fair to hold his record again in 1914.
Governor McCreary, who had witnessed the Derby running as the guest of the
stewards, presented Jockey McCabe with the huge bouquet of American
Beauty roses and also tendered his congratulations to Messrs. Weir and
Applegate, the joint owners of the winner.
Old Rosebud, the winner, was bred by J. E. Madden at Hamburg Place. His
sire, Uncle, was bred by Col. E. F. Clay and his breeding partner, Catesby
Woodford, in Bourbon County, and his dam, Ivory Bells, was bred by E. S.
Gardner at Avondale Stud, in Tennessee. She is by Himyar, the sire of
Domino, and out of the wonderful race mare Ida Pickwick, by Mr. Pickwick.
The latter horse is a son of the English Derby winner Hermit. The next dam
was Ida K., by King Alfonso, she being the dam of Indigo, that produced
the Suburban Handicap winner, Go Between.
Old Rosebud was purchased, along with four yearling fillies, in the season
of 1912, by H. C. Applegate & Co., for $3,000. He won his first race, the
Yucatan Stakes, at Juarez, Mexico, in the winter of 1913, and also won
another race at that track before being brought to Kentucky last spring.
Little Nephew, also by Uncle, is the only horse that ever beat Old Rosebud
in a race.
Last year the Derby winner won twelve of his fourteen starts. He ran three
most remarkable races as a two-year old at Douglas Park, first winning at
five furlongs in 0:58-4/5, again in 0:58-3/5 and again 0:58-2/5. In all of
these races he beat his old rival, Little Nephew. He has only started once
before this season, that being a mile race at Lexington, which he won with
ease. That race was intended as a preliminary trial for his Derby race
to-day, and it must be admitted that it brought him to the post in the
Derby in the very pink of condition. The great gelding was trained by F.
D. Weir, who is famous in turf annals of other days as the trainer of
Roseben, one of the champion sprinters of all time.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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