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Roamer (1911–1920) was a champion American
Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a list of horse breeds, horse breed developed for Thoroughbred racing, horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thorough ...
racehorse Horse racing is an equestrian performance activity, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its bas ...
who was ranked #99 in the
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's list of the Top 100 Racehorses of the 20th Century.


Background

Roamer was bred in
Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...
by the sons of
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Ezekiel Clay of Runnymede Farm, who had raced some of the best of American racehorses in the 19th century;
Hall of Famer A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actual halls or muse ...
Ben Brush Ben Brush (1893–1918) was a champion American Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 1896 Kentucky Derby. Background Ben Brush was a bay stallion sired by Bramble (the 1879 champion handicap horse) out of Roseville (a sister to Azra, the 1892 ...
who won the 1896
Kentucky Derby The Kentucky Derby () is an American Graded stakes race, Grade I stakes Thoroughbred racing, race run at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. The race is run by three-year-old Thoroughbreds at a distance of . Colt (horse), Colts and geldin ...
;
Hall of Famer A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actual halls or muse ...
Hanover Hanover ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Lower Saxony. Its population of 535,932 (2021) makes it the List of cities in Germany by population, 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-l ...
who was the
Leading sire in North America The list below shows the leading Father, sire of Thoroughbred Horse racing, racehorses in North America for each year since 1830. This is determined by the amount of prize money won by the sire's progeny during the year. It is restricted to Stallio ...
four times, Runneymede who was second in the 1882 Kentucky Derby behind Apollo, and
Hall of Famer A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actual halls or muse ...
Miss Woodford Miss Woodford (1880–1899) was a champion American Thoroughbred horse racing, racehorse who was one of the top American fillies of all time, winning 16 consecutive races. Background Miss Woodford was bred in Kentucky by the Runnymede Farm#Ezekie ...
who won 16 consecutive races and was the first American horse to earn over $100,000. Roamer's father was a teaser stallion named Knight Errant who jumped a fence to get at Rose Tree II, a blind English-bred claiming mare, hence the name of the unexpected ill-bred foal, Roamer. Roamer was a small bay colt born in 1911 who was gelded almost immediately.


Racing career

Roamer raced for the Clay brothers as a two-year-old. One of the brothers entered him in a $1,000 selling race, only to see him claimed, and had to buy him back for $2,005. He was then sold for $2,500 to
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
publisher Andrew Miller, the secretary/treasurer of Saratoga. (Miller, one of the founders of
Life magazine ''Life'' (stylized as ''LIFE'') is an American magazine launched in 1883 as a weekly publication. In 1972, it transitioned to publishing "special" issues before running as a monthly from 1978 to 2000. Since then, ''Life'' has irregularly publi ...
, was a classmate of
Teddy Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. (October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), also known as Teddy or T.R., was the 26th president of the United States, serving from 1901 to 1909. Roosevelt previously was involved in New York politics, including serving as ...
at
Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher lear ...
, and in 1900 helped purchase and revive the
Saratoga Race Course Saratoga Race Course is a Thoroughbred horse racing track located on Union Avenue in Saratoga Springs, New York, Saratoga Springs, New York (state), New York, United States. Opened in 1863, it is often considered to be the oldest major sporting v ...
.) At that point, Roamer's training was taken over by A. J. Goldsborough. He could run short races, and long. Any surface suited him. He carried up to 133 pounds and broke more track records than any other American racehorse up to his time. Roamer could carry his early speed. Descriptions of many of his races say that he "cantered home" or "won easing up." At the ages of three and four, he was the undisputed champion. He won the
Saratoga Special Stakes The 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 furlongs on the dirt. With its first ru ...
, the
Carter Handicap The Carter Handicap is a Grade II American Thoroughbred horse race for three-years-old and older run over a distance of seven furlongs run annually in early April at Aqueduct Racetrack. Race history First run in 1895, the race was named fo ...
(against older horses and setting a track record), the Brooklyn Derby (an 8 length rout), the Midsummer Stakes, the
Travers Stakes The Travers Stakes is an American Graded stakes race, Grade I Thoroughbred horse race held at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. It is nicknamed the "Midsummer Derby" and is the third-ranked race for American three-year-olds accor ...
(a ten length romp while setting another record), the Huron Handicap, the State Fair Stakes, the Municipal Handicap, the Autumn WFA Stakes, the
Washington Handicap The Washington Handicap was an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Laurel Park Racecourse in Laurel, Maryland. Open to horses age three and older, it was contested on dirt over a distance of a mile and a quarter (10 furlongs). At one ...
at
Laurel Park Racecourse Laurel Park, formerly Laurel Race Course, is an American thoroughbred racetrack located just outside Laurel, Maryland which opened in 1911. The track is miles in circumference. Its name was changed to "Laurel Race Course" for several decades un ...
(giving away 22 pounds to the runner-up and breaking the American 9-furlong record), the
Queens County Handicap The Queens County Handicap is an American Ungraded Thoroughbred horse race run annually during the second week of December at Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens, New York. Open to horses age three years and older, it is contested on dirt at a distance o ...
(twice), the Brookdale Handicap (twice), the
Saratoga Handicap The Saratoga Handicap was an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually at the Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. It was open to horses three years old and upward and raced at a distance of 1¼ miles on dirt. First run in 1901 ...
(3 times), the
Merchants and Citizens Handicap The Merchants and Citizens Handicap is a discontinued American Thoroughbred horse race which was first run in 1900 at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. Open to horses aged three and older, it was contested on dirt. The inaugural ...
, the
Saratoga Cup The Saratoga Cup was an American Thoroughbred horse race open to horses of either sex age three and older although geldings were not eligible from 1865 through 1918. Between 1865 and 1955 it was hosted by Saratoga Race Course, in Saratoga Springs, ...
, the
Havre de Grace Handicap The Havre de Grace Handicap was an American Thoroughbred horse race first run on the August 26, 1912 opening day of the new Havre de Grace Racetrack in Havre de Grace, Maryland. Although most of its runnings would take place in early fall, its fin ...
, the National Handicap, the Yonkers Handicap (twice), the Excelsior Handicap, the
Aqueduct Handicap The race is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually at Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens, New York. It was called the Aqueduct Handicap, but beginning in 2009, the name was changed to the Evening Attire Stakes in honor of the great grey geldin ...
, the
Arlington Handicap The Arlington Stakes is a Grade III American Thoroughbred horse race for horses aged four years old over a distance of one and one-sixteenth miles on the turf held annually in late May or early June at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. T ...
, the
Empire City Handicap The Empire City Handicap was an American Thoroughbred horse race inaugurated on October 22, 1900, as part of the opening day racecard at Empire City Race Track in Yonkers, New York. Sometimes referred in newspaper reports as the Empire City Stakes ...
, the
Mount Vernon Handicap The Mount Vernon Handicap was an American Thoroughbred horse race run in twenty-one of the years between 1907 and 1930 at Empire City Race Track in Yonkers, New York with one year only in 1915 at Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens, New York. There was n ...
, the
Pierrepont Handicap The Pierrepont Handicap was an American Thoroughbred horse race first run in 1904 at the Jamaica Race Course in Jamaica, Queens, New York operated by the Metropolitan Jockey Club which had begun racing operations the previous year. The race was ...
, the
Edgemere Handicap The Edgemere Handicap was an American Thoroughbred horse race. Inaugurated in 1901 at the old Aqueduct Racetrack, it was open to horses of all ages and contested on dirt at a distance of one mile and seventy yards. The following year the distance ...
, and an Overnight 'cap as an 8-year-old, beating the
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champion Sun Briar, Roamer's final career win. He also finished ahead of another Hall of Famer,
Old Rosebud Old Rosebud (March 13, 1911 – May 23, 1922) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse whose pedigree traced to the influential sire Eclipse, and through Eclipse to the founding stallion, the Darley Arabian. In the list of the top 100 U.S. thoroug ...
, in the Yonkers Handicap, placing second in his final start ever. As his career progressed, Roamer was required to carry more and more weight. In August 1918, at the age of seven, he attempted to beat the great Salvator's 1890 record mile of 1:35 1/4, which was set on a straight course. He came under the wire in 1:34 4/5 on a track with two turns. (Fifty years later, in 1968, Dr. Fager set a new mark of 1:32 1/5 around one turn at
Arlington Park Arlington Park (formerly known as Arlington International Racecourse) is a former horse race track in the Chicago suburb of Arlington Heights, Illinois. Once called the ''Arlington Park Jockey Club'', it was located adjacent to the Illinois Rou ...
. This record stood for over thirty years.) In 1914, he was the track's leading earner and was named America's Horse of the Year. Roamer made 98 starts over 7 years, and won 39 of them and finished second in 26 of them. His career earnings were $98,828.


Retirement

Roamer died on the first day of the year 1920. On that New Year's Eve, his owner Andrew Miller suffered a fatal heart attack. A few hours later, Roamer slipped on ice in his paddock and broke his leg. He had to be euthanized. His jockey for the last three years of his life, Andy Schuttinger, said, "He is as smart as they come, but is as honest as the day is long. He will give up to the last ounce of speed he has on tap." "His action is what makes him great," said his trainer. "I never expect to see another like him." Roamer was inducted into the
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 horse racing, Thoroughbred race horses, jockeys, and Horse trainer, trainers. In 1955, the museum ...
in
Saratoga Springs Saratoga Springs is a city in Saratoga County, New York, United States. The population was 28,491 at the 2020 census. The name reflects the presence of mineral springs in the area, which has made Saratoga a popular resort destination for over ...
,
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...
, in 1981.


References


Roamer's pedigree



Roamer's page in the Hall of Fame
* {{American Horse of the Year winners 1911 racehorse births 1920 racehorse deaths Racehorses trained in the United States American Thoroughbred Horse of the Year American Champion racehorses United States Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame inductees Racehorses bred in Kentucky