Roving Boy (1980–1983) was an American Champion Thoroughbred

racehorse Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, 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 basic pr ...

. Bred and raced by Robert E. Hibbert, Roving Boy was a descendant of Man o' War on his sire's side. His dam's grandsire was the undefeated Italian racing superstar, Ribot. Trained by

Joseph Manzi Joseph is a common male given name, derived from the Hebrew Yosef (יוֹסֵף). "Joseph" is used, along with "Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the mo ...

, Roving Boy was the dominant juvenile in California whose earnings in 1982 of $800,425 set a world record for a two-year-old. He was a winner of four important

West Coast West Coast or west coast may refer to: Geography Australia * Western Australia *Regions of South Australia#Weather forecasting, West Coast of South Australia * West Coast, Tasmania **West Coast Range, mountain range in the region Canada * Britis ...

races including the Grade I Norfolk Stakes at Santa Anita Park and both the Del Mar and Hollywood Futuritys. His 1982 performances earned Roving Boy U.S. Champion Two-Year-Old Colt honors. A winterbook favorite for the 1983 U.S. Triple Crown series, in late January 1983 Roving Boy suffered a cannon-bone fracture in his left front leg that kept him out of racing until the fall. Upon his return to the racetrack, Roving Boy won the Alibhai Handicap at Santa Anita but, similar to what happened to

Eight Belles Eight Belles (February 23, 2005 – May 3, 2008) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who came second in the 2008 Kentucky Derby to the winner Big Brown. Her collapse just after the race resulted in immediate euthanasia. Earlier in the ye ...

in the 2008

Kentucky Derby The Kentucky Derby is a horse race held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States, almost always on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The competition is a Grade I stakes race for three-year ...

, after crossing the finish line he broke both hind legs. Surgery was not successful and the colt had to be

euthanized Animal euthanasia (euthanasia from el, εὐθανασία; "good death") is the act of killing an animal or allowing it to die by withholding extreme medical measures. Reasons for euthanasia include incurable (and especially painful) conditio ...

.New York Times – November 3, 1983
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References

{{reflist 1980 racehorse births 1983 racehorse deaths Thoroughbred family 1-o Racehorses bred in Kentucky Racehorses trained in the United States Eclipse Award winners