Captain Samuel Smith Brown (December 15, 1842 – December 11, 1905) was an American businessman and a prominent

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 owner/breeder and racetrack owner.

Early life

A native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Samuel Brown was a student at

Washington & Jefferson College Washington & Jefferson College (W&J College or W&J) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Washington, Pennsylvania, United States. The college traces its origin to three Presbyterian m ...

when he left to serve with the Union Army during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

. On February 22, 1861, Brown and Rhodes Stansbury Sutton founded the

Delta Tau Delta Delta Tau Delta () is a United States–based international Greek letter college fraternity. Delta Tau Delta was founded at Bethany College, Bethany, Virginia, (now West Virginia) in 1858. The fraternity currently has around 130 collegiate chapt ...

fraternity chapter at

, playing an instrumental role in saving the fraternity from extinction when the first Bethany College chapter closed. From a wealthy family, he inherited

coal mining Coal mining is the process of resource extraction, extracting coal from the ground or from a mine. Coal is valued for its Energy value of coal, energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to Electricity generation, generate electr ...

operations founded by his father. He would grow and expand the business, operating six coal mines supported by a fleet of

barge A barge is typically a flat-bottomed boat, flat-bottomed vessel which does not have its own means of mechanical propulsion. Original use was on inland waterways, while modern use is on both inland and ocean, marine water environments. The firs ...

s and a controlling interest in a railroad for shipping the coal. In addition, Brown owned several hotels in various cities around the United States.

Thoroughbred racing

Samuel Brown owned Senorita Stock Farm near

Lexington, Kentucky Lexington is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city coterminous with and the county seat of Fayette County, Kentucky, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census the city's population was 322,570, making it the List of ...

. Named for his favorite

mare A mare is an adult female horse or other equidae, equine. In most cases, a mare is a female horse over the age of three, and a filly is a female horse three and younger. In Thoroughbred horse racing, a mare is defined as a female horse more th ...

, the breeding farm's land is today occupied by the

Kentucky Horse Park Kentucky Horse Park is a working horse farm, international equestrian competition venue, and an educational theme park opened in 1978 in Lexington, Kentucky. It is located off Kentucky State Highway 1973 (Iron Works Pike) and Interstate 75, at ...

. He also invested in the

Kentucky Association The Kentucky Association (also known as the Kentucky Racing Association E. Polk Johnson, ''A Hist ...

horse racetrack in Lexington, and the Bascombe Race Course in

Mobile, Alabama Mobile ( , ) is a city and the county seat of Mobile County, Alabama, United States. The population was 187,041 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. After a successful vote to annex areas west of the city limits in July 2023, Mobil ...

which he used as a training base for his stable of Thoroughbred runners. Samuel Brown was one of the founding executives of the Brooklyn Jockey Club which, in 1886, built the

Gravesend Race Track Gravesend Race Track was a Thoroughbred horse race, Thoroughbred horse racing facility in the Gravesend, Brooklyn, Gravesend neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York, that opened in 1886 and closed in 1910. The track was built by the Brooklyn Jockey C ...

in New York. For a number of years Brown's racehorses were trained by future

Hall of Fame 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 Wiktionary:fame, fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actu ...

inductee John W. Rogers with whom he also raced horses in a partnership. Peter Wimmer succeeded Rogers as Samuel Brown's trainer and at the

Brighton Beach Race Course The Brighton Beach Race Course was an American Thoroughbred horse racing facility in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn, New York (state), New York, opened on June 28, 1879 by the Brighton Beach Racing Association. Headed by real estate developer William A. ...

Coney Island Coney Island is a neighborhood and entertainment area in the southwestern section of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The neighborhood is bounded by Brighton Beach to its east, Lower New York Bay to the south and west, and Gravesend to ...

, New York, jockey George Odom won the 1902 Brighton Derby with Brown's colt, Hyphen. On October 3, 1903, Peter Wimmer was succeeded by Robert Tucker who won the

1905 Kentucky Derby The 1905 Kentucky Derby was the 31st running of the Kentucky Derby. The race took place on May 10, 1905. The field was reduced to only three competitors when Dr. Leggo and McClellan Glossary of North American horse racing#S, scratched. Full resu ...

and the

Tennessee Derby The Tennessee Derby is a discontinued American Thoroughbred horse race that was run annually from 1884 to 1886 and then 1890–1906 at the Montgomery Park Race Track located on the Memphis Fairgrounds in Tennessee. The Tennessee Derby rivaled the ...

. Other important horses owned by Samuel Brown included: * Buchanan (b. 1881) - won the 1884

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 ...

Lamplighter A lamplighter or gaslighter is a person employed to light and maintain street lights. These included candles, oil lamps, and gas lighting. Public street lighting was developed in the 16th century. During this time, lamplighters toured public s ...

(b. 1889) - raced at age two then sold for $30,000 to

Pierre Lorillard IV Pierre J. Lorillard IV (October 13, 1833 – July 7, 1901) was an American tobacco manufacturer and thoroughbred race horse owner. Early life Born in Westchester, New York, he was the son of Pierre Lorillard III (1796–1867) and Catherine ...

Troubadour A troubadour (, ; ) was a composer and performer of Old Occitan lyric poetry during the High Middle Ages (1100–1350). Since the word ''troubadour'' is etymologically masculine, a female equivalent is usually called a ''trobairitz''. The tr ...

(b. 1882) - 1886 and 1887 retrospective

American Champion Older Male Horse The title of American Champion Older Dirt Male Horse is an American Thoroughbred horse racing honor awarded annually to a stallion or gelding, four years old and up, for performances on dirt and main track racing surfaces. In 1971, it became part of ...

Broomstick A broom (also known as a broomstick) is a cleaning tool, consisting of usually stiff fibers (often made of materials such as plastic, hair, or corn husks) attached to, and roughly parallel to, a cylindrical handle, the broomstick. It is thus a ...

(b. 1901) - Hall of Fame inductee, winner of 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 ...

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 ...

three times and twice the

Leading broodmare sire in North America The list below shows the leading Thoroughbred sire of broodmares in North America for each year since 1924. This is determined by the amount of prize money won during the year by racehorses which were foaled by a daughter of the sire. The most f ...

. * Agile (b. 1902) - wins include the 1905 Kentucky Derby and

Capt. Samuel Brown died on December 11, 1905, and his brother, W. Harry Brown, continued on with the horse breeding business until November 23, 1908, when he sold the bloodstock through a

Fasig-Tipton The Fasig-Tipton Company, Inc. is an American auction house for Thoroughbred horses. Founded in 1898, it is the oldest auction company of its kind in North America. The company has offices in Lexington, Kentucky, Elkton, Maryland, and Saratoga ...

auction. Senorita Farm is the site of the present day

References

Bibliography

New York Times obituary for Samuel S. Brown
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brown, Samuel S. 1842 births 1905 deaths American businesspeople in the coal industry Businesspeople from Pittsburgh American railway entrepreneurs American racehorse owners and breeders Owners of Kentucky Derby winners Owners of Preakness Stakes winners Washington & Jefferson College alumni 19th-century American businesspeople Burials at Allegheny Cemetery