Sysonby (USA)
February 1902 – June 17, 1906
Melton (GB) x Optime (GB), by Orme (GB)
Family 9-h
February 1902 – June 17, 1906
Melton (GB) x Optime (GB), by Orme (GB)
Family 9-h
All but forgotten today, Sysonby was regarded by many old-time experts as the best horse to have raced in the United States between the Civil War and World War I. His sole loss in 15 starts came after he was doped by his groom; even then, it took another member of the Hall of Fame, Artful, to beat him. His untimely death from liver disease and blood poisoning arising from a two-month battle with a skin disease was a great loss to American breeding.
Race record
15 starts, 14 wins, 0 seconds, 1 third, US$184,438
1904:
1905:
Honors
Assessments
Sysonby was rated #30 among the top 100 American racehorses of the 20th century by a panel of experts assembled by The Blood-Horse (Thoroughbred Champions, Eclipse Press, 7th printing, 2005).
As an individual
A small, unimpressive, lop-eared yearling, Sysonby matured into a beautifully balanced bay with an an exceptionally straight, strong hind leg. He was a good mover and a courageous competitor.
Connections
Sysonby was bred and owned by James R. Keene, who purchased Optime, in foal to Melton, for $6,600 from the dispersal of the late Marcus Daly's stock on October 1, 1901. The young Sysonby did not impress the elder Keene, who intended to send the colt to England for racing. His trainer, James Rowe, Sr., disagreed with his employer's assessment and bundled the colt up in blankets and bandages, claiming he was too sick to be shipped, to keep Sysonby for Keene's American stable. Rowe's trickery was vindicated by the results; aside from his loss in the Futurity Stakes when doped, Sysonby was only extended to the limit once, this by the older Race King in the 1905 Metropolitan Handicap. Conceding 30 pounds to Race King by the scale of weights then prevailing, Sysonby salvaged a dead heat. He did not race at 4 due to his illness.
Pedigree notes
Sysonby is outcrossed through five generations. His dam Optime produced nothing else of any significance prior to her death in 1916.
Fun facts
Race record
15 starts, 14 wins, 0 seconds, 1 third, US$184,438
1904:
- Won Brighton Junior Stakes (USA, 6FD, Brighton Beach)
- Won Junior Champion Stakes (USA, 6FD, Gravesend)
- Won Flash Stakes (USA, 5.5FD, Saratoga)
- Won Saratoga Special (USA, 5.5FD, Saratoga)
- 3rd Futurity Stakes (USA, 6FD, Sheepshead Bay)
1905:
- Won Brighton Derby (USA, 12FD, Brighton Beach)
- Won Lawrence Realization (USA, 13FD, Sheepshead Bay)
- Won Tidal Stakes (USA, 10FD, Sheepshead Bay)
- Won Annual Champion Stakes (USA, 18FD, Sheepshead Bay)
- Won Century Handicap (USA, 12FD, Sheepshead Bay)
- Won Commonwealth Handicap (USA, 10FD, Sheepshead Bay)
- Won Great Republican Stakes (USA, 10FD, Saratoga)
- Won Metropolitan Handicap (USA, 8FD, Belmont Park; DH w/Race King)
- Won Iroquois Stakes (USA, 10FD, Brighton Beach)
Honors
- National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame (inducted in 1956)
- American Horse of the Year (1905)
- American champion 2-year-old male (1904)
- American champion 3-year-old male (1905)
Assessments
Sysonby was rated #30 among the top 100 American racehorses of the 20th century by a panel of experts assembled by The Blood-Horse (Thoroughbred Champions, Eclipse Press, 7th printing, 2005).
As an individual
A small, unimpressive, lop-eared yearling, Sysonby matured into a beautifully balanced bay with an an exceptionally straight, strong hind leg. He was a good mover and a courageous competitor.
Connections
Sysonby was bred and owned by James R. Keene, who purchased Optime, in foal to Melton, for $6,600 from the dispersal of the late Marcus Daly's stock on October 1, 1901. The young Sysonby did not impress the elder Keene, who intended to send the colt to England for racing. His trainer, James Rowe, Sr., disagreed with his employer's assessment and bundled the colt up in blankets and bandages, claiming he was too sick to be shipped, to keep Sysonby for Keene's American stable. Rowe's trickery was vindicated by the results; aside from his loss in the Futurity Stakes when doped, Sysonby was only extended to the limit once, this by the older Race King in the 1905 Metropolitan Handicap. Conceding 30 pounds to Race King by the scale of weights then prevailing, Sysonby salvaged a dead heat. He did not race at 4 due to his illness.
Pedigree notes
Sysonby is outcrossed through five generations. His dam Optime produced nothing else of any significance prior to her death in 1916.
Fun facts
- The February 15, 1902, edition of the Daily Racing Form reported Sysonby's birth as the first for a foal by Melton in the United States.
- Sysonby was named for Foxhall Keene's favorite hunting lodge near Melton Mowbray, England.
- Over 4,000 spectators attended Sysonby's funeral at the Sheepshead Bay race track on June 18, 1906. Sysonby's bones were later exhumed and placed on exhibit at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City.