One of the first great stallions of the mid-1800s, Mambrino Chief was also the first star stallion in Kentucky and founded one of the first trotting families.
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The rum addict
It’s a story full improbable twists, cruel treatment and bizarre facts. What ended up as Hambletonian’s possibly...
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The horse who wasn’t allowed to time trial
Having won the Hambletonian twice, in 1930 with Hanover’s Bertha and 1937 with Shirley Hanover, the Hanover Shoe...
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The first three-year-old to beat 2:00
His whole life is spectacular. He was the best trotter in his generation, even though his trainer was skeptical and at 2 felt the...
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The Old Grey Mare of Long Island
Known as the “The Queen of the Turf”, she was the first to break the magic 2:30 barrier. A victim of bad and harsh...
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The Buckeye bullet
An exceptional racehorse at 2, BF Coaltown was then set back by virus infection a month ahead of hte Hambletonian which he...
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The spectacular Belle
Widely expected to be one of the first 2:00 trotters, Axworthy’s most spectacular daughter was nearly invincible at her...
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The third filly to win the big race, The Marchioness was the first winner of a four-heat Hambletonian, the first winner with a female owner and the only one whose trainer and driver previously trained trotters for the Russian czar.
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He was a slight two-year-old who was sold off in the belief that he had no future. However, the 15 hands/152 cm trotter grew to be a spectacular animal with exceptional speed and strength and, most of all, extreme courage and gameness. “Little Lee” would indeed be the biggest, before he tragically died way too soon.
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Named for a Pokemon character, the Illinois-bred trotter proved that you don’t need the most fashionable pedigree to beat the best. Kadabra was a spectacular trotter who set a world record at 4 before he retired to become an elite stallion.
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He had a downright weird racing career, not competing regularly until he was 15. There he showed glimpses of brilliance despite an injury that just kept getting worse. Kept at stud for most of his life, but relatively unsupported by his famous owner, Woodford Mambrino was one of the more impressive stallions of the 19th century America.
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The blue-blooded Kentuckian excelled in Europe, becoming the first horse to win an international race at Vincennes and later went on to be a stallion champion, siring the first European-bred 2:05 trotter and multiple Derby-winners.
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She had six foals, all daughters, but died way too early at 12. Despite this, Mamie has left an exceptional legacy and is counted as one of the most important broodmares in trotting history.
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From humble beginnings, he became one of the best three-year-olds, then went on to dominate as an aged trotter. In was at stud he established himself as one of the true legends of trotting, though, but it was a stroke of luck that Speedy Crown wasn’t lost to American trotting after his two-year-old season.
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She was bought as a bit of a gamble, and let her nerves get the better of her in her European debut. It wouldn’t take long for the mare to be the darling of hew new country, however. Dutch trotting fans adored Speedy Volita, the mare who won a massive 99 wins in her new homeland and became so popular she even got her own song.
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He was discredited and a victim of manipulation of historical facts. As head of the family carrying his name, Henry Clay was the offer of malicious rumors, but did play a role in the development of both the American and French trotter.
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