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Colin by Carey Warner In a time long before the first Eclipse Award, in the days when legends were defined by seemingly mythical horses which no others could beat, a great hero was born. From a remarkable sire line of both great repute and equally ill fate, the phenomenal colt, Colin, blazed through two undefeated racing seasons on the track to leave spectators and subsequent fans in awe for nearly a century after he was gone. Colin has left not only a distinct mark on the bloodlines of current generations of racehorses, but on the hearts of Thoroughbred lovers today. Though many of the specific details of Colin's life have become misted over in the shroud of time or have fallen to heated debate, there are two facts that remain when all of the dust of the century has been carefully brushed away. First, Colin was an undefeated, record-setting runner in fifteen starts spanning two seasons of racing, and secondly, he went on to impact the sire lines of the same sport he once dominated through such descendents as Ack Ack, Youth, Teenoso, Broad Brush, and most recently, 1994 Breeder's Cup Classic winner Concern. Colin was born in 1905 at Castleton Stud in Kentucky; he was a homebred of the London-born finance wizard James R. Keene. Colin was the son of Belmont winner Commando (sire of Peter Pan, Celt, Peter Quince, Superman, Restigouche, Zambesi, etc.) and out of an English mare who had herself won the Zetland and Ascot Biennial Stakes races at age two. Surprisingly, Colin was to be her only stakes winner from eleven foals. A shrewd horseman with a keen eye, James R. Keene wasn't initially impressed with the young Colin; he disliked him because of a curb (or thoroughpin) on one of the colt's hocks. Ironically, this flaw was the same sort which caused Keene to also initially dislike Colin's Champion grandsire some fourteen years before him: Domino, the legendary Black Whirlwind. If not for an odd twist of fate (or as some would have it, lively bidding because Keene would not to be outdone), Keene would have never owned Domino at all. Not an overly sentimental horseman, Keene did not name the colt; he was named by one of Keene's friends, De Courcey Forbes who connected the names of the mare Pastorella to Keene's trainer, James Rowe, Sr. and created a name for the colt from a pastoral poem about Poor Colin which had been written by the late English poet, Nicholas Rowe. Colin, under the guidance of the trainer he was named for, made his first start in late May in 1907 at age two, and as if to wag a tongue at Keene, an "I told you so," he romped over twenty-two rivals on the old straight-course dash across the oval at Belmont. In his second start, the National Stallion Stakes, Colin set a Belmont track record at five furlongs of :58. In spite of bucked shins, Colin won his third start, the Great Trial Stakes, without even being extended. Even if any doubt about this amazing colt remained after these first three starts, the remainder of the season solidified the colt's greatness within the racing world. Not even such greats as Man O' War's sire, the awesome Fair Play, could come close to finishing near Colin at age two. When he closed the season with a record 12 wins in 12 starts, Colin was king of the juvenile mountain beyond any doubt. It is Colin's 2yo record that juvenile greatness is still often measured by today. As the colt galloped towards his three-year-old season in the autumn of 1907, he continued his legacy of perfection into the Withers Stakes at one mile where he won easily over both Fair Play and King James (it's interesting to note that King James shared the same sire line as Colin through Himyar). Colin won handily by two. Though Colin was not run in either the Kentucky Derby or the Preakness, the most memorable race of the colt's career was the third leg of the 1908 Triple Crown, the Belmont Stakes. Circumstances surrounding the race were laden with adversity; nothing went according to plan, or to Colin's favor. Yet, like the superhorse he was, Colin would prevail, if only by luck or by determination, depending on which rendition you choose you choose to believe. Race day fall upon the Belmont track with a heavy blanket of fog. Colin, who had suffered a painful injury just a few weeks before the race, was not expected to run in the Belmont originally, but Rowe and Keene decided at the last minute to make him an added starter in spite of the ominous weather and the colt's injury. The fog settled deep into the dirt of the track which was also dampened with rain, making for heavy going in the races that day. Colin, saddled with 126 pounds, stepped gingerly up to the gate to defend his undefeated title as best as he could, though the prospect of defeat lingering in the air was as heavy as the fog itself. Callers seemed to hold their breath as they strained their eyes against a mist of rain and soupy fog, waiting for the field to emerge into the final stretch. No time was recorded that day due to impossible visibility, but the seconds yawned in the silence like anxious hours before a big brown streak thundered into view. Colin was in the lead. Five lengths back, Fair Play careened into view, closing fast and furious on Colin into the stretch. To onlookers, Colin and his jockey seemed oblivious to the other colt's enormous rally. Some old-timers have said that Colin's jockey, Joe Notter, had misjudged the placement of the finish line because of the foggy conditions and had eased Colin up prematurely. Notter, though, insisted that he knew Fair Play was closing on them, and that he'd tried to rouse another rally out of Colin, but that the colt was struggling and unable to respond. Given all of the adversity in that Belmont race of 1908, anything is possible. Perhaps Colin had indeed been pushed to his limits by lameness, a heavy track, and a high impost. But the truth, like many things about Colin, will probably remain a mystery. No matter what the cause of the outcome, the effect was the same. Colin had won, and it would be many years before that Belmont day would fade from the memory of racing fans. As Colin was reaching his own plateaus following the Belmont win, the United Stakes economy was hitting bottom. In May of 1907, a business contraction began, starting one of the most severe depressions on American historical record. By the time the depression ended in May of 1908, America had seen its way through one of the worst depressions in history. That same year, New York outlawed race betting. New Yorkers needed something to believe in, and with the absence of betting, it was uncertain if it'd be a horse they'd place their hopes, instead of their bets, upon. Shortly after the law passed, Colin ran in the mile and a quarter Tidal Stakes in spite of the injury that plagued him, turning out a nice crowd even though there was no betting. This prompted Keene to get cocky enough to boast that Colin would attract a capacity crowd at Sheepshead Bay for a betless exhibition. Instead, Colin attracted only half the crowd Keene crowed about, but Colin did win to maintain his undefeated status. Colin was shipped to England for his next anticipated race, but lameless and running on weakening legs had finally taken its toll. Before he could even make his first start abroad, Colin was reinjured; this time, Colin would not be able to overcome the pain to continue on bravely as he had so many times before. He was subsequently retired and stood his first seasons at stud in England. A shy breeder plagued by infertility, Colin would inadvertently continue the male tradition passed down to him by his sire and grandsire. Colin's grandsire, Domino, died young when he fell victim to meningitis; Domino only sired 20 foals before his death. Colin's own sire, Commando, also died young, producing only 27 foals in his lifetime. Though Colin would live out a full and healthy life unlike his forefathers, he would sire only 81 foals in twenty-three crops. With so few foals sired by three generations of outstanding sires, it's amazing that this sire line has not only survived the rigors of time, but has commanded the sort of respect that this one has. Eleven of Colin's foals were stakes winners; they included the likes of such sires as Neddie and On Watch. Colin was also a useful broodmare sire in his limited opportunities; he was the broodmare sire of MSW Rosemont and several others. Beating the odds just as his forefathers had before him, Colin's class still outshines the other great names of his era in the pedigrees of his descendents. From a generation of racehorses where stamina, maturity, soundness and longevity were admired above all other traits, Colin carved a place for himself in the history of the thoroughbred in spite of his short-lived and youthful career. A truly remarkable animal, Colin died at the age of twenty-seven in 1932 at Capt. Raymond Belmont's Belray Farm in Virginia. He was inducted into the National Racing Hall of Fame in 1956.
National Stallion S.
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