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Originally Posted by blackthroatedwind
The older a racefan you are the harder it is to appreciate the lightly raced would-be champions of today.
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Yeah, the people old enough to remember Roseben making seven starts in six weeks, during the fall of 1906, must have really thought those paper champions racing in '87 were a bunch of wussies.
Roseben was 7-6-1-0 over that stretch. Carrying 150lbs, and spotting the winner 41lbs in his only loss. He finished up his tear with a 6 length win in the 1906 Manhatten handicap on Oct 12th. He gave the runner up 36lbs. 4 days later, he returned to win at Belmont Park by 20 lengths, getting 7 furlongs in a then world record 1:22 flat. Getting his last 1/8th in a supersonic 11 3/5ths.
Horses have become less and less Roseben like with each passing decade. Hopefully, in the very distant future, they don't one-day become like boxers, and only show up two or three times a year.