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| Ten Broeck | |
|---|---|
| Sire | Phaeton |
| Grandsire | King Tom |
| Dam | Fanny Holton |
| Damsire | Lexington |
| Sex | Stallion |
| Foaled | June 29, 1872 (1872-06-29) |
| Died | June 28, 1887(1887-06-28) (aged 14) |
| Country | United States |
| Colour | Bay |
| Breeder | John Harper |
| Owner | Frank B. Harper |
| Trainer | Harry Colston |
| Record | 30: 23-3-1 |
| Earnings | $27,550 |
| Major wins | |
| Phoenix Hotel Stakes (1875) Post Stakes (1875) Merchants' Post Stakes (1875) Maxwell House Stakes (1875) Louisville Cup (1876) Galt House Plate (1876) Bowie Stakes (1877) | |
| Awards | |
| American Co-Champion Older Male Horse (1876, 1877) | |
| Honours | |
| National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame (1982) | |
Ten Broeck (June 29, 1872 – June 28, 1887) was an AmericanU.S. Racing Hall of FameThoroughbredracehorse whose 1878match race win inLouisville, against the greatCaliforniamareMollie McCarty was immortalized in theKentuckyfolk song commonly called "Molly and Tenbrooks".
Bred by John Harper at his farm nearMidway, Kentucky, Ten Broeck was sired by English import Phaeton, a son ofBaron Mayer de Rothschild'sstallionKing Tom. Ten Broeck's dam was Fannie Holton. On John Harper's death, the horse became the property of his nephew, Frank B. Harper.
Ten Broeck raced once at age two, finishing third in a race for two-year-old colts atLexington,Kentucky. In 1875, the three-year-old Ten Broeck defeatedAristides to win thePhoenix Hotel Stakes. In May'sKentucky Derby, he moved into second place by the three-quarters of a mile pole but faded to finish fifth behind winner Aristides. Overall, that year Ten Broeck won five of his nine starts and continued to improve at age four, taking seven of eight races while setting a newworld record time for a four-mile race on dirt.[1][2] At age five, of his ten starts he won nine and finished second once. That only defeat came toPierre Lorillard IV's future Hall of Fame colt,Parole, in the Baltimore Special.
With sixteen wins and two seconds in eighteen starts during his last two racing seasons, Ten Broeck was brought back to race twice more in 1878 and won both times. Ridden byBilly Walker, he won a much-talked-aboutmatch race victory over the Californian starMollie McCarty. The story of this race is recounted in the lyrics of the Kentucky folk songMolly and Tenbrooks.
Retired tostud duty, Ten Broeck met with modest success. He sired 1885Travers Stakes winnerBersan, and the 1884 and 1886 Tennessee Derby winners Ten Strike and Jim Gray. He was also the sire of the fillyTen Penny, who won the 1888Kentucky Oaks, and Tolu, winner of the 1884Alabama Stakes. He is the grandsire of 1904Kentucky Derby winnerElwood.
Ten Broeck died in 1887 (the same year the greatKincsem ofHungary died) and is buried at Nantura Stock Farm (the farm was named by its owner, Uncle John Harper, for the dam ofLongfellow) inMidway, Kentucky. According to theNational Sporting Library, hisheadstone was the first ever erected for a Thoroughbred in the state of Kentucky. In 1982, Ten Broeck was inducted in theNational Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame.
