Buskin (horse)

Buskin (foaled in 1910) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse is best known for winning the 1913 Preakness Stakes. Owned and trained by Mr. John Whalen, he was sired by Hamburg. Buskin was out of the mare Slippers, a daughter of Meddler.^[1]

Preakness Stakes

Buskin, described as "a good-looking little bay gelding"^[2] won the $2,500 Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland on Tuesday, May 20, 1913.

He went off as the heavy favorite at 3-2 in the field of eight three year-olds after five of the thirteen colts scratched. Buskin broke first but fell back to fourth under a heavy hold by jockey Jimmy Butwell as they hit Pimlico's famous "Clubhouse Turn." The pace was slow early with the first quarter in :24 flat and the half in :48-4/5.^[3] As the race progressed, Buskin was continually restrained as he dropped to fifth down the backstretch but tracked the pacemakers just three lengths behind.^[4]

On the final turn, he rounded the field four wide and burst into the lead by three lengths before tiring badly in the final sixteenth. He held off the charge of runner-up and third choice Kleburne by a neck.^[5] Longshot Barnegat at 48-1 finished third. The final time for the one mile and one eighth Preakness was 1:53 2/5 over a fast track. The winner's share of 60% of the purse was $1,670.^[6]

Buskin and Holiday the next year were the last geldings to win the Preakness Stakes until Prairie Bayou won the race in 1993.^[7]

Later racing career

Later that racing season, Buskin won the 1913 Canadian Derby and placed second in the National Stakes. In his four-year-old season, he won the 1914 Metropolitan Handicap and Bowie Handicap. Also in 1914 or 1915, Buskin placed second in the Brooklyn Handicap, Bowie Handicap, Susquehanna Handicap and Toronto Cup while placing third in the Frontier Handicap and the Washington Handicap.

Breeding

References