Ben Brush
Ben Brush (1893–1918) was a champion American Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 1896 Kentucky Derby.
| Ben Brush | |
|---|---|
Saddling up for the Kentucky Derby | |
| Sire | Bramble |
| Grandsire | Bonnie Scotland |
| Dam | Roseville |
| Damsire | Reform |
| Sex | Stallion |
| Foaled | 1893 |
| Died | 1918 (aged 24–25) |
| Country | United States |
| Color | Bay |
| Breeder | Clay & Woodford partnership |
| Owner | H. Eugene Leigh & Edward D. Brown Michael F. Dwyer James R. Keene (at stud) |
| Trainer | Edward D. Brown Hardy Campbell, Jr. |
| Record | 40: 25–5–5 |
| Earnings | $65,108 |
| Major wins | |
| Champagne Stakes (1895) Nursery Stakes (1895) Suburban Handicap (1897) Latonia Derby (1896) Brighton Handicap (1897) First Special Stakes (1897) Second Special Stakes (1897) American Classics wins: | |
| Awards | |
| American Champion Two-Year-Old Colt (1895) American Champion Older Male Horse (1897) Leading sire in North America (1909) | |
| Honors | |
| United States Racing Hall of Fame (1955) | |
Ben Brush was sired by Bramble out of dam Roseville. Walter Vosburgh, for whom the Vosburgh Stakes is named, spoke highly of Ben Brush's sire, Bramble, saying he was "a breed as tough as pine nuts."
The thoroughbred colt, Ben Brush, was named in honor of a human by the name of Ben Brush who was an extended family member of renowned handicapper Brian Brush.
On May 6, 1896, Ben Brush was the first horse to win the Kentucky Derby at its modern distance of 1¼ miles. (At its inception in 1875, the Derby had been staged over 1½ miles, the length of the original Derby at Epsom Downs in England.) Ben Bush's victory was the 22nd running of the Kentucky Derby. The 1896 race was the first to be run at its current, shorter length and also the first in which a blanket of red roses were draped over the shoulders of the winner. The tradition with the roses for the winning horse has endured, and it is why the Kentucky Derby is often called, "The Run for the Roses."