New-York tribune., 1906-06-18
MIGHTY SYS0NBY DEAD.
HORSE OF THE CENTURY.
James X. Keene's Famous Cham piOn
Succumbs to Septic Poisoning.

bUtChHtOc W ~ PRIV - OsoO'S'
James r. Keene's famous thoroughbred colt
Sysonby winner OF nearly 100000 in stakes and
purses died yesterday afternoon at his owners s
sta BILE at the Sheepshead Bay racetrack. from
septic poisoning The death of the horse was
such a blow TO Mr.. Keene that he shut himself
up last night in his apartments at the Waldorf
Astoria and refused to visitors Sysonby
was insured for 100000. Mr.. Keene had refused
seU0,000 for him. il is said
Horsemen are nearly unanimous in calling
Sysonby the horse of the century, and the de-
votion paid by the great racegoing public to the
handsome bay son of Melton placed him oIs a
pedestal not even attained by such turf idols as
Commando, Ethelbert, Domino, Watercolor, Imp.
Hermis Irish Lad Blue Girl. Banastar. Ham
burg Voter, Ben Brush and Salvador Though
Sysonby died a four-year-old, he never went to
the post as such, so his brilliant record was
made In two brief years of racing.
Mr.. Keene gave out the following statement
last night in regard to Sysonby's death:
After an illness of three months. during which
time Sysonby must have suffered untold tortures.
the great bay champion succumbed to-day a.
| n m 70 septic poisoning. An autopsy was at
once performed by Dr. Sheppard and DR.. Nc
CulIough and the findings will he sent TO me
without delay.
Poignant as was the grief of Mr.. Keene over
the loss Of his highly priced horse 1t was not so
intense as that OF Jimmie Rowe. the=veteran
Keene trainer who was present when Sysonoy
died Early yesterday morning DR.. Sheppard.
who had been treating Sysonby. was summoned
TO the stable He saw at a glance that the colt
had taken turn for the worse, and at once
called Dr. Mccullough in consultation. Heroic
measures were taken to save the horse but all
TO no avail.
how haaY mar nv nj re-
Gently in regard TO Sysonby's condition On
June 6 it was rur1ored that he was dying and
would have TO be shot. Mr.. Keene promptly de-
MED this rumor, and Rowe announced at the
time that Sysonby was improving steadily and
was in a fairly satisfactory condition. in view
of his long illness" He added that the colt
had recovered his appetite and was growing
stronger
Sysonby had long been afflicted with a skin
ailment, but It seems improbable that this caused
his untimely death. It will be recalled by horse
men that In of his last year he cut
himself slightly. and It was feared that he would
not go to the post for the classic Lawrence Re
alization Stakes. The injury was slight,
however. that he started. and the race.
pulling up apparently sound
Outside of the mere statement that Sysonby
died OF septic poisoning and that an autopsy
had been performed, no lnlOrTnatlOn was obtain
able at the stable. so great was the grief of
Rowe the trainer, that he would not even dis
cuss the subject.
Brilliant was Sysonbys career. he did not
die unbeaten. Once and once only. he lowered
his colors and took the dust from a rival That
was In the Futurity OF 1904. when, as two
year-oid, Sysonby finished third 10 Harry Payne
Whitney's brown filly Artful and Sydney Pagets
bay f1lly Tradition, which were first and second.
respectively.
On one occasion. too Sysonby was forced to
share the honors with another horse. This was
In the classic Metropolitan Handicap at Belmont
Park last year, when SysOnby ran a dead heat
with the lightly weighted Race King the entry
Of o. L. Richards piucky little horse to be
sure but only the commonest platter In COM
parison with the son of Melton.
Sysonby won every other race In which he
started. No matter what the distance. he ran
them alHfrom one mile to two miles and a
quarter-in the effortiess and frictionless
fashion. All distances and all comers looked
alike TO the unconquerable son of the great Eng
lish horse Melton and the broodmare Optime
Sysonby beat his fields by breaking the hearts
of the horses that opposed him. This he did
either by waiting behind the pace or by blazing
the way so far in advance that only his nearest
rival could see the CLINT of his racing plates off
in the heart breaking distance
AS a two-year-old IN 1904 Sysonby started
five times He first went TO the post In race
at five and one-half furlongs which he won in
1:074-5, with 107 pounds up. He won the
Brighton Junior at Brighton Beach. the Junior
Champion at Gravesend and the rich Saratoga
Special at Saratoga. His single defeat in
the Futurity. AS -year-old he won sS1.-
673
It was as a three-year- however that
Sysonby shone with a scintillating brilliancy
beside which all other turf stars faded into the
satellite class. Starting the year with the dead
heat with Race King in the Metropolitan Handi-
cap. he proceeded every stake and
handicap for which he was eligible. In race
after race sysonby met and showed his heels to
the best horses in training.
In the Century at one and one-haf miles. run
at Sheepshead Bay. he beit Broomstick and Eu-
genia Burch. and won sl4.650. In the Great Re
coptinuod third paSs