Ben Strome

Ben Strome
SireBend Or
GrandsireDoncaster
DamStrathfleet
DamsireThe Scottish Chief
SexStallion
Foaled1886
CountryGreat Britain
ColorBay
OwnerDuke of Westminster
TrainerJohn Porter
Recordnot found
Earningsnot found
Awards
Leading sire in North America (1903)

Ben Strome (1886 - October 1909) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse. Although highly regarded in his early days, he was considered a disappointment on the racetrack. He was exported to the United States where he became the leading sire in 1903. His most famous offspring was Hall of Famer Roseben.

Ben Strome was a bay horse with a "splendid back and quarters, standing apparently on legs of iron."[1] He was sired by Bend Or and out of Strathfleet by The Scottish Chief. Ben Strome was trained by John Porter, one of the most celebrated horsemen of the Victorian era.[2]

Expectations for Ben Strome were high but he did not make his debut until late in the 1888 racing season as Porter did not believe in racing horses early.[1] In his only start at age two, he was unplaced in the Middle Park Plate behind Donovan.[3] At three, his best result was a second-place finish in the St James's Palace Stakes to Pioneer.[4] Now considered one of the great disappointments of Porter's career, Ben Strome was entered in a selling race at Newmarket where he was bought for 100 guineas.[5] He was subsequently exported to the United States.

  1. ^ a b "Kingsclere". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. Ogago Witness. 6 April 1888. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
  2. ^ "Mr John Porter". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. Press. 9 June 1890. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
  3. ^ "About the Cesarewitch". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. Evening Star. 1 December 1888. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
  4. ^ "Baily's Magazine of Sports and Pastimes". Vinton. 1889. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
  5. ^ "Turf Notes". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. Wairarapa Daily Times.