Boston (horse)

Boston (1833–1850) was an outstanding Thoroughbred racehorse and a leading sire in North America three times from 1851 to 1853.

Boston was bred by Virginia attorney John Wickham (who had been Aaron Burr's counsel in his trial for treason).

[2] Boston was described as "[A] glowing chestnut, with a blazed face and both hind ankles white; his coat being lustrous and satiny in texture.

He was slab-sided, flat-bodied and stood over a lot of ground, his back-ribs were wonderful and coupling arched with the power of suspension bridge, while his entire hind quarter was a prodigy of brawn and muscle.

Boston was a heavy limbed horse, with knees and hocks let down close the ground and unusually short pasterns that were at the same time extremely flexible.

His fiery temperament alternately flamed and smouldered and from moods of passion he would lapse into inert, sluggish ones, but at all times he had the quickness of a cat when aroused which made his gigantic strength all the more formidable.

'"[3] As a two-year-old, Boston was lost by his breeder in a card game and was given to Wickham's friend Nathaniel Rives of Richmond to repay his debt of $800.

Boston ran away with the race, gaining a long lead, only to stop halfway through, refusing to move.

In May 1842, he met the filly Fashion, the daughter of Trustee and Bonnets o' Blue, in a well-touted match race at the Union Course on Long Island, New York.

Boston led for three miles, but Fashion won by 60 yards, setting a new world record of 7:32½ for a four-mile heat.

During his race career he stood at the stable of W. R. Johnson, in Petersburg, VA.[3] He stood at Spring Grove, Hanover County, Virginia for $70 in 1843, then in Washington, D.C. for $60 in 1844, 1845, and 1846, and was then led over the mountains to Kentucky where he spent his last seasons in Woodford County, Kentucky, standing for $50 in 1847-1849.