Roseben (1901–1918) was an American Thoroughbred Hall of Fame race horse[1] who grew to such an enormous size (one inch less than 18 hands) that he was known as "The Big Train."
Because of his great size, he was slow to mature but when he finally got moving in his fourth, fifth and sixth years of racing, he was called the greatest sprinter of his time.
He conceded huge weights to his opponents in 86 of his starts, once giving away 60 pounds at Brighton Beach Race Course in 1907 and still winning by two lengths.
Purchased as a yearling by John Drake, Roseben did not reach the winner's circle until late in his three-year-old season.
Roseben's most famous achievement came in a 1906 allowance race at Belmont Park, where he set an American record for seven furlongs, clocking in at 1:22.
Retired, he was given to James Wadsworth, a New York State politician, who then gave the huge gelding to his daughter as a pleasure horse.