Roving Boy (1980–1983) was an American

Champion A champion (from the late Latin ''campio'') is the victor in a challenge, contest or competition. There can be a territorial pyramid of championships, e.g. local, regional / provincial, state, national, continental and world championships, a ...

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are ...

racehorse. Bred and raced by Robert E. Hibbert, Roving Boy was a descendant of

Man o' War Man o' War (March 29, 1917 – November 1, 1947) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who is widely regarded as the greatest racehorse of all time. Several sports publications, including ''The Blood-Horse'', ''Sports Illustrated'', ESPN, and t ...

on his sire's side. His dam's grandsire was the undefeated

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

racing superstar, Ribot. Trained by

Joseph Manzi Joseph is a common male given name, derived from the Hebrew Yosef (יוֹסֵף). "Joseph" is used, along with "Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the mo ...

, Roving Boy was the dominant juvenile in

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

whose earnings in 1982 of $800,425 set a world record for a two-year-old. He was a winner of four important West Coast races including the

Grade I In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

Norfolk Stakes at

Santa Anita Park Santa Anita Park is a Thoroughbred racetrack in Arcadia, California, United States. It offers some of the prominent horse racing events in the United States during early fall, winter and in spring. The track is home to numerous prestigious races ...

and both the

Del Mar Del Mar is Spanish for "of the sea" or "from the sea". It may refer to: Places in the United States * Del Mar, California * Del Mar High School, located in San Jose, California * Del Mar racetrack, located in Del Mar, California * Del Mar Fai ...

and

Hollywood Futurity The Los Alamitos Futurity is a Grade II American Thoroughbred horse race for two-year-olds run over a distance distance of one and one sixteenth miles ( furlongs) on the dirt held annually in early December at Los Alamitos Race Course in Cypress, ...

s. His 1982 performances earned Roving Boy U.S. Champion Two-Year-Old Colt honors. A winterbook favorite for the 1983 U.S. Triple Crown series, in late January 1983 Roving Boy suffered a

cannon-bone Good conformation in the limbs leads to improved movement and decreased likelihood of injuries. Large differences in bone structure and size can be found in horses used for different activities, but correct conformation remains relatively simil ...

fracture in his left front leg that kept him out of racing until the fall. Upon his return to the racetrack, Roving Boy won the Alibhai Handicap at Santa Anita but, similar to what happened to Eight Belles in the 2008 Kentucky Derby, after crossing the finish line he broke both hind legs. Surgery was not successful and the colt had to be euthanized.New York Times – November 3, 1983
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References

{{reflist 1980 racehorse births 1983 racehorse deaths Thoroughbred family 1-o Racehorses bred in Kentucky Racehorses trained in the United States Eclipse Award winners