Riley (1887 – July 1, 1910) was a bay colt sired by
Longfellow
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (February 27, 1807 – March 24, 1882) was an American poet and educator. His original works include "Paul Revere's Ride", ''The Song of Hiawatha'', and ''Evangeline''. He was the first American to completely transl ...
out of Geneva. He won the
1890 Kentucky Derby for owner and trainer
Edward Corrigan who shortly after would build
Hawthorne Race Course
Hawthorne Race Course is a racetrack for horse racing in Stickney/Cicero, Illinois, near Chicago.
The oldest continually run family-owned racetrack in North America, in 2009 the Horseplayers Association of North America introduced a rating syst ...
which opened in
Cicero, Illinois
Cicero (originally known as Hawthorne) is a suburb of Chicago and an incorporated town in Cook County, Illinois, United States. Per the 2020 census, the population was 85,268. making it the 11th largest municipality in Illinois. The town of Cic ...
in 1891. Ridden by future
U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee
Isaac Murphy
Isaac Murphy (October 16, 1799 or 1802 – September 8, 1882)Every Arkansas reference says that he was born in 1799; most other sources, including genealogical studies, say he was born in 1802. was a native of Pennsylvania, a teacher and la ...
, Riley won the mile and one-quarter Derby in 2 minutes 45 seconds, the slowest time recorded to that point due to a very muddy track. Riley was originally named Shortfellow and had a relatively long and successful career in which he had 64 starts with 30 wins, 17 places, and 4 shows.
Riley died on July 1, 1910 at the age of 23 while being cared for by a racehorse rescue association.
"Riley" The New York Times Death Notice
/ref>
Riley's only offspring of note was his daughter, Hurley Burley, who was the dam of Burgomaster, a successful sire.
Pedigree
References
{{Kentucky Derby Winners
1887 racehorse births
1910 racehorse deaths
Racehorses bred in Kentucky
Racehorses trained in the United States
Kentucky Derby winners
Thoroughbred family A1