Botafogo was an Argentinian Thoroughbred racehorse who won the Argentinian Quadruple Crown and was the Argentinian Horse of the Year. He is considered one of the greatest Argentinian racehorses and was known as the "Man o' War of South America" and the "People's Horse".
He is considered a national pride, and received widespread coverage in general and international media, including The New York Times.
Contents
Background
Botafogo was a chestnut stallion with a white star and white hind pasterns, bred in Argentina at Haras El Moro by Adolfo and Rufino Luro. He was well-built.
Botafogo's dam, Korea, was imported into the United States as a foal in 1902 and was unsuccessful on the track. In 1910, she was exported to Argentina from Kentucky by Mrs. T. J. Carson, part of the trend of American breeders shipping their bloodstock to foreign countries after passage of the Hart–Agnew Law. Korea was sent to be covered by a well-known English stallion in Argentina, but the stallion refused to cover her, so she was instead sent to be covered by Old Man. Along with her filly by Ben Strome, Korea was sold at the Palermo sale to Stud El Moro for about $2,500, the highest price at the sale.
Old Man was a champion racehorse and winner of the Argentinian Quadruple Crown who had led the Argentinian general sire list in 1912 and would go on to do so again in 1917 and 1918.
Botafogo was born on November 7, 1914, and was purchased by Diego del Alvear for m$n25,000. Botafogo was originally named Kempis.
Racing career
Botafogo ran in 1917 and 1918, winning seventeen of his eighteen starts. His only loss was in the 1918 Gran Premio Carlos Pellegrini to Grey Fox. Botafogo later beat Grey Fox in a match race.
1917
Botafogo's racing career began as a two-year-old in a 1000 meter race where he beat ten other horses in 1:00+3⁄5. He next ran in the 1000 meter Clásico Guillermo Kemmis on March 11, 1917. He won the race easily by one and a quarter lengths in a time of :59+3⁄5. Botafogo made a great impression with the win, but didn't race again until May 26, when he won the 1400 meter Clásico Salvador J. Boucou at Hipódromo Argentino de Palermo under jockey Jesús Baslías. He covered the 1400 meters in 1:24, winning wire to wire in a gallop by several lengths.
On June 10, Botafogo had his first of three walkovers in the Clásico Eliseo Ramírez. Having beaten some of the best regarded two-year-olds in his previous race, Botafogo was considered unbeatable and his presence resulted in no other horses being entered, despite numerous subscriptions. Botafogo ran the 1400 meters alone in 1:26+4⁄5. Botafogo again faced competition on July 1 in the Clásico José B. Zubiaurre in his first race as a three-year-old. Three other colts challenged Botafogo in the 1600 meter race run on a muddy track. Botafogo won by 30 meters in 1:39+4⁄5.
With five wins and earnings of m$n40,100, Botafogo was the leading racehorse in Argentina for the first half of 1917.
The first leg of the Argentinian Triple Crown, the Gran Premio Polla de Potrillos was run on August 12. Along with Botafogo, the field included Remanso, a well-regarded and undefeated colt, and the competition between the two undefeated colts brought a lot of interest to the race. The third horse in the race, Berthier, was also well regarded. Botafogo again won wire to wire, leaving Remanso and Berthier behind, running the 1600 meters in 1:37+2⁄5. The official win margin was four lengths, and the time was a new record.
Botafogo again faced Remanso in the second leg, the Gran Premio Jockey Club. The two were the only two in the race, and they ran neck and neck for the first 800 meters of the 2000 meter race. One commentator said "They looked like only one horse and only one rider, so together did they go and so harmonious were their movements." At that point, Remanso began to tire, and Botafogo drew away to win by several lengths in 2:05+1⁄5, with a fractional time for 1000 meters of :58+4⁄5.
In the Gran Premio Nacional, run on October 14 over 2500 meters as the third leg of the Triple Crown, five horses aside from Botafogo were entered, including Remanso, Berthier, and Takecare, who had beaten Remanso in his last race. Botafogo was the overwhelming favorite. Botafogo ran true to form, leading by three lengths for most of the race and covering the first 2000 meters in 2:05+4⁄5. In the stretch, Botafogo was restrained and won with all ease by three-quarters of a length over Takecare, covering the final 1000 meters in 1:01 for a final time of 2:39+3⁄5.
1918
Botafogo's first race in 1918 was the Clásico America, a 1600 meter race for all ages, on April 28. The only other horse entered was the poorly-regarded four-year-old El Niño. The race was no contest, with Botafogo leading the entire way in an "easy exercise gallop" to win in 1:36, breaking his own previous record for the distance. Botafogo was slated to run in the Clásico Otoño, but was withdrawn. Botafogo raced again on May 26, in the Clásico Vicente L. Caseras. The race was a walkover as all other competitors declared forfeit once Botafogo's presence was announced. Botafogo ran the 2500 meters in 2:41.
Botafogo was withdrawn from the Clásico Libertado on June 29 due to the fact that he would have to carry extra weight because of his victory in the Clásico Vicente L. Caseras. Instead, Botafogo next ran in the weight-for-age Clásico Chacabuco on July 9, now officially a four-year-old. Once again, the announcement of his entry led to the withdrawal of all other competitors, leaving Botafogo alone to walk over, covering the 3000 meters in an easy 3:12. Botafogo faced only one other horse in the Clásico General Pueyrredon, which he won easily by several lengths, wire to wire. The time for the 4000 meters was 4:19.
On August 15, Botafogo again faced St Emilión, who had recently lowered the record time for a mile, in the Clásico Belgrano. Botafogo won in an easy gallop, leading the whole way to end several lengths ahead, running the 2500 meters in 2:37+1⁄5. From his five wins and m$n62,302 in earnings, Botafogo led the Argentinian charts for the first half of 1918. Two horses faced Botafogo in the Gran Premio de Honor on September 22, and Botafogo beat them in his usual style: by multiple lengths in an easy gallop, leading the entire way. The time for the 3500 meters was 3:45+3⁄5.On November 3, Botafogo ran in the Gran Premio Carlos Pellegrini. His victory was considered assured, with only three other horses. La Nación wrote that, for Botafogo, "there never was, nor ever will be, an adversary". Despite it being a festival day at Palermo, very little was bet, given the certainty of Botafogo's victory. Two of the other horses, St Emilión and Cracker, had already been defeated by Botafogo, and the third, Grey Fox, had never faced Botafogo before and had won several good handicaps, but was considered inferior. Botafogo took the lead at the start, as per the usual, with Grey Fox right behind him. The first 1000 meters were run in a very slow 1:07. As they entered the final stretch, Grey Fox came up alongside Botafogo and passed him to win by a length and a quarter in 3:10, covering the final 2000 meters in 2:03.
The match race
The lead-up to the match race was enormous. The question of 'Botafogo or Grey Fox?' was the main theme of public discussion and was written about in many newspapers, both Argentinian and foreign. La Prensa called it "the most important race in the memory of horse racing in our country", La Capital said "'the entire world' is interested in this important match," El Turf called it "the most interesting and sensational of late", and La Razón said that it was "the only talk in sporting and social circles because of the position of their respective owners; even the most distinguished ladies of our society participate in the general enthusiasm". People came from all across Argentina, as well as Chile and Uruguay to watch the race.
Attendance was high. The grandstands at Palermo, with a capacity of 33,000, were quickly filled, and "the multitude formed an immense mass that started at the top of the grandstand and descended and ended piled up at the track's rail." One newspaper wrote that "the crowd was so compact that any movement was absolutely impossible". An estimated 50,000 people attended, although some estimates go as high as 100,000 people. Since the race was run outside the typical schedule for Palermo, no official betting was held, but nonetheless much betting was held with private gambling, with over 700,000 tickets sold. Grey Fox was again ridden by jockey Domingo Torterolo, who had guided him to victory in the Gran Premio Carlos Pellegrini, but Botafogo's jockey had changed to Francisco Arcuri.
In the first few strides of the race, Grey Fox was in front, but within a few meters, Botafogo took the lead. From that point on, Botafogo drew away from Grey Fox, eventually crossing the finish line fifty meters ahead with "astonishing ease", running the 3000 meters in 3:07, setting a world record for the distance.
The crowd's response was immense and instantaneous, flooding out onto the course and preventing Grey Fox from reaching the finish line. Police intervention was required for Botafogo to be able to exit the track. "Crazy with enthusiasm", the crowd invaded the grandstands and broke down barriers. According to one newspaper, the crowd's cheers didn't quiet down for four hours. The Buenos Aires Herald wrote that "To describe the delirium, the enthusiasm, the manifestation of insanity that dominated the largest crowd that had ever gathered in the Palermo racecourse is far outside the possibility of mere words." La Razón reported that many people cried and that Botafogo received kisses from many attendees. People pulled hairs from Botafogo's mane and tail as mementos, and the national flag was laid over him.
Retirement and stud career
After the match race, Botafogo was retired. Haras Ojo de Agua offered m$n600,000 payable over several years along with breeding rights for three mares. Haras Capadmalal offered m$n450,000 in cash. Martínez de Hoz, president of the Buenos Aires Jockey Club and owner of Haras Chapadmalal, eventually purchased Botafogo for £40,000, or about $200,000. Diego de Alvear reserved the right to send two or three mares to Botafogo for his first two seasons at stud and added the condition that Botafogo should not leave the country. Including these side bargains, the final price was about $255,000, which was to that point the highest price ever paid for a thoroughbred horse. He stood his entire career at stud at Haras Chapadmalal, and ranked third on the Argentinian general sire list in 1924 and 1925 and fourth on the Argentinian broodmare sire list in 1934.
Botafogo died of colic on April 21, 1922, at Mar del Plata Stables near Buenos Aires. His death was reported in the New York Times.
Botafogo's most notable offspring is Juventas, winner of the Gran Premio 25 de Mayo. Juventas would go on to be a very influential Argentinian foundation mare. He was also the damsire of Cute Eyes, winner of the 1934 Gran Premio Carlos Pellegrini, 1934 and 1935 Gran Premio Chacabuco, and 1934 and 1935 Gran Premio General Pueyrredón.
Legacy
In 1918, the Clásico Botafogo, a 2200 meter handicap, was run in Botafogo's honor. As of 2022, the Gran Premio Botafogo is a Group 3 race for horses three years old and up in Argentina, run over 2000 meters on a turf track at Hipódromo de San Isidro.
Many years after Botafogo retired, "ran like a Botofogo" was praise reserved for exceptional performances. The term was used since at least 1918.
At least two tangos, "Botafogo for ever" and "Botafogo", were named after Botafogo.
Pedigree
Botafogo is not inbred in the first four generations.