Turf Tales

THE LEGEND OF ROSCOE ROUNDABOUT When speaking of the greatest athletes of all-time, names such as Babe Ruth, Michael Jordan, Jim Brown, Wayne Gretzky, Muhammad Ali and Joe Montana are among those thrown into the discussion.

Some might include Secretariat, the Triple Crown winning horse of 1973. But if you allow animals to enter into the greatest athletes of all-time discourse, then you must submit the name of Roscoe Roundabout. Get ready for a little history here.

Roscoe Roundabout was not a horse or some wimpy show dog. No, Roscoe Roundabout was a swift and sleek greyhound that raced during the halcyon days of dog racing in the 1930’s. Known as “The Babe Ruth of Greyhound Racing,” Roscoe Roundabout dominated his sport like no other athlete has, then or since. Other than former heavyweight champeen Rocky Marciano (49-0), I can’t think of another professional athlete that has never experienced the bitter taste of defeat.

From 1935 through 1938, the incredible Roscoe Roundabout won 143 races and lost none. That’s right, 143-0. Most of those wins, according to the book, “The Definitive History of Greyhound Racing,” by Thomas Mattison, were in convincing fashion, where the only race was for place.

After beginning at small greyhound racetracks in the New England region, Roscoe Roundabout started