Meridian (horse)

Meridian was foaled at Charles L. Harrison's farm in Bellevue, Kentucky in 1908. Charles Harrison (1856–1912) was a civil engineer by trade and was a designer of the Cincinnati and Eastern Railway.^[2] Meridian's dam was Sue Smith, winner of the 1905 Astoria Stakes, who was sired by the imported British stallion Masetto.^[3] Meridian's sire was Broomstick, son of 1896 Kentucky Derby winner Ben Brush, who was then standing at Samuel Brown's Senorita Stock Farm in Lexington, Kentucky.

Meridian won three of his 12 starts as a two-year-old, gaining third place in the 1910 Foam Stakes and second place in the Sheepshead Bay Double Event Stakes while racing for Harrison in New York.^[3] Harrison had consigned the Thoroughbred to be sold in a July 1910 sale at the Sheepshead Bay Race Track but withdrew him because the bidding was not high enough. Richard Carman was also at the auction and purchased a horse called The Turk.^[4]

Meridian was bought by New Yorker Richard F. Carman as a three-year-old who was eligible to run in the May 13, 1911 Kentucky Derby. Up against a field of seven horses, Meridian started from the fifth post position. A steady contender for most of the race, he was able to outrun a rapidly advancing Governor Gray to earn the win.^[1] Racing opportunities were very limited for owners as a result of the Hart–Agnew anti-betting legislation that led to a complete shutdown of racing in New York State in 1911 and 1912.^[5][6] As such, Carman headed north to Canada where at Hamilton, Ontario he ran second in the June 17th Hamilton Derby to the August Belmont Jr. colt Whist.^[7] One week later at the same track, Meridian won the National Handicap while setting a new track record for a mile and one-eighth on dirt.^[8]

Meridian continued to race until he was six years old before being retired from racing to be used as a breeding stallion by Richard Carman.