Actually, I think Sysonby is more underrated than overrated. I agree that he didn't have to contend with the best competition, but he did beat Racing Hall of Famer Beldame and his only loss was a third place finish to another Hall of Famer, Artful, a race he certainly would have won if he hadn't been drugged by his own groom. Furthermore, his performances, regardless of who he raced against, spoke for themselves. When he won the Great Republican Stakes, he ran one of the greatest races ever seen. Left at the start after veering into the rail, Sysonby trailed the field by a good 75 yards. Then he recovered his stride and proceeded to run a scorching three furlongs in 32 4/5 seconds to retake the lead. He drew away and won easily. His time for the three furlongs was an unofficial world record.If he hadn't been drugged, Sysonby would have reeled off 15 wins in 15 starts, matching the immortal Colin's record. Also, in my opinion Sysonby was better than Colin. Colin only raced 3 times as a three-year-old and questions about his soundness surfaced. Sysonby was always durable and, unlike Colin, was improving steadily at the close of his three-year-old season. If he had lived to race at four, he would have gone on to even greater achievements. Sadly, a lot of people don't even know Sysonby's name today; he has faded into obscurity.
