The Love of the Thoroughbred

Z Princess

Republished in loving memory of Z Princess, daughter of Zenyatta, who was with us from April 20, 2014 to October 28, 2014  - RIP little one.  
 
Weanling daughter of champion Zenyatta dies  Zenyatta: Champion Mother
BloodHorse Feature: Long Live the Queen

And:


Shared Belief

In Honor of Shared Belief whose life and career were shortened on December 3, 2015, when he succumbed to a sudden and deadly attack of colitis. His fans, his owners, his trainer and all of his connections have shared their feelings about the loss of this wonderful champion. Jim Rome, one of the owners, has publicly mourned his "horse of a lifetime" and what it means not only to have been privileged to own such a horse, but what the loss means to him personally: 

"Thoroughbred racing is a sport filled with the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. Some of the most thrilling and surreal moments of our entire lives have occurred in this sport. Unfortunately, today we have suffered our most devastating. We have lost Shared Belief."

"Immediate shock upon hearing the Champ had passed suddenly turned to extreme sadness. You never really get over something like this, you just hope to get past it. And in time, we will. And we will as a team. All of us together." 

"And truthfully, we have asked ourselves if it’s all worth it. If you truly love the animal and you’re in the game for the right reasons, how could you not ask yourself that question? In other words, as devastating as this loss is, given the chance, would we do it all over again? And the answer is yes."

Remembering Shared Belief - video      
Shared Belief Remembered through Photos
Jungle Racing Facebook page




Loving the Thoroughbred

Zenyatta and Z Princess

When I started seriously following Thoroughbred racing, one of my early realizations was the extremes of the highs and lows of the sport.  I questioned early on how trainers and owners, and others involved directly with the care and training of these magnificent creatures dealt with the emotional extremes, the emotional roller coaster.  If you are afraid of your emotions, if you think it's not manly to cry, then you are in the wrong game.  Some days you get your heart wrung out like a dishrag, and others the joy and thrill of that win that comes at the end of a long road of ups and downs, just sends you over the moon, only to come crashing down again because of a senseless accident or injury that ends a career before it has begun. 


Mucho Macho Man

Yet, no matter how tough the road, I think most would say being involved with the horses is worth the price, that it is addictive in a positive sense, that their lives are enriched by their involvement.  I don't even own a horse, and can't get to the track very often, yet I've had my heart stomped on only to come back for more.  I pulled so hard for Mucho Macho Man for 3 years, that he would one day get to win that big race -- for what reason did I feel so invested in one horse? 

Fort Larned breaks the hearts of Mucho Macho Man's fans in the 2012 Breeders Cup Classic in a thrilling battle to the finish.  Mucho came back and looked like he might get there.


In 2013, Mucho Macho Man gets his revenge in a blanket finish with last year's winner and an invader from overseas, Declaration of War - This win brought tears to my eyes for Moochie.

El Vino - Zenyatta's workmate

Less accomplished horses have touched my heart, as well.  For what reason did a low-level claimer get under my skin and cause me to want to help in re-homing him, or how sad I felt at the loss of El Vino.  I have to tell you, growing up I couldn't even watch a Lassie

Sarbonne - Also worked
with Zenyatta

movie because the sound of that music would cause my throat to constrict and tears would sting my eyes before the movie even began!  Yet, I constantly subject myself to the ups and downs of a sport that is guaranteed to break your heart and the next moment, take you to the highest mountain.  Why am I still here?  Even though my voice is small among so many, I somehow feel I make a difference in bearing witness for each and every Thoroughbred that crosses my path.  To leave the sport would be like abandoning all of them, to saying, they don't matter.  So, I'm hooked, I'm stuck, and gladly so.  In the words of Priscilla Clark in her tribute to Zenyatta:

"If you love Thoroughbred horses you go through life hoping that you can see just one more in whose presence the clouds fall away to reveal the mountaintop. It can take a generation or infinitely longer for such a horse to arrive, a horse that is capable of carrying the human heart. For the last one hundred years we know them all by name, but Zenyatta brought to us a beauty that was a tonic for the soul. She allowed us to believe in the impossible, and it was the light of her being as much as the thrill of her races that got us dancing. Zenyatta was transformative."

A story of redemption.  Recently, a program at Saratoga has garnered much praise in restoring bruised and battered men and women coming back from the ravages of war.  Called the "Saratoga Warhorse", the only way to explain the program and how it works is to watch it in action.  Saratoga Warhorse  A story of redemption and renewal, and hope. 

A trainer's journey to the mountaintop and the depths to which he can plunge.  Story of a Kentucky Derby that changed Bob Baffert's life.

Then, in 2015, Bob Baffert has been carried to the mountaintop one more time. This time he was rewarded -- no, privileged -- to sit atop that mountain and feel the glow of reaching for the stars and having the stars embrace him, and all the connections, of the first Triple Crown winner in 37 years. In the culmination of taking home the prize no other Triple Crown winner has even had the opportunity to try, winning the Grand Slam of racing, the Breeders Cup Classic, Baffert has sometimes been at a loss for words to express his emotions. Often, he has referred to the "spiritual nature" of his journey, as here in the day following the Breeders Cup Classic, he reveals that he is at a loss for adequate words. 



There's no question in my mind that there is a spiritual connection between man and the horse that has existed for centuries.  As I stated in the beginning, my current situation does not afford me much personal contact with the horses.  I have a friend who does eventing and she has a couple of horses that when I feel the need to get up close and personal, I go out just to be around them, to smell that distinctive "horse smell" that to me is intoxicating.  To gaze into those soulful eyes, to rub that soft spot on their nose, to feed them carrots and treats, for me, brings me a sense of peace and order in my life.  There's just no way to explain it, but here's Richard Migliore trying to explain what he feels in the presence of a Zenyatta or a Seattle Slew. 



Yes, Zenyatta is special, otherworldly, even, but, to a certain extent, every horse has the spirit of Zenyatta, of a Seattle Slew.  All carry within them the ability to touch our hearts, to reach into our soul, and to engender a desire to help even in small ways to work towards a day when they all are appreciated and cared for.  They can't all be as accomplished as these two great horses, or of an American Pharoah, or a Shared Belief, but they all deserve to be treated as if they were!

If you want to help, even in a small way, there are many horse rescue and re-homing groups worthy of your support.  A list of organizations and their credentials are listed at Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance.  You, too, can make a difference in a horse's life.

Stud Farms

WHO'S WHO IN THOROUGHBRED BREEDING

Following are glimpses into who are the biggest players of breeding Thoroughbreds around the world.  They are not listed in any particular order, except the biggest players are in all caps.

Kenny Troutt (left) and co-owner Bill Casner celebrate

their horse Super Saver's Kentucky Derby victory in 2010

Image by Getty Images North America via @daylife

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GODOLPHIN/DARLEY
Godolphin Racing is the Maktoum family's private thoroughbred horseracing stable and was named in honour of the Godolphin Arabian, who came from the desert to become one of the three founding stallions of the modern thoroughbred.

UAE Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum is the driving force behind Godolphin. He also owns the Darley Stud breeding operation. Godolphin's first runner and winner was Cutwater (GB) at Nad Al Sheba, Dubai on December 24, 1992 while Godolphin's international operation commenced in 1994. The stable has training facilities in both Dubai, United Arab Emirates and Newmarket, United Kingdom.

Sheikh Mohammed, or "Sheikh Mo" as he is affectionately known, is perhaps the best known billionaire in the world of thoroughbred horse breeding and racing. His presence at horse sales is met with hushed reverence (and an intimidating entourage including bodyguards). He is thought to be the biggest spender in the history of the sport, buying up stables in the Middle East, Europe and the US (including Bob McNair's, see previous slide). Four horses linked to the Sheikh's various stables have won the UK's Epsom Derby: Lammtarra, New Approach, High-Rise and Shaamit. He continues to chase his dream of winning the Kentucky Derby.

Recent scandal involving the administration of illegal drugs to several horses at the barn run by Al Zarooni has rocked the Thoroughbred world.  Disgraced trainer banned for 8 years by BHA  BBC report

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H. H. AGA KHAN
Vanity Fair - 2012
http://www.agakhanstuds.com/history/history.asp
Top owner/breeder in France

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JUDDMONTE FARMS
Juddmonte Farms consists of a variety of individual farms: three in England, two in Ireland, and three in Kentucky, United States. Established in 1977, Juddmonte in particular is highly regarded for their 300 plus broodmare band.

Founded in 1977, Juddmonte is based in Lexington, KY. Prince Khalid Abdullah, owner; John Chandler, president; Lord Teddy Grimthorpe, racing manager. Web site

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COOLMORE / BALLYDOYLE / ASHFORD STUD KY
Coolmore Stud's wiki page
Coolmore web site
Coolmore Stud, in Fethard, South Tipperary in Ireland, is the world's largest breeding operation of thoroughbred racehorses.

It was originally a relatively small farm dedicated to general agriculture, but came into the Vigors family in 1945 when a training operation was established there^.  It was inherited by Tim Vigors, famous fighter pilot in the Battle of Britain and in the Far East. Having left the air force, he firstly joined Goffs bloodstock auctioneers before setting up his own bloodstock agency in 1951. He moved to Coolmore in 1968 and began transforming it into the well known stud farm it is today.

Vigors went into partnership with his friend Vincent O'Brien, a leading racehorse trainer, and Robert Sangster, the Vernons pools magnate. He later sold his interest to O'Brien and his son-in-law, John Magnier. Eventually, Magnier became sole owner, and built the farm into a multi-national, multi-billion-euro operation. The original farm is now known as Coolmore Ireland, and has three branches—Ashford Stud, which operates as Coolmore America, near Versailles, Kentucky and Coolmore National Hunt (or Castle Hyde Stud) in Ireland, which specialises in breeding for National Hunt racing. Coolmore has many "shuttle stallions" that cover mares in either Ireland or Kentucky in the northern breeding season and are transported to Argentina and Australia for the southern breeding season.

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Alain and Gerard Wertheimer
Wertheimer et Frere
France’s Alain Wertheimer and his brother Gerard, co-owners of fashion house Chanel, are third generation horse owners and breeders. Their thoroughbred business Wertheimer et Frere (meaning Wertheimer and Brother) has produced champs like Goldikova, the only horse ever to win three Breeders’ Cup Mile races. In 1993, their horse Kotashaan won American Horse of the Year, one of the sport’s highest accolades.

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Jess Jackson/Barbara Banke - Stonestreet Farms
One of the most beloved figures in the U.S. horse racing scene passed away in April 2011. California billionaire winemaker Jess Jackson was a regular fixture at bloodstock auctions and racetracks. Forbes did a feature two years ago during the Saratoga Springs meet. Forbes feature.  It was clear he’d earned the respect of his peers as an owner and a breeder. His Stonestreet Farms stable is home to Curlin, the all-time top earning racehorse in North America with over $10.5 million winnings, and Rachel Alexandra, the first filly to win the Preakness Stakes in 85 years and 2009 Horse of the Year. His widow, Barbara Banke, continues to operate under the Stonestreet banner.

Pleasantly Perfect

PLEASANTLY PERFECT, b. 1998, didn't do much at all until he was 4 years old. It took him 4 tries to break his maiden, as a four year old, also winning a Grade 2. Then, at 5, he won the Breeders Cup Classic and the Goodwood, with a third in the San Antonio. At 6, he won the Dubai World Cup, the Pacific Classic and the San Antonio, ran second in the San Diego H., and a third in the Breeders Cup Classic. His bankroll when it was all said and done was a tidy sum of $7.8 Million!

He is the daddy of Nonios, Cozi Rosie, My Adonis, Rapid Redux, Setsuko, and his most successful offspring in the U.S. is a daughter, Shared Account, who earned $1.6 Million over two seasons. Retired at the end of 2011, she was booked to Bernardini.

Tough, durable, he is the son of Pleasant Colony who in 1981 won the KY Derby, the Preakness, the Wood, and the Woodward, all Grade 1 races, losing horse of the year honors to John Henry! (Yours truly was on hand for the 1981 Kentucky Derby, as well as the 1980 Kentucky Derby when the filly, Genuine Risk won.  There is a slide show of my trip to see these two races and many of the photos on this blog header are from my trips.)

Who wouldn't want to have a foal from this family? His great grandaddy on his sire's side is the great Ribot; his dam's sire is none other than the last Triple Crown winner, Affirmed. He has no inbreeding through the fifth generation. And this lovely guy stands at Lane's End for a paltry $10,000!

I should have titled this piece, "I just don't get it," because I absolutely just do not get why any buyer would want a yearling or two year old with champagne glass legs, a career that might last 12 months, total, and bypass a chance at a horse that would bring you nothing but sheer fun and joy watching him grow and develop into a mature, race-winning machine!!! This just shows how short-sighted today's buyers are, looking only for the early-maturing, fragile, youngsters that might make it through one season, and then poof, off to the breeding shed to breed more of the same. If I win the lottery, the very first thing I want to do is try to buy one of PP's youngsters and send him/her to Mr. Patience, John Shirreffs! I think that would be nirvana for me!

2003 BREEDERS CUP CLASSIC
Watch as Pleasantly Perfect comes from mid-pack to mow down the leaders, Medaglia d'Oro and Congaree, and win by daylight!

DUBAI WORLD CUP - 2004
Pleasantly Perfect and Medaglia battle it out once again in the stretch for a near-photo finish!


2004 PACIFIC CLASSIC
Pleasantly Perfect once again kicks in with a late run to sail over the finish line in front by daylight!