I want to remind you that we are awfully tough on our equine friends, making them work so very hard for our pleasure. Here is a photo of George Washington who was euthanized last October after a dislocation fracture he sustained during the Breeders' Cup Classic.He was called "Gorgeaus George" by his fans, and you can see why. He is simply breathtaking. His final record was 14: 6-1-4 and among his achievements was the Queen's Plate and the 2,000 Guineas. He earned the 2005 European Championship 2 year-old colt and the 2006 Europemans Championship 3 year-old colt.
And then the sadness begins. He was retired to stud and covered only 50 mares, but proved to have fertility problems. Which is why he was put back into training and sent to the Breeder's Cup. Since he couldn't produce, he had to race. And he died trying his best to please at his work.
But here's a nice postscript. Among his mares, Flawlessly by Rainbow Quest did take and on February 4, 2008 she delivered a healthy bouncing baby filly by GW. This foal is owned by Stefano and Loreto Luciani who live near Rome. She is the only foal by GW, so she is pretty darn special. The Luciani's usually only breed to sell, but they consider her so rare and precious that they are considering keeping her.
She was born at the Irish National Stud at Tully in County Kildare, Ireland. Doesn't that sound nice? GW's trainer said that he was "unbelievably talented- a natural athlete," so they are expecting big things from his baby girl. She's been named Go George Go and the foal manager says, "She's a good bodied fily with good bones and has a lot of quality." I am so glad that he had this baby girl before passing.
Now since about a handful of mares did conceive, it's a bit unclear how many foals he will truly end up with. She's his first. But there is some evidence that a colt was born this spring. I will try and keep track and report later!