Breaking News! A Wonderful Fall Morning

Last night I went to the barn after a busy day at work. I had the whole barn to myself and put out my little herd in the roundpen where you see Hailee standing in this photo. The sun was that wonderful late afternoon Fall muted sunlight that falls golden all over. Violet looked radiant against the seasonal leaves and the harvested corn field. Hailee was gorgeaus. And Renny adorable. I got the barn to myself and got to blanket, feed, and shut up the place. That's rare for me to have that treat -- and it was just right on this sunny muted Fall day! There is nothing like the sound of a barn full of horses eating. I am pretty sure He intended that noise as the sound of celestial contentment.

Anyway, I went back to the stable this morning early and it was a beautiful drive out. The fields look great in their post-harvest state and the leaves are changed and falling. And we had a fog that deepened the closer I got to Showgate. I visited with my herd, took Violet for a long-line drive around the farm and down by the road, had a nice quiet ride, chatted with Coy, and let my mare and yearling enjoy a morning in the roundpen. Coy and I talked about Doc Bar, War Admiral, Man o' War, Black Gold, Beggar Boy and Seabiscuit. He talked about his childhood and I prattled on about the Throughbred Training Center. I love talking horses with people and Coy is very knowledgeable about the Western side of my equine family. Turns out Doc Bar, a relative to Hailee, was a failed race horse, but was savage and tough and eager about running down cows! Vi is a very mouthy curious girl and so when I showed up this morning, she gave me her face so that I could see that she had cut and blistered her lip, poor girl. She probably hurt herself chewing some sharp object. Ugh. And I noticed that my little guy has gained a lot of weight since he switched from baby grain to regular. So, I am asking that he be cut back.

But here's what's funny. Coy went to bring Hailee in and she slipped away from him and took off blazing across the cut cornfield through the mist and sun. She looked so pleased with herself. She lifted her beautiful tail and held her head high. She was all that and a bag of chips. So, Violet and I and Coy and Barbie went after her. And I am super duper ear-to-ear proud that Hailee waited with quiet patience and trust for me to retrieve her. I know it's not nice to say, but one of the very nicest parts of my life is the fact that these three amazing wonderful equines love, trust and respect me. They really see me as an integral part of their herd life. Namaste!

Full Celebration! Man 'O War Statue at KHP

Here he is, the reigning king of the equine world, Man o' War at the head of the Kentucky Horse Park. And buried at his feet are his famous children, including Violet's relative War Admiral.

Full Celebration! My Zen Perfect Day

Okay, so in these photos, you see exercise riders at the Thoroughbred Training Center in Lexington, Kentucky. Over 900 racehorses and 100 trainers quarter here to learn the ropes! These are racehorses learning their trade, or tweaking and refining their trade. Here is where they can get their "gate card" which is their official permission to run at our country's race tracks because they have proven they can load into and leap out of a gate. Here is where exercise riders earn about 10$ a ride to jump on novice baby race horses. The place has two tracks, one you see in this photo, and then a second which is only a 5/8th mile on the inside of this larger one. It was an amazing facility! We got to meet and speak with a trainer, Mike Cameron. We got to see Chris McCarron's North American Riding Academy, it was awesome.

Okay, so here was the perfect day, and it occurred on Saturday, April 25th, when I finally got in the zone on my Full celebration weekend. I woke up and felt the cool breeze of early morning. I heard horses whiffling and snorting. I made coffee and had my morning java and chocolate mousse with Revelry and the Paints and Palimino. I drove out to the Thoroughbred Training Center and took a tour. I took a driving lesson with Breimer. I visited a horse farm and talked with a young college student with two paint horses. I went to Rolex and watched the Cross-Country. I met David O' Connor's mother, Sally O'Connor, who was working as a fence judge! I visited the Kentucky Horse Park and saw Funnycide and visited John Henry's gravesite. I took a tour of the Driving Center and looked at all the amazing sorts of carts, carriages, gigs, and phaetons. I saw Secretariat and Man 'o War's statues and visited Violet's and Hailee's relatives, War Admiral and others at their burial ground. I went to an art museum and saw Scott Tree's photos of Arabians and Fay Moore's sports paintings of equines. I went home and had a glass of wine with the horses back at Gayla. And then I had a relaxed dinner at Galvin's in Georgetown while reading In Service of the Horse, reading how David O' Connor's groom cares for his horses. Then I slipped into a sleep, as horses snorted and puffed and made agreeable happy noises!

Spring Waltz and My Girls!

Here is a photo by Bob Coglianese of the lovely Spring Waltz, a 2003 filly just like my lovely Violet. She won the Grade 2 Rampart Stakes by 9 furlongs over the weekend of March 8, 2008. In the Daily Racing Form, her jockey, Javier Castellano, said "There was no question that I was concerned with getting stuck behind horses on the final turn. We had to squeeze through a little bit, but she's got a big heart. As soon as we made it through, she hit another gear and took off."

She'll be entered in the GII Louisville Breeder's Cup the same weekend that Sugar Swirl will be in the Humana Distaff. Both these horses are Frank Stronach Girls. Spring Waltz record so far is 9: 6-3-0, so she's quite the tough one! Her parents are Silver Charm out of Relaxing Rhythm by Easy Goer.

My girls, of course, share many relatives, including Hasty Road, War Admiral, Tom Fool, Princequillo, and Nasrullah!

War Admiral Winning the Preakness!

Here is a photo of Man o' War's kid, War Admiral, busy winning the Preakness Stakes, the second jewel in the Triple Crown! Remember that this great horse is a direct relation to my lovely Violet and indirect to Hailee through his sire! Now here's what I think is important. He was a smaller fella. The movie Seabiscuit made it seem like he was a giant meanie in order to make the tiny Seabiscuit seem like even more of an underground. But truth is, WA was a smaller guy too -- but big on heart!

Precious Kitten and My Girls!

Precious Kitten is a filly born on February 20, 2003, the same year as Violet. She's had a very successful career so far, with 19: 7-8-1. Among her wins was the Gallorette Handicap. She was owned and bred by Ken and Sarah Ramsey of Kentucky, and her parents are Catienus out of Kitten's First by Lear Fan. Among her famous relatives, therefore, are Storm Cat, Mr. Prospector, Secretariat, Northern Dancer, and War Admiral.

She is currently listed as #10 of 3 year-olds and up fillies and mares by the 2007 World Thoroughbred Racehorse Rankings.

And on January 12, 2008, Barbaro's parents, Roy and Gretchen Jackson, purchased her from her Ramseys for an undisclosed sum. Of this purchase, the Ramseys said, "We hope that she brings as much pleasure to the Jacksons as she did to us. Selling her was a tough decision and we'll miss running her in the big races this year. We hope she wins a 2008 Eclipse Award for the Jacksons and goes on to an equally successful career as a broodmare. We will be following her closely and hope to see them in the winners circle with her often this year."

Breaking News! War Pass and Cool Coal Man have big weekend!

Here are photos of War Pass and Cool Coal Man taken this past weekend as they won their races. Both horses are owned by Robert LePenta and trained by Nick Zito, so the whole family is very happy. War Pass earned his 5th win in 5 starts in his 3 year-old debut in a $60,000 allowance race in Gulfstream Park. He is the 2007 Eclipse Award winning 2-year-old colt Champion and a top contender for the Kentucky Derby this spring. He won the Breeder's Cup Juvenile last October. So far, he's earned $1,433,400 for his dad. He won his spring debut by 7 1/2 lengths!

His trainer said, "He broke like a rocket." His parents are Cherokee Run and Vue by Mr. Prospector, so he is closely related to Violet, especially on her dad's side. Dame Francesca is War Pass's grandma, and Cherokee Run's dad is Runaway Groom! He also has Nasrullah, War Admiral and Count Fleet.

Cool Coal Man is also a contender for the Kentucky Derby and here you see him edging to a win in the $350,000 G2 Fountain of Youth race shortly after his brother, War Pass, won his allowance race.

Both horses are fabulous, truly fabulous. So, no wonder their dad said, "Right now, you'd have to say we're over the moon!" He is excited about his boys!

Buckpasser and My Girls!

Buckpasser was a Claiborne Farms foal born in the year of my birth, 1963. He was by Tom Fool and Busanda by War Admiral. Please read the first link below to read just how deep and rich and impeccable his pedigree was. He was astonishing in his family tree! Among his cool family members was Equipoise, or "The Chocolate Soldier," a horse that both Hailee and Violet share in their heritage.

And astonishingly good-looking. The famous painter, Richard Stone Reeves, according to the Unofficial Thoroughbred Hall of Fame, said that "Buckpasser was the most perfectly proportioned thoroughbred I have ever seen." He only gave two other horses the designation of being in a "class with Buckpasser" -- Secretariat and Affirmed. Reeves said, "I would deny anyone to find a fault with Buckpasser."

He was a good boy who had perfect manners and was gentle. And he was lazy in the lead, but always managed to eke out a win in a relaxed powerful fashion. His final record was 31: 25(21), 4(3), 1(1) with $1,462,014. Among his wins, he took the Jockey Club Gold Cup, Brooklyn Handicap, Arlington Classic, Travers Stakes, and Metropolitan Handicap. His dad, Ogden Phipps, retired him a bit early because he had quarter crack problems. He then became an outstanding broodmare stud. He produced 142 stakeswinners, including 11 champions before passing in 1978.

Among his awards, he earned the following Eclipse Awards, the 1965 Champion 2 year-old colt, 1966 Champion 3 year-old colt and Horse of the Year, and the 1967 Champion Handicap Male. He was inducted into the Racing Hall of Fame in 1970. And was voted #14 of the Top 100 thoroughbred race horses of the 20th century.

My girls are related to him through many connections, but some immediate ones are Menow, Bull Dog, Equipoise, War Admiral, Blue Larkspur, and La Troienne.

Get this! Last summer, when Barbie and Montgomery and I went to Claiborne Farms, we went into the main office which was panelled in wood and dark green and brass, etc. And this is the place where I leaned over to take a look at a beautiful leather halter hanging on the wall and saw that the brass tag said Buckpasser. Can you believe? I saw one of this champion's halters in real life. What a wonderful boy. I hope he's lazing about, running sweetly, and goofing off in heaven!
http://www.spiletta.com/UTHOF/buckpasser.html
or
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buckpasser
or
http://www.thoroughbredchampions.com/biographies/buckpasser.htm
or
http://www.brauliobaeza.com/hoy_buckpasser.html
or
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqRgpmplwvs
or
http://www.stallions.com.au/historical/buckpasser.asp

Wee Nip and My Girls!

Wee Nip was a 1945 thoroughbred filly by War Admiral and Bourbonette by Teddy. She even had a splash of The Tetrarch on her dam's side! She raced a bit, running 16 times for a final record of 1-2-4 and earning $4,850. But she is known especially for her babies. She had 8 foals, 6 fillies and 2 colts, the latter out of Hill Prince and Bimelech.

In my own Violet's tree, she was bred to the amazing, Belmont-winning One Count to produce Three Fingers. I can hardly believe that Violet's pedigree includes a double whammy of grandsires -- War Admiral and Count Fleet!!! Pow! Two Triple Crown winning champions!

You would think I could find a photo of Wee Nip, but I wasn't able to. So here is a photo taken in late September 2007 by Vikki of my own beautiful Vi!

Iron Liege and Venetian Way!

This blog entry is about a couple of horses and a great jockey. The 1957 Kentucky Derby winner was Iron Liege ridden by Bill Hartack, shown below on the track. He was in a big showdown in the Derby against Gallant Man, but Willie Shoemaker just took a few seconds standing up, thinking he had won too early, and Iron Liege won by a nose. GM's owner was so upset until Shoemaker said, "I'm sorry, John, I made a mistake."

The 1960 Kentucky Derby winner was Venetian Way, also ridden by Bill Hartack. The track that day was referred to as "used chewing tobacco" because it was damp (according to Red Smith). VW was the third favorite, behind Bally Ache who had beaten him 3 out of 4 encounters. But VW won with the fastest win ever recorded on an off track. VW is shown with his roses in the winner's circle.

And then there is Bill Hartack who was the youngest person ever to be elected to the Hall of Fame at the age of 26. He was a fightin', competitive, tough jockey. On November 27th, this year, newspapers noted that this great champion passed away at the age of 74. He was an avid hunter and fisherman and he was found dead of heart disease at a hunting cabin while on vacation. He was the child of a coal miner in Pennsylvania whose mother died when he was 8. He didn't want to become a coal miner, so he began a very young, very early career as an exercise rider and bush track rider. But he was quickly snapped up by Chick Lang, his manager, who saw how hot he was as a property.

He won 5 Kentucky Derbies, 3 Preaknesses, and 1 Belmont Stakes, among his many, many, many achievements. His Derby winners were Iron Liege (1957), Venetian Way (1960), Decidedly (1962), Northern Dancer (1964), and Majestic Prince (1969). Can you imagine? Only one other jockey has won the Derby 5 times!! Mr. Hartack never married.

Anyway, my girls are related to Iron Liege and Venetian Way multiple ways. They are related to IL through Bull Lea, War Admiral, and Sir Gallahad, most directly. And they are related to Venetian Way through Eight Thirty, Bull Dog, Black Toney, Sickle, and The Tetrarch.

Three Fingers and My Girls!

Three Fingers was a 1960 filly who was a successful racer. Her final record was 28: 5-2-3 with earnings of $19,725. Her breeder was James P. Headley and she ultimately had 12 foals, 7 colts and 5 fillies. She was the dam of 3 stakeswinners, and 1 additional stakes-placing foal out of these 12 -- an impressive record. Her sires were Beau Gar (2), Tumiga (4), Native Charger, Troon Road, Jacinto, Third Martini, Water Prince and Warfare.

In Violet's family she has the Third Martini baby, Three Martinis. Three Martinis was Three Fingers' most successful foal. He earned $195,501 before serving as the father of Violet's broodmare sire, Two's A Plenty.

Sweet Three Fingers is rich in Blue Hens. Just within her most immediate generations, she has Ace Card, Furlough, Sweetheart, and Mahubah. And, of course, there is the spectacular good fortune of having Count Fleet and War Admiral as your grandpas, with Count Fleet producing your Belmont-stakes winning dad, One Count through 1952 Kentucky broodmare of the year, Ace Card and then War Admiral producing your mom through a Teddy kid! Pretty smashing little family tree!

Wining Effort and My Girls!

Violet's dam was a 1997 racehorse named Wining Effort who had a dosage index of 5 and career earnings of $10,672! Her own parents are Two's A Plenty and Right Effort by Rajab. Her dad earned $282,183 and Rajab earned $75,600, and his own dad, Jaipur earned over $618,000! So, Violet is well-connected to racehorses on her mama's side.

In fact, if you look at her pedigree, you'd be super impressed. Wining Effort has Dark Star, the only horse to beat the 1953 Kentucky Derby winner, Native Dancer. And she has One Count, the Belmont Stakes winning kid and grandkid of Count Fleet and Reigh Count. And she has War Admiral, and the double whammy Count Fleet, War Admiral kid cross to create Three Fingers!. And she's got a dash of Jaipur, the horse who beat Ridan in one of the most amazing match races ever. And Wining Effort has a splash of Stymie, lucky girl!

So, my sweet, dancing, flirty, girly, smart Violet is rich in dam history!

chateaugay -- 1963 Derby winner

While my mom was carrying me, Chateaugay was busy becoming a world champion. He was by Swaps and Banquet Bell and his ultimate race record was 24: 11-4-2. He was voted Champion 3 year-old colt in 1963. He was ridden by Braulio Baeza to a Derby victory over Candy Spots and Never Bend. He placed in the Preakness right behind Candy Spots and then beat CS in the Belmont to win two of the three jewels -- one of the many "almosts" in history!

But you can't beat a nice solid Kentucky Derby win!!! He served as a stud in the United States from 1965-1971, and then in Japan from 1972-1985, passing away in his last stud year in 1986.

My girls are related to Chateaugay most immediately through Hyperion, Bull Dog, and War Admiral!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chateaugay_(horse)

Man o' War's burial site and statue

I've mentioned this fact before, but one of my favorite sacred places on earth is the entrance into the Kentucky Horse Park. They have special graves and markers for famous horses and jockeys. And above this all is a wonderful statue and the burial site of Man o' War, the number one racehorse of all time -- ol' Big Red!

He is the father of many important horses, including Battleship who won the 1938 Grand National steeplechase, my Violet's War Admiral who won the 1937 Triple Crown, and the grandsire of Seabiscuit through his kid Hard Tack, and the great-grandsire of Kelso, 5X Horse of the Year!

Two of Man o' War's children are buried at his feet, War Relic (his best sire) and War Admiral, Violet's own Triple Crown Winner.

I know I say it all the time, but can you believe that my Violet is related to two Triple Crown winners? Her own sweet War Admiral was only 15.2 hands, so you know he had a big giant heart to win races like he did! And let's not forget that her Count Fleet just romped through his Triple Crown, and won the Belmont by 25 lengths! Then he produced Count Turf to win the Kentucky Derby (a third boy in a row in that family to win the Derby) and Violet's One Count who won the Belmont Stakes. Namaste to all of these family relatives, including Seabiscuit, War Admiral and Man o'War, pictured here in all their young fiery glory!

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=663

Kentucky 2007: Buckpasser's Grave

Here is a photograph of Buckpasser's grave, the 1966 Horse of the Year and #14 of the Top 100 Race horses of the 20th century. His amazing record ended with a 31: 25-4-1, and he was voted a 2 year-old and 3 year-old Champion and Champion Handicap Male twice. He was inducted into the National Museum and Racing Hall of Fame in 1970.

He was also a playful horse who liked to toss riders, but sweet and gentle around the barn. But he was a very lazy impossible work horse. He only liked to race against stiff competition for adoring screaming fans. And even then, he only liked to run just enough and not an ounce more. He only once pulled away in a race. He was always just winning by a hair's breath or neck. His riders had to have perfect timing because Buckpasser thought wide margins were for idiots and he would pull himself up, if he felt like, "Yep, I beat them. I'm done."

He was a beauty. The artist Richard Stone Reeves, who painted his Horse of the Year portrait said, "Buckpasser was the most perfectly proportioned thoroughbred I have ever seen." And felt that he was a mannerly sweet horse. Dr. Manuel Gilman, a New York racing official said, "Generally, every horse has about a hundred faults of conformation. I would defy anybody to pick a flaw in Buckpasser."

He was by Tom Fool (1953 Handicap Triple Crown winner and Horse of the Year) and Busanda by War Admiral (Horse of the Year) and her dam's dad Blue Larkspur was also a Horse of Year. So, Buckpasser was all stocked up on good breeding! He even had Equipoise in him for endurance along with speed!

When he retired, he sired 36 stakes winners, and was the broodmare sire of 142 stakes winners, including 11 Champions!

I received help for this Blog from the Thoroughbred Champions Top 100 Horses of the 20th Century book, as well as websites listed below. I am also going to post a fun interview about Buckpasser by his jockey, Baeza, as well as youtube footage of several of his races!
http://www.spiletta.com/UTHOF/buckpasser.html
or
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buckpasser
or
http://www.brauliobaeza.com/hoy_buckpasser.html
or
http://www.stallions.com.au/historical/buckpasser.asp
or
http://www.classicphotos.com/turf/lt7.html
or
http://www.brisnet.com/cgi-bin/editorial/article.cgi?id=6785
or
http://www.racingmuseum.org/hall/horse.asp?ID=38
or
http://youtube.com/watch?v=zqRgpmplwvs
or
http://youtube.com/watch?v=0j_-7esL5s0
or
http://youtube.com/watch?v=rUpVHqkss_o
or
http://youtube.com/watch?v=pUhp7BjoKGQ
or
http://youtube.com/watch?v=l2eZNv2nmHY
or
http://youtube.com/watch?v=N0Sy-ZyeMa0
or
http://youtube.com/watch?v=CR5TnmSDo3I
or
http://youtube.com/watch?v=X8frxLao1bM

Kentucky 2007: Claiborne's Seeking the Gold!

Here are some photos of Seeking the Gold, the grand old stallion of Claiborne Farms. His 2007 stud fee was $125,000! He earned $2,307,000 on the track and in 15 starts had 8 wins and 6 places! His dad and mom were Mr. Prospector and Con Game by Buckpasser. One of his children is Jazil whose mom is Better than Honour, the same mom as Rags to Riches who also won the Belmont!

Anyway, Seeking the Gold has had 17 foal crops and 899 foals. Fifteen of his crops are of racing age, and 839 of his children are of racing age. He currently has 63 2 year-olds, 49 yearlings, and 11 weanlings. His yearlings and weanlings sell in the hundreds of thousands of dollars! The tour guide told us a story that because Seeking the Gold has been around the block, he tends to take a long time in the breeding shed. He will often take up to 45 minutes to get "in the mood" as compared to a few fierce seconds. He can cause quite a little traffic jam of mares waiting to be bred. When Barbie and I went home, Tom verified this story, telling about how he had to wait one day outside in the cold with a mare while Seeking the Gold took his sweet old time! Hey, you can't rush making priceless gems!! You take your time, stud!

My girls are related to him in numerous ways, including Case Ace, Nasrullah, Count Fleet, War Admiral, Traffic Court, Sir Gallahad, Blue Larkspur, and Teddy. You can read more about this beautiful elder statesman at the following links, including seeing footage of him in some of his races!
http://www.claibornefarm.com/stallions/seeking-the-gold.shtml
or
http://www.thoroughbredtimes.com/stallion-directory/stallion.aspx?stallion_no=1043178
or
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seeking_The_Gold
or
http://www.equineline.com/extendedcontent/tt_content.cfm?StallionRef=1043178&rtype=stats
or
http://youtube.com/watch?v=4RSGq-JfMgc
or
http://youtube.com/watch?v=BlGlhukSBTk
or
http://youtube.com/watch?v=wj47oeisobQ
or
http://youtube.com/watch?v=35pA7AI2Rhk
or
http://youtube.com/watch?v=e8Ki-sx3kTo

Kentucky 2007: Claiborne's Monarchos

Here is Monarchos standing outside his stallion barn at Claiborne Farm. He was beautiful and sweet -- he preened like a stallion, but also was gentle. The stallion manager let us pet him. And so he is officially the first Kentucky Derby winner I ever petted! I was thrilled.

He was born in 1998 and his record is 10: 4-1-3 and $1,720,830. He won both the Florida Derby and Kentucky Derby, placed in the Wood Memorial, and showed in the Belmont Stakes. His time in the Kentucky Derby was the second fastest in history, behind Secretariat's. He was in 10th place in a pack of 17, but managed to pick off each horse and finally put Congaree behind him at a searing pace! Of his preparatory win in the Florida Derby before the run for the roses, his jockey, Jorge Chavez said, "When I asked him, he just exploded. That was a great feeling, like I was the king."


So far, he has had 5 crops and 261 foals. Three of his crops are of racing age, with 192 foals of racing age.

His mom, Regal Band, died this year at the age of 20 at Rood and Riddle Hospital on April 9. She was suffering from a liver disorder. She was carrying an Empire Maker foal. My girls are related to his family in many ways, including Nearctic, Bimelech, Eight Thirty, War Admiral, Busanda, Bull Dog, Menow, Blue Larkspur, Turn-To, Nasrullah, Gainsborough, Case Ace, Bull Lea, Sir Gallahad, Case Ace, and Discovery.

You can read more about this sexy sweet kind stallion at the following links:
http://www.claibornefarm.com/stallions/monarchos.shtml
or
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monarchos
or
http://www.kentuckyderby.com/2005/derby_history/derby_charts/years/2001.html
or
http://www.bloodhorse.com/stallionregister/sr_sire_page.asprefno=4475639&origin=BHonline or
http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/horseracing/preakness/bal-sp.derby06may06,1,3965877.story?coll=bal-sports-preakness&ctrack=1&cset=true
or
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/other_sports/1315147.stm
or
http://www.thoroughbredtimes.com/breeding-news/2007/April/09/Dam-ofMonarchos-dies-at-age-20.aspx
or
http://horseracing.about.com/library/weekly/aa050501a.htm

A Seabiscuit Dedication at Ridgewood Ranch!

On June 23rd this year, a very happy event occurred at Seabiscuit's family home at Ridgewood Ranch. A statue was unveiled and dedicated to him. Former Vice President Walter Mondale and his wife were at the dedication, along with benefactors, many of the Howard family, and descendants of Seabiscuit's trainer and jockeys. It was a small private ceremony to celebrate this great horse. Mrs. Mondale is an official for the National Trust for Historical Preservation, and among the kind things for this famous American and his family, she said, "They were an amazing team, this horse and these three men. They worked miracles and in the depths of the Depression that seemed to go on and on, they gave people something to feel good about." Chris and Anita Lowe, benefactors of this event, think he's amazing, and Chris said, "There have been countless famous racehorses throughout the ages from all over the world. But few if any have captured the imagination and inspired an entire nation as Seabiscuit." Ridgewood Ranch is an endangered national treasure, so it was an important, special movement this summer to get his statue unveiled and recognized!



One of his descendants, a 2005 Quarter Horse, also related to Count Fleet and War Admiral, attended the event briefly! His name is adorable, Dashing Lil' Biscuit. So not surprisingly, he also has Dash for Cash as his grandpa on his sire side!



You can read more about this special event and tribute at the following links:
http://www.seabiscuitheritage.org/index.html
or
http://good-times.webshots.com/album/559700677IPoKQk

A lovely video of our Triple Crown Winners

We have had 11 Triple Crown winners in our American history:
Sir Barton (1919), Gallant Fox (1930), Omaha (1935), War Admiral (1937), Whirlaway (1941), Count Fleet (1943), Assault (1946), Citation (1948), Secretariat (1973), Seattle Slew(1977), and Affirmed (1978). These Youtube Videos are truly lovely, sweet, sentimental, goofy documentaries about these 11 champions!


And here are two photos of War Admiral and Count Fleet, the two triple crown winners coursing through Violet's veins!!! Aiyay!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nprhskem-is
or
http://youtube.com/watch?v=lA238PqUCco

Gallant Bloom and my girls!

Gallant Bloom was voted the #79 top race horse of the 20th century, and inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1977. She was a 1966 filly from the famous horse, Gallant Man, pictured here in this photo taking second place to Iron Liege in the 1957 Kentucky Derby. I'll mention that in a moment. Gallant Bloom was a tiny horse who in spirit was a hell cat who liked to break loose on the track like a speedster. She beat the very best fillies and mares of her day, including Shuvee, Gamely, Amerigo Lady, and Singing Rain. In her 22 race career, she finished 16-1-1. She earned Champion 2-year-old filly in 1968 and Champion 3-year-old filly in 1969. In fact, she won 12 races in a row from ages 2 through 4. She was so popular for her fierce racing that she swept the voting ballot for Champion 3-year-old, though Shuvee had won the NY Racing Association Triple Crown, by taking the Acorn, Mother Goose Stakes, and Coaching Club Stakes. She had a sort of checkered breeding career, having difficulty getting into foal, though she did make some babies. She passed away in 1991 in her paddock in Old Frankfort Place, Kentucky. My girls are related to her through several lines, including Bull Lea, Plucky Liege, Mahmoud, War Admiral, Bee Mac, Gainsborough, and Dark Ronald.



Now, about her dad! Gallant Man was a very famous horse, not the least of which because Bill Shoemaker had the biggest "duh" moment of his career on him. Gallant Man was winning the Kentucky Derby when Shoemaker misjudged the finish line and pulled up and stood in his stirrups in early victory. Iron Liege took his chance and put a nose in front of Gallant Man for the win. This has followed Shoemaker forever! And followed his trainer, ex-jockey and Hall of Fame trainer from Nebraska, John Nerud! Even the greats have their mistakes! Anyway, Gallant Man was a small tough guy (a little over 15 hands) who ended up beating Bold Ruler in the Belmont Stakes and Metropolitan Handicap! He raced during the golden era of Round Table and Bold Ruler. he earned #36 of the Top 100 race horses of the 20th century! In his stud career, he produced Genuine Risk (through one of his daughters) and, of course, our lovely little Gallant Bloom! You can read more about his daughter at the following link:
http://www.racingmuseum.org/hall/horse.asp?ID=76