Winkipop, Violet, and the Astor Family

Okay, so this story is long and shows how my Violet is related to the Astor family through her direct relation to their baby, Winkipop, the trim filly shown in this photo. Okay, so let's start with Winkipop herself. Winkipop was born in 1907, and raced 18 times, winning 10! She won the 1,000 Guinea Stakes at Newmarket in 1910, and the Coronation Stakes, Sussex Stakes, Nassau Stakes, and Yorkshire Oaks. She appears in Violet's Po'Chile line through Winkipop's kid, Plymstock. Winkipop had two kids, Blink is the other. Winkipop is responsible for the Pensive (Kentucky Derby winner) in Violet's family.

Okay, so check this out. Winkipop's kid, Plymstock, became a Blue Hen, being the dam of the Oaks winner in Violet's heritage, Pennycomequick. She was also the mom of Coronation Stakes winner, Sunny Devon, and the American Broodmare of the Year, Alpenstock III. And get this, Winkipop's full brother, Winkie, folaed in 1912 was shipped to New Zealand where he grandsired Phar Lap, an amazing horse over 17.1 hands who was nicknamed "The Red Terror," so you can just imagine! He was beloved by the Australians and the rest of the racing enthusiasts of the world frankly and was a Champion 3-year-old. He died under extremely mysterious circumstances at a young age, after a career of 51 races.

Okay, so that itself is cool about Violet's pedigree. More story than any one little horse should bring to the family table. BUT! But! Winkipop brings the Astors to the table! Winkipop's dad was Waldorf Astor, 2nd Viscount of Astor, a businessman and lifelong politician from the New York Astor family who relocated permanently to Great Britain and was trained at Eton and Oxford. He lived from 1879-1952 and his wedding gift was the Cliveden Estates where he and his lovely wife entertained many important people, including, get this, Winston Churchill and Rudyard Kipling. No lie. They visited Cliveden for partying and foxhunting. Lucky bastards.

Anyway, when Winkipop's grandpa died, Waldorf lost his seat in the House of Commons because he became an immediate member of the House of Lords. His wife ended up earning his vacated seat in the House of Commons where she served many consecutive terms. Okay, here's the negative part. Though they were cool and ran governments and bred great race horses, Waldorf was an anti-semite.

Okay, so who are the Astors? Let's step back. In the late 18th century, John Jacob Astor immigrated to the United States from Walldorf, Germany and by the 19th century he and his wife and offspring became the wealthiest family in the United States! Yowza! They are patrons of so many wonderful things, including one of my favorite places on earth, the New York Public Library. No lie. One of my favorite places to sit in front of while smoking cigarettes and people watching. Ah, those NY Public Library Lions, Patience and Fortitude. They were originally nicknamed after the primary benefactors, Leo Astor and Leo Lenox, later called Lady Astor and Lord Lenox, until finally earning the names of virtues during the Great Depression by NY's Mayor LaGuardia.

Anyway, John Jacob Astor's brother, Henry, was a horse lover too, and imported a thoroughbred from England in 1788 named Messenger who is a foundation sire for Standardbreds in the United States. The Astors are all over America, including on Mackinac Island where the Grand Hotel has two suites named after them, The Lord Astor Suite and the Lady Astor Suite, as well as a salon called The Astors.

Okay, so how is Violet tied to the RMS Titanic? Well, her dad's cousin was John Jacob Astor IV who was 47 years old and travelling the world with his new 18-year-old second wife. She became pregnant, so they were jetting home in first class style on the Titanic, so she could give birth in the United States. Astor IV was quite the bon vivant! He wrote science fiction, he earned megal0-money through real estate, including founding the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, and he fought in the Spanish-American War. But when he dumped his first wife and got his young wife, his eccentricity was finally frowned upon. BUT! Molly Brown, the wealthy socialite who we all know as "The Unsinkable Molly Brown" stayed his friend. She was fine with his wild living, free choosing ways. Anyway, he helped his wife to the life boat, and then became the stuff of legends. He was without doubt the richest man on the Titanic. So, you can bet that each time a movie is made or story is told, he is referred to. Some attribute very great valour to him, involving his helping children to lifeboats, releasing dogs from kennels, etc. Others note that he was calm and resigned to his dire circumstances, but took time to smoke and toss some gloves to his departing wife. Regardless of what he really did, he was found in the waters with a coat with his initials embroidered into the lapel and LOTS of money on him. The son from his first marriage claimed the gold watch found on Astor IV's body and wore that gold watch his entire life.

Can you believe this stuff? I mean, you can't make this stuff up! I am related through my young red filly to the Astors! Through Violet I am tied to the New York Public Library through her cutie pie Winkipop!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waldorf_Astor,_2nd_Viscount_Astor
or
http://www.tbheritage.com/Portraits/WilliamtheThird.html#Winkipop
or
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astor_family
or
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Jacob_Astor_IV
or
http://www.nypl.org/pr/lions.cfm
or
http://www.grandhotel.com/

Violet, Pensive and my Grandpa Sanchez!

So, at the end of June, I was visiting family in Rhinelander, and Grandma and Grandpa Sanchez were there. It was nice to talk with Grandpa, play cards with him, and just catch up. He showed me pictures of Uncle Rick's new Japanese Water Dog, and, of course, I showed him pictures of my new thoroughbred! Grandpa and I were looking at photos of my big red girl and he was praising her beauty.

When suddenly, out of the blue, he told me a story about when he was in the service in 1944. He said that he and a friend got time off from base and they drove up to Churchill Downs to the Kentucky Derby! He had never seen a thoroughbred before, nor ever a horse race. And he talked about how exciting it was to see Pensive win that year. How beautiful the horses were and how regal Pensive was. I was floored! Grandpa saw one of Violet's and Hailee's relatives win the Kentucky Derby!! He saw one of Violet's Kentucky Derby relatives when my dad was still a little infant. I too want to go to the Kentucky Derby one day!

Anyway, Pensive was a gorgeaus red chestnut who won the Kentucky Derby by 4 1/2 lengths and then won the Preakness easily, but lost the Belmont by less than half a length. Some blame his jockey who didn't encourage an end burst of speed! Either way, Pensive was just like his sire, Hyperion, who won two legs of the English Triple Crown. Pensive was owned by Calumet Farms, purchased during the son's time in charge, the son who dispersed the trotters to purchase more flat horses. When Pensive retired, he was part of an interesting little hat trick -- his first crop produced Ponder, the 1949 Kentucky Derby winner, and Ponder retired to produce in his first crop Needles, also a Kentucky Derby winner! You can read more about Pensive, the horse my grandpa met, at the following links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pensive
or
http://www.tbheritage.com/Portraits/Hyperion.html#Pensive
or
http://www.kentuckyderby.com/2006/derby_history/derby_charts/years/1944.html

My beautiful Summer Violet!

A few weekends ago, my friend, Joe Jacoby, came out to Breezy Acres to meet Violet and take some photos. He is a criminologist, but a talented amateur photographer as well. He specializes in nature photography and has taken some extraordinary wildlife photos, but had never taken photos of horses before. My Violet could not have been more red and gorgeaus that day! She looked like what she was -- a daughter of Princequillo, Nasrullah, and Pensive. She showed off her beautiful red chestnut nature! And can you believe the photo -- this is among the first photos that Joe has ever taken of a thoroughbred -- and he captured her "Violetness" to steal from Owen Wilson in You, Me and Dupree. Thank you for such a lovely morning that day, Joe!!! Violet and I are grateful for the photos!

Twilight Tear and My Girls!

My girls are closely related to a very famous racing filly, Twilight Tear. In fact, Violet is very closely related to her. Twilight Tear "Suzie" was born in 1941 and she was the daughter of Bull Lea and Lady Lark, Blue Larkspur's daughter. Suzie was Calumet Farm's first champion sired by Bull Lea and was 1 of 3 champions in his very first foal crop -- Durazna and Armed. It's important to note that Bull Lea was a leading American Sire 5 times, producing 58 stakes winners, 4 Horses of the Year, and 3 Kentucky Derby winners! His daughter Suzie was one of those Horses of the Year! Her trainer, Ben A. Jones, who had already trained Whirlaway, said of her that she was the best he had ever trained, though later he would train her daddy's Triple Crown son, Citation!. So, no faint praise for her! She beat Violet's Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes winner relative, Pensive. She even beat boys with a 2 length victory in the Arlington Classic! That was her 11th straight victory in her third year! She closed out that year when "she met two-time handicap champion Devil Diver in the Pimlico Special. The older colt was beaten in the first quarter, and Twilight Tear went on to win by 6 lengths, tying the track record set by Seabiscuit in his 1938 victory over War Admiral" (cited from the Unofficial thoroughbred hall of fame website). So, at the close of her third year, she claimed the Eclipse Horse of the Year award, the first filly to do that since 40 years earlier by Beldame. She also had taken the 2 year-old filly of the year, 3 year-old filly of the year, and Champion Handicap Mare! Her final track record was 24: 18-2-2, $202,165. She retired in her fourth year because of bleeding. She was inducted into the National Museum and Racing Hall of Fame in the year of my birth, 1963! And she was voted 59th out of the Top 100 race horses of the 20th century. And in a 1955 trainers' association poll, she was voted the second greatest filly in American racing history, behind the fabulous Gallorette. She is related to both my girls, but is closely, closely related to Violet. Among many, they share Ormonde, St. Simon, Bull Lea, Blue Larkspur, Durazna. You can read more about this super amazing filly at the following links:

http://www.spiletta.com/UTHOF/twilighttear.html

or

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twilight_Tear

or

http://www.racingmuseum.org/hall/horse.asp?ID=156

Violet's and My First Derby Day Together!

I have loved horses my entire life. I read Black Beauty as a child. I read Misty of Chincoteague. I collected Breyers horses. I loved thoroughbreds. And I loved Secretariat. And this year marks the first time in my life that I owned a thoroughbred, shared a thoroughbred as part of my family. And such a lovely one -- beautiful Velvet Tenderness "Violet". I woke up on Derby Day joyful. I walked with my dog to Grounds for Thought, bought the Saturday paper, read about the horses preparing for Derby. Then I bought apples and carrots and visited my own thoroughbred. I praised her for her heritage. Groomed her with love. Told her that she's made of magic and speed and God's breath. And then I had a riding lesson with her. She was all light and floaty and powerful. And so that's how I spent my Derby morning with my first thoroughbred. I rode a four-year-old filly who is directly related to 7 Kentucky Derby Champions! War Admiral, Count Fleet, Reigh Count, Hindoo, Ben Brush, Pensive, Dark Star! How many women can say that's how they started their Derby Day!? Riding the descendant of Derby winners!! Yah Yah!!

Winning Colors and My Girls!!!

Winning Colors was born in 1985, and she was the third filly to win the Kentucky Derby in 1988. In the Derby, she took command early to hold off the champion Forty Niner. Her lifetime earnings were $1,526,837 and she had 19 starts, and 8 wins. Among her wins were the Santa Anita Derby and Santa Anita Oaks. She was called "The Amazon" because she was so big and bold. During her life, she needed surgery for breathing problems, but still came back to racing. She was inducted into the Racing Hall of Fame in 2000, the same year as jockey, Julie Krone. She earned third in the Preakness and was voted Champion 3 year-old. She is related to both my girls. Among their shared relatives are Nasrullah, Gainsborough, Man 'O War, Rock Sand, Commando, Voter, Bend Or, Hastings, Pensive, Black Toney, Teddy, and Bull Dog! In these photos, you see her winning the Kentucky Derby and in the winner's circle with her roses (happy girl!). Then you see a photo of her as an older lady who turned grey! You can read more about this amazing mare at the following link:

http://www.racingmuseum.org/hall/horse.asp?ID=348