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!

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!

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

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

Sometimes true beauty is UGLY!

Here's a photo of Seabiscuit with his rider "Red" or George Woolf in the saddle. I love this photo. You can really see that Seabiscuit is over the knee in front. He's a crooked boy. He had conformation flaws. But still he is a perfect little creation. A small intact miracle. He had his moment in history and gave his heart to his work. And his small imperfections only add to the allure, the mystery of his coolness. Tsin-Tsin to Seabiscuit -- a horse who makes us proud to be American!!

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

Seabiscuit and My Girls!!!

I know I've mentioned him before, and I'm sure I will mention him again. My girls are related to Seabiscuit. He was 1938's Horse of the Year!! And in a match race, he beat Violet's direct relation, the Triple Crown winning War Admiral. Anway, they are related through many lines, including Man 'O War, Rock Sand, Whisk Broom, St. Simon. Violet is related very directly as a direct relation to Seabiscuit's mom, Swing On. Swing On foaled Brown Biscuit for Violet as well as her sweet Seabiscuit. You can read more about this macho grand horse at the following link:
http://www.spiletta.com/UTHOF/seabiscuit.html

Whisk Broom and my Girls!

My girls are related to the famous Whisk Broom II, born in 1907 to Broomstick and Audience. Audience was sired by the 1888 Belmont Stakes winner, Sir Dixon, and her dam was sired by Hindoo, a major stakes winner and Kentucky Derby winner. Whisk Broom was born at the Kentucky Horse Park, then called Senorita Farms, and was sent to England to race. In Great Britain, he won the Prince of Wales Plate, the Trial Stakes, Select Stakes, Peril of the Peak, Victoria Cup, and came third in the 2,000 Guineas. When he came to the United States, he raced only three times, but won the most difficult Triple Crown of Racing, the New York Handicap Triple Crown -- the Metropolitan, Suburban Handicap and Brooklyn Handicap. Only Tom Fool and Fit to Fight ever duplicated this amazing feat of winning the Handicap Triple Crown! In his last race ever, he carried a staggering 139 lbs to the second place horse's 112 lbs and still set a scorching track record!!! His final race record was 26: 10-7-1 for total earnings of $47.931. He won the 1913 U.S. Horse of the Year Award and U.S. Champion Handicap Horse of the Year, and the U.S. Handicap Triple Crown. In retirement, he sired 163 foals with 23 stakes winners for a stakes percentage of 16%. He was inducted into the National Museum and Racing Hall of Fame in 1979. Among his children, he sired Upset, the only horse to deliver Man 'O War a defeat. He also foaled the Kentucky Derby winner, Whiskery, and Whiskaway, as well as the Preakness winner, Victorian, who was the damsire of Seabiscuit. You can visit him in his family cemetary at C.V. Whitney Farm in Lexington, Kentucky. He is related to both Hailee and Violet. An obvious connection for Hailee is in her Bim-a-Nick line, where Whisk Broom produced the sire John P. Grier. This is a pretty interesting line -- Whisk Broom and Fair Play were the sires of horses crossed to produce Algeria who was bred to Bubbling Over to produce Airegla to be bred to Bimelech to produce Sir Bim. For Violet, you can see Whisk Broom in her Boodle line where his son John P. Grier is crossed with the famous mare Elf to produce Boojum. You can read more about the fabulous, tough, world-travelling, Triple Crown winning sweetheart at the following links:

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

or

http://www.tbheritage.com/Portraits/Broomstick.html

or

http://www.tbheritage.com/TurfHallmarks/Graves/cem/GraveMattersWhitney.html

or

http://www.racingmuseum.org/hall/horse.asp?ID=160

or

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

Swing On and the girls!

Both my girls are related to Seabiscuit, the champion race horse (#25). Violet is directly related to Seabiscuit's dam, Swing On, and both Violet and Hailee are related to Seabiscuit through two family lines, Whisk Broom and Equipoise (#21). Swing On is dam to Brown Biscuit in Violet's family tree. It makes me super happy that Violet is related to Seabiscuit's mom. That's so sweet and cool. My mom, Ann, is super nice. My sister, who is a mom, is super nice. So, I'm just certain that Seabiscuit's mom, Swing On was super nice too.

Whisk Broom (26-10-7-1) is in the Racing Hall of Fame, and he was the U.S. Handicap Triple Crown Winner. In 1913, he was the U.S. Horse of the Year and U.S. Champion Handicap Horse. He raced in both Great Britain and the United States.

Equipoise (51-29-10-4) is known as the Chocolate Soldier, and was inducted into the Racing Hall of Fame. He was the Champion 2-year-old colt, and in 1932 and 1933 the Champion Male Handicap Horse. In 1932 and 1933, he was Horse of the Year, and in 1934, he was Champion Male Handicap Horse. He won many races, including the Keene Memorial, Pimlico, the Metropolitan Handicap (1932 and 1933), the Stars and Stripes, the Suburban Handicap, the Whitney Stakes, the Philadelphia Handicap, the Dixie Handicap, and the Whitney Gold Trophy. He set a world record at Arlington Park.

In this photo, you see Seabiscuit (my girls' indirect relation) beating War Admiral (my girls' direct relation) in the famous match race. Can you believe that my horses are a part of this little slice of our American history?

Video footage of the Famous Match Race between Seabiscuit and War Admiral

http://www.racingmuseum.org/hall/horse.asp?ID=158

or

http://www.tbgreats.com/seabiscuit/