Random Retiree News

[serenassong]

Just like this photo always makes me giggle (Blackie and Gala, "Grumpy Old Men"):
--> and they got an award for it haha http://midatlantictb.com/cms/index.php/ ... hp-contest

" I said I'm faster, deal with it!"

[BlindLucky]

This is more of just an update, but a friend of mine was trying to find out where Comma to the Top was since the original plan was for him to become a stable pony for Peter Miller--and he's not. I couldn't find any news about this, but a friend talked to Michael Blowen and it turns out that Comma is at Old Friends. Apparently he wasn't quite sound enough to be a pony.

[Life At Zen]

King Congie, winner of the 2011 Tropical Park Derby and hit the board in the Blue Grass, was saved from slaughter. West Point TB were contacted and are adopting him to give him a permanent retirement home.

There was a nice segment piece done on him during the '11 Preakness because he was named after a West Point employee with osteogenesis imperfecta.

http://www.drf.com/news/king-congie-sav ... ghterhouse

[firehorse]

glad to see King Congie made it Old Friends Cabin Creek: https://www.facebook.com/oldfriendsatcabincreek/

[Sparrow Castle]

Anyone remember Seton Hall?

A horse no one could save runs free

As good as dead last September, a horse whose leg fracture was so severe many veterinarians said it was hopeless, now stands soundly on four good legs; a testament to the “inner fight” the animal showed during the very worst of times.

“I couldn’t give up on him,” says Brittany Wright of Savannah, Tenn. “So many vets told me they couldn’t fix that horse, but he had so much heart that even with his leg as bad as it was, he was dragging me around. I felt like it was his way of telling me to fight for him.”

http://offtrackthoroughbreds.com/2016/0 ... runs-free/

[Sparrow Castle]

More info about King Congie's journey to Old Friends at Cabin Creek.

From the Preakness to the pasture: Retired thoroughbred finds new home in Greenfield

When Dawn Robin Petrlik, owner of Rosemary Acres horse rescue farm in South Kortright, arrived Sept. 2 at a horse auction with her trailer in tow, she was looking for two particular horses that a friend alerted her may go up on the auction block. What she found was something entirely different.

This is the story of King Congie, an 8-year-old thoroughbred stallion and graded stakes winner, whose journey took him from West Point Thoroughbreds and a disappointing seventh-place finish in the 2011 Preakness Stakes to retirement on a farm in Saratoga and ultimately to an unnamed auction house in Delaware County where, if things had gone differently, he would have been just another unknown and uncared for animal being loaded onto a trailer crammed with other terrified horses and driven to an untimely end.

More: http://www.troyrecord.com/article/20160 ... /160919966

Old Friends at Cabin Creek
King Congie at Cabin Creek today. This was his first day in his new paddock.Thanks everyone who helped make him safe.

https://www.facebook.com/oldfriendsatca ... =3&theater

[serenassong]

Run A Dubb Dubb has been retired and was bought privately by her breeder even though she lost the 4 way shake. Michael Pino- who won the shake for her, was kind even to sell her to her breeder
https://www.facebook.com/OffTrackThorou ... 9427038512

[Sparrow Castle]

A friend of mine heard about an article in the Oct 8 Bloodhorse Magazine on Alphabet Soup getting treatment for skin cancer, and asked if I could tell her what it says. I thought it was an interesting article so I'm (clumsily) summarizing it here in case any of his other fans might be interested. I hope it gets published more widely.

Alphabet Soup has skin cancer near his tail. It's still in its early stages and he's being treated by Dr. Waldrige with a cutting-edge vaccine, the IFx-VET multi-indication cancer vaccine which allows his immune system to fight it. Stronach’s Adena Springs KY (where he first went to stud) is funding the treatment.

The vaccine was made by extracting some of his cancer cells (while he was conscious and pain blocked by an epidural). A lab inserted a streptococcal bacterium on the surface of the cells so, when put back into his body, his immune systems sees the cancer as the enemy. He likened it to putting on a Halloween mask which says to the immune system, “I’m a strep bacteria, go after it and kill it.”

It seems to be working. Just weeks after treatment, they’ve seen a significant reduction in the skin cancer and without side effects. Blowen is amazed by the progress and he thought it could have helped Black Tie Affair, who died of laminitis while fighting skin cancer. It sounds very promising and could work for many types of cancer and in humans as well as animals.

[BaroqueAgain1]

I so hope that this treatment continues to help Alphabet Soup. If they can save him from this scourge, there are thousands of other grey horses out there who are going to be very grateful.

[TouchOfGrey]

A friend of mine heard about an article in the Oct 8 Bloodhorse Magazine on Alphabet Soup getting treatment for skin cancer, and asked if I could tell her what it says. I thought it was an interesting article so I'm (clumsily) summarizing it here in case any of his other fans might be interested. I hope it gets published more widely.

I saw something about this but as I'm not a Bloodhorse subscriber I wasn't able to access the article. Thank you for sharing!

[BlindLucky]

I forgot to mention this earlier in the summer, but while visiting Margaux Farm to see a 2-yr-old we have in training there, I found that Devil His Due is still living the life of leisure on the farm. Such a gorgeous place! They don't stand stallions anymore, but he got to stay on and has a beautiful barn and turnout area. I didn't get to see him since we were sort of in a rush, but hopefully he'll still be around in the spring and I'll visit again--he'll be 28 next year

That's the same farm where our stable pony is millionaire Becrux!

I seriously need to just move to KY.

[BaroqueAgain1]

That's good to hear...Devil His Due was such a handsome racehorse and, IIRC, a true black.

[serenassong]

That's good to hear...Devil His Due was such a handsome racehorse and, IIRC, a true black.

He is a stunning horse. Never forget seeing him in the flesh at Belmont. It was a cloudy day, and just as he steeped onto the track- the sun came out and hit him. I swear to you the light turned him blue- the way it hit his black coat. It was an incredible sight I will never forget.

[Sparrow Castle]

Fun little article about Innkeeper, son of Secretariat. At the bottom of the page are links to articles about other Secretariat kids.

Children of Secretariat: the old charmer still kicking up his heels at 28

There aren’t many of Secretariat’s offspring left. The youngest ones are 26 years old, and the head of that class is millionaire Tinners Way, a high-profile resident of Old Friends in Kentucky.

At the beginning of this year, it looked like 27-year-old stakes winner Careless Secretary would continue to be the only active breeding son. Based in Bulgaria and popular with both Thoroughbred and sport horse breeders, he had 26 mares booked to him. But alas, he was lost after an unfortunate injury in April.

That leaves a strapping bay son named Innkeeper as one of the oldest – if not the oldest – out there. Certainly he’s the most prominent. The 28-year-old stallion knows he’s the star of Virginia Tech’s MARE Center in Middleburg, Virginia, where he has been the center of attention since taking up residence there in late 2010.

https://www.thoroughbredracing.com/arti ... -heels-28/

[ThreeMustangs]

Fun little article about Innkeeper, son of Secretariat. At the bottom of the page are links to articles about other Secretariat kids.

Children of Secretariat: the old charmer still kicking up his heels at 28

There aren’t many of Secretariat’s offspring left. The youngest ones are 26 years old, and the head of that class is millionaire Tinners Way, a high-profile resident of Old Friends in Kentucky.

At the beginning of this year, it looked like 27-year-old stakes winner Careless Secretary would continue to be the only active breeding son. Based in Bulgaria and popular with both Thoroughbred and sport horse breeders, he had 26 mares booked to him. But alas, he was lost after an unfortunate injury in April.

That leaves a strapping bay son named Innkeeper as one of the oldest – if not the oldest – out there. Certainly he’s the most prominent. The 28-year-old stallion knows he’s the star of Virginia Tech’s MARE Center in Middleburg, Virginia, where he has been the center of attention since taking up residence there in late 2010.

https://www.thoroughbredracing.com/arti ... -heels-28/

That was a great read. Thanks for sharing.

[Sparrow Castle]

If you're wondering about Exit Stage Left, Roving Storm, Poker Brad, Nakiska, Warrens Wild Thing, Sandor, Trumpet Player Jay, Presenceofagenius, or Gal Has to Like It, you'll find them here. Wonderful story by Jeremy Balan that hits quite close to home for me.

Healing for Veterans, a Refuge for Racehorses

..."I look out there and they establish their pecking order," Boone says. "Every one in the field has made (thousands of dollars), but the pecking order is the highest earner all the way down. It blows me away."

With time, the horses who have learned to become horses again provide that unique lesson to their human cohorts.

"They're just like the veterans," Monaco says, "who just need to learn how to be a person again."...

http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/ ... racehorses

[BlindLucky]

These guys aren't Thoroughbreds, but they worked with them every day! A friend of mine recently adopted two ponies from Churchill Downs (from two different trainers) who were ready to retire from track life. I can't wait to go hang out with these guys in May! She has a farm right outside of Louisville, so they'll be living it up from here on out as pleasure horses

[TouchOfGrey]

Just saw a tweet from @Oldfriendsfarm that Game On Dude is back in his paddock after recovering from colic surgery. So glad he's OK!

[Diver52]

Just saw a tweet from @Oldfriendsfarm that Game On Dude is back in his paddock after recovering from colic surgery. So glad he's OK!

Whoa, love that guy, didn't know he'd colicked. Glad he's doing better.

[Izvestia]

Poor Dude. I hate colic. Hopefully he stays healthy.