The American Horse Council (AHC) is monitoring efforts by Congress to forestall a shutdown in government operations. The shutdown would occur if Congress cannot enact a temporary mechanism to fund the government beyond the current fiscal year which ends September 30.
As of this writing, no temporary funding measures have been adopted. If no actions are taken prior to the Saturday, September 30 deadline, government programs and activities will be curtailed or cease.
In the meantime, it is important to know the Administration has some latitude in adjusting the impact and severity of a shutdown. Government programs funded through the appropriations process are the most vulnerable to disruption in a shutdown. Some agencies have programs that are funded by user fees or other methods which allows them to function either indefinitely or until the collected user fees are spent.
Health and safety programs are typically considered essential activities and will continue. For example, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service's (APHIS) inspections of fruits, vegetables and birds, and the animal quarantine import/export activity along with certain veterinary diagnostic activities will continue to operate. USDA's Office of Public Affairs will not, so there will be no press releases, policy guidance or information distribution.
Benefit programs such as Social Security, Medicare, and Veterans Affairs will continue to disburse funds. Food assistance programs such as USDA's Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) have a less certain future if the shutdown drags on for several weeks. SNAP and WIC are funded by a different mechanism than an annual appropriations process, but these contingency funds could run out over the course of a long shutdown.
We will continue to provide updates as appropriate. Here is a guide to the contingency plans of federal agencies.
AHC staff is ready to help members navigate the shutdown. Please contact us with your questions at info@horsecouncil.org
The Retired Racehorse Project has elected new officers and created an advisory council, a body of non-governing individuals representing an array of backgrounds and professional experience chosen to help enhance the RRP's execution of its charitable mission the organization announced Friday.
Existing board member Neil Agate was confirmed as board chair earlier this Spring when personal obligations required previous chair, Richard Lamb, to step back from the officer position. Lamb is still completing his second term serving on the board of directors.
“I have enjoyed being part of the RRP during the first ten years as a volunteer and competitor,” said Neil. “I am extremely honored to be asked to help shepherd the organization as board chair and I am looking forward to working with our great team of staff and volunteers to keep the RRP ecosystem growing and vibrant.”
The formation of the advisory council allows the RRP to engage a variety of professionals in an ongoing, consultative fashion without the full governance obligations of becoming board members.
“We're pleased to grow the community of individuals who help to inform the RRP's approach to issues relating to development, marketing, governance, and strategic planning,” said RRP executive director Kirsten Green. “The RRP has reached a stage in organizational maturation where it has firmly established itself as an integral part of the national aftercare industry and as we look to build upon our impact, it's essential that we are seeking expertise from a broad range of individuals who not only have the skills we need but also represent the communities that we serve.”
You'd be hard-pressed to find owners that have gotten more out of a $5,000 claim—and given more back to the sport because of it—than Daley Family Thoroughbreds have with Sandhill Lady.
The claim came from the first race at Arapahoe Park in Colorado on June 7, 2014, a Colorado-bred maiden over 5 1/2 furlongs that Sandhill Lady comfortably won as the 4-5 favorite. That was Sandhill Lady's first race as a 5-year-old. In two seasons prior, the daughter of Colorado's leading sire at the time, Oliver's Twist, out of an unraced dam named McPeak had come close to breaking her maiden, even being stakes-placed, while trained by her breeder, Gale Deisley.
“We took her from the $5,000 claiming because she had a lot of potential,” said Neil Daley, who partners with his brother Rodger for Daley Family Thoroughbreds.
Later that year, the 17.0 hands dark bay mare won a seven-furlong allowance race in Albuquerque, going from last to first. The next year, she won “the highlight of her career,” according to Neil, a photo finish in the Spicy Stakes at Arapahoe, a $46,055 stakes race for Colorado-bred fillies and mares over 1 1/16 miles.
“We've never won a stakes race before, so it was a special, special moment,” he said.
Sandhill Lady wins the 2015 Spicy at Arapahoe Park, the first stakes victory for Daley Family Thoroughbreds
But, that's not all as far as why Sandhill Lady was such a significant $5,000 claim.
After she retired from racing in 2017 following 33 starts, the Daleys bred Sandhill Lady twice. She foaled a filly by Birdstone named Flying Lady in 2020 and another filly by Karakontie named Sahara Kara in 2022. After finishing seventh and eighth in two races as a 2-year-old in 2022, Flying Lady, a spitting image of her mom, has shown great improvement as a 3-year-old in 2023. In five races during her sophomore season so far, she's won once and finished second three times.
“Watching that little baby grow from the time Sandhill Lady was taking care of her to today when she's winning her first race, yeah, I got tears in my eyes,” said Margie Marlin, whom Neil calls his “life partner,” right after Flying Lady broke her maiden at Bally's Arapahoe Park. “That race, she looked a lot like Sandhill Lady, coming up from behind with sand all over her chest.”
Sandhill Lady with her foal Sahara Kara by Karakontie
But, that's not all as far as why Sandhill Lady was such a significant $5,000 claim.
“After that was done and she weaned Sahara Kara, her second one, we got to thinking about what to do next,” Neil said. “Do we keep her breeding? Or do we give her an opportunity to do something different? We decided let's do something different.”
This is the part of the story where Daley Family Thoroughbreds decided to give back to Sandhill Lady and are models for responsible racehorse ownership.
Sandy, now 14 years old, “got the band back together.” (By the way, Neil and Rodger Daley remind me of and have the same swagger as the Blues Brothers.)
Neil reached out to me and my wife, Ashley. I was the “vocalist” as the announcer when Sandy raced in her home state. Neil, Ashley, and I were all part of the aftercare organization CANTER Colorado—Neil and I as board members and Ashley as trainer of the retired racehorses that came through the organization from the racetrack to their next careers. CANTER Colorado is no longer active listing or retraining horses, but for us, it was always about wanting to help the horses more than the organization itself. And that's why it was a no-brainer to work together for Sandy.
Plus, Jodi Perkins, who trained Sandhill Lady alongside her husband, Ty Garrett, on the racetrack, is also a dressage rider. During the 2023 Arapahoe season, she stabled her two dressage OTTBs at our Super G Sporthorses farm in Parker, Colorado, and was right there for Sandy's training for her third career, just like she had been for her first.
“They'll give back to you so much more than you can ever give to them, and we're just so happy that we're going to be able to pursue some more opportunities for her and really have a whole brand new life,” Neil said.
Sandy arrived at our farm in February 2023 for training in dressage. She hadn't been ridden since her last race almost six years prior but showed immediately how big and beautiful she was in her appearance and movement.
“We had pretty much figured out that she hadn't done anything new under saddle since she was 2 years old,” Ashley, who took the lead as Sandy's dressage trainer, said. “She's always known her job. So, she's 14 now, and it was really challenging initially. When we first got on her, everything was easy, but when we started to develop and try to get her on her hind end and have her meet the connection, it was all very confusing, and she'd get really frustrated quite fast.”
With 2023 being the first year that the Retired Racehorse Project has offered a Broodmare Division at Thoroughbred Makeover, Daley Family Thoroughbreds teamed up with Super G Sporthorses and entered as a team in dressage and freestyle.
“Like tears of joy on social media when we initially announced it,” RRP Executive Director Kirsten Green said about the new broodmare initiative at the Thoroughbred Makeover. “We hoped we might get about 20 mares in this pilot year and we ended up with 26 as of registration close. We've gotten a tremendous amount of praise from across the industry. I'm looking forward to sharing the outcomes after the Makeover.”
So, just like they did for her races, Daley Family Thoroughbreds plan to be at the Kentucky Horse Park to cheer on Sandy at the Thoroughbred Makeover. Flying Lady may also be racing at the Downs at Albuquerque during Makeover week.
While it hasn't been an easy journey for Sandhill Lady to go from broodmare to show horse with the mare overcoming some physical and health challenges as she got back into training following years of being out at pasture, it has been rewarding.
“Working with Sandy has become one of the most rewarding partnerships with a horse I've had in a short amount of time,” said Bailey Apostolico, who is having her first experiences with the RRP as part of the team that will be competing at the Makeover with Ashley and me. “When the idea was thrown out about joining the team entry, I jumped at the opportunity, because I didn't know when something like this would come around again, and Sandy was a beautiful horse. The best part of this whole experience, excluding the trip to Kentucky, was seeing the difference between our relationship from March to now. Sandy has improved exponentially from the first time I rode her, and it's been a treat seeing her confidence come out as her education increases.”
Sandhill Lady surpassed our expectations at her first dressage horse show at Platinum Farms in Franktown, Colo., on Aug. 23, 72 hours before her foal Flying Lady would break her maiden up the road at Arapahoe. I rode her in her first test, and it's one of the most rewarding experiences I've ever had getting to compete with a stakes winner I used to announce. I had been riding for about two months back when Sandhill Lady won the 2015 Spicy Stakes, and that was two months prior to the first time I'd announce the Thoroughbred Makeover.
The judge's comments were, reflecting Sandy's potential as well as where to improve after this first test, “Nice pair to watch. Be sure to keep haunches in correct alignment.”
Sandhill Lady and Ashley Horowitz at Sandy's first horse show at Platinum Farms in Colorado on Aug. 23, 2023
Then, Ashley and Sandy successfully did the dressage test that competitors will do at the Makeover. Just like when the gates opened during her races, Sandy exuded class as she trotted down centerline.
“I'm so impressed with her,” Ashley said as they walked out of the ring. “She really was a little nervous in the warm-up. She wasn't sure she was going to be able to canter. She tried to tell me no, and we worked it out, and then when we actually went in there and she needed to do it, she really stepped up. And, there were a lot of times where I actually got to enjoy the moment. She tried really hard and really, really impressed with what she just did in there.”
To follow their journey to the makeover, visit the author's page on X (formerly Twitter) here.
Just like when she'd be watching her races from the rail, Jodi Perkins, who was part of Sandy's training team at the track, was sitting next to the dressage ring. Sandy's racing connections truly appreciate what goes into success both on and off the track.
“Oh, it's wonderful to see her go on, and, I mean, when I've seen her go with you guys, she's moving so big and nice,” the race trainer who is also a dressage rider said. “It's just great to have more options. I was so excited when the Thoroughbred Makeover announced that, because it was something that I think I would like to do with a broodmare eventually if I get the opportunity.”
The Thoroughbred Makeover has revolutionized the image of and market for racehorses coming off the track by creating a high-value competition to showcase racehorses in their first year of retraining for new careers. For the most part, the vision and execution of this largest Thoroughbred retraining competition in the world has remained the same since it settled into its home at the Kentucky Horse Park starting in 2015. Adding a team competition and western dressage were the most significant additions before the broodmare division, which I believe has the potential to be even more impactful.
While the RRP's report about this year's field highlights how “the majority of mares retired due to reproductive issues rather than advanced age or commercial performance of offspring,” Sandhill Lady is an example of the responsibility that her racing connections have for her lifetime care—and a model other owners can follow to help address horse racing's image and social license to operate.
“She has changed dramatically,” Neil said. “You can tell she loves it. She's changed into a really high-performing horse like she was at the track. And I will say, she's 14 years old. We're especially proud of her in that she's 14, she's not young, but that's OK. All horses we've ever had, hey, they go on to a next career. I think it's our duty as owners that if we're going to be raising horses and they're going to be doing so much for us, we want to give back.”
Neil Daley with Sandhill Lady and her foal Sahara Kara
Daley Family Thoroughbreds are giving their star mare the opportunity to showcase her skills in another field. The training Sandy is receiving and the stage she'll be on at the Thoroughbred Makeover will help kickstart the next phase in her life. This year, however, broodmares will not be eligible to make the Finale and compete for special awards. That will, at least to start, minimize the appeal for broodmares in terms of how they're viewed as viable sporthorses. While there are no guarantees in horse shows, just like there are none in horse races, Sandhill Lady shows the potential quality a broodmare can bring to interest in the Thoroughbred breed. That $5,000 claim nine years ago has gone a really long way.
“She's a very sweet, very caring, easygoing horse—just a really fun horse to be around,” Margie said. “We've had a really good life with her.”
Announcing horse races inspired Jonathan Horowitz to become an advocate for off-track Thoroughbreds and Arabians, as well as to learn to event on horses he used to announce at the track. He also serves as Acting Director for the Arabian Jockey Club and runs the Super G Sporthorses eventing barn with his wife, Ashley. He can be reached on Facebook and Twitter at @jjhorowitz.
Somelikeithotbrown, a four-time graded stakes winner and seven-figure earner, has been retired from racing due to a right-hind leg injury, with stud plans to be determined, BloodHorse reports.
The New York-bred 7-year-old son of Big Brown ends his career with 10 wins in 33 starts for earnings of $1,712,893 racing for owners Skychai Racing and David Koenig and trainer Mike Maker.
After breaking his maiden in Saratoga, Somelikeithotbrown began his career as a turf horse, finishing second in the Grade 3 With Anticipation Stakes and G3 Pilgrim Stakes before running third in the 2018 Breeders' Cup Juvenile at Churchill Downs.
He then tested the Kentucky Derby trail at three, winning the listed John Battaglia Memorial Stakes and the G3 Jeff Ruby Steaks at Turfway Park and finishing fourth in the G2 Blue Grass Stakes, but he ultimately didn't make the gate for the Triple Crown.
When Somelikeithotbrown returned to the racetrack, it was primarily as a turf specialist. In later campaigns, he racked up victories in the G2 Bernard Baruch Handicap, the G2 Dinner Party Stakes, and the G3 Mint Million Stakes. He was a four-time year-end award winner from New York Thoroughbred Breeders Inc.
Somelikeithotbrown is currently boarding at a farm in Kentucky while his future plans are determined.
