Old Friends, the Thoroughbred Retirement Facility in Georgetown, Ky., will host its 18th Annual Homecoming Event on Sunday, May 7th, beginning at 12 noon.
The event features a live and silent auction of artwork, prints, and racing memorabilia, including several premiere collectible stallion halters.
For those unable to attend the event, absentee bidding for these exceptional halters opens today. On the block are halters worn by:
* Afleet Alex, the 2005 Eclipse Award winning Champion 3-Year Old Colt is best known for his wins in the 2005 Preakness and Belmont Stakes, after losing a bid for the Triple Crown when he stumbled badly out of the gate in the Kentucky Derby, where he still finished third. Today he stands at Gainesway Farm where he's had a good breeding career.
* Charismatic, the 1999 Eclipse Award winner as Horse of the Year and Champion 3-Year Old Colt, won that year's Kentucky Derby and Preakness. He is also known for his loss in the Belmont Stakes due to an injury near the finish line when his jockey, Chris Antley, jumped off the horse and held his leg up until medical help arrived. The rider is credited with saving the horse's life. After healing from the injury, he entered stud at Lane's End, and then in 2002 was sent to JBBA Shizunai Stallion Station in Hokkaido in Japan for the rest of his stud career. He was repatriated to the United States and arrived at Old Friends on Dec. 4, 2016.
* Constitution, who was trained by Todd Pletcher, is a son of Tapit. In his race career, he won two major graded-stakes races, the Florida Derby and the Donn Handicap. Standing at Winstar Farm, he has had a successful stud career, which includes siring Tiz The Law, the 2020 Belmont Stakes and Travers Stakes winner.
* Da Hoss, who was trained by Michael Dickinson, won the 1996 Breeders' Cup Mile, and then is best known for making an amazing comeback when, after being away from the track for two years due to injury and having only one prep race prior to the 1998 Breeders' Cup Championships, he again won the Mile in exciting fashion. In the race, he was leading in the stretch, but was passed by Hawksley Hill. But, Da Hoss came back and passed his rival to get the win. His comeback from injury and in the race was cemented into history by track announcer, Tom Durkin's now famous call, “This the greatest comeback since Lazarus!”
* Essential Quality, who is a son of Tapit, is a multiple graded-stakes winner with his biggest wins coming in the 2020 Breeders' Cup Juvenile and the 2021 Belmont Stakes. For his efforts in those two years of racing, he won Eclipse Awards as 2020 Champion 2-Year Old Colt and 2021 Champion 3-Year Old Colt, respectively.
* Feathered, a daughter of sire, Indian Charlie, won one graded-stakes race in her racing career, the Edgewood Stakes (G3), and was also stakes placed in multiple other stakes races. However, her biggest claim to fame came in 2018 as a broodmare when, in foal to Tapit, she gave birth to Flightline, the 2022 Horse of the Year. Feathered lives across the street from Old Friends at Summer Wind Farm.
* Lava Man is a multiple-graded stakes winner with wins in the Pacific Classic; the Santa Anita Handicap twice; and the Hollywood Gold Cup three times. A one-time claimer, Lava Man earned over $5.2 million in his career. His other claim to fame was being a pony horse for his trainer, Doug O'Neill, guiding the trainer's horses to the track for 13 years, which earned him the nickname, “Coach.” He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2015 and arrived at Old Friends in Nov. 2022.
* Nashville, who was sired by Speightstown, won four of his eight career races for trainer Steve Asmussen. He was undefeated in his first four starts, which included the Perryville Stakes and the Malibu Stakes. In the Perryville Stakes, he set a new track record at Keeneland of 1:07.89 for six-furlongs.
* Pioneerof The Nile was a multiple-graded stakes winner. In his career, he strung together a four-race win streak over two seasons that included the 2008 CashCall Futurity, and the 2009 Robert B. Lewis Stakes, San Felipe Stakes, and Santa Anita Derby that propelled him into the Kentucky Derby where he finished second to 50-1 upset winner, Mine That Bird. Pioneerof The Nile, who tragically died young at age 19 in 2019, is also well known as the sire of American Pharoah who broke the 37-year Triple Crown drought when he won it in 2015 to become the 12th horse to accomplish the feat. He also won that year's Breeders' Cup Classic to complete the newly named accomplishment, the Grand Slam.
* Silver Charm is a multiple graded-stakes winner, with top wins in the 1997 Kentucky Derby and Preakness, and the 1998 Dubai World Cup. Owned by Bob and Beverly Lewis, and trained by Bob Baffert, Silver Charm won the Eclipse Award in 1997 as Champion 3-Year Old Colt. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2007. He began his stud career at Three Chimneys Farm, before being sent to complete his stud career in Japan. He was repatriated to the United States and arrived at Old Friends in Dec. 2014.
* Tapit, a graded-stakes winner, he only raced six times and won three times, with his biggest wins coming in the Laurel Futurity and Wood Memorial Stakes. However, his best known accomplishment is that, since his retirement, he has become one of the greatest sires of all time. Standing at Gainesway Farm, he has “sired 31 Grade 1 winners, 33 yearlings to bring $1 million or more at auction, and earners of over $198 million on the racetrack for the most progeny earnings of any North American sire ever,” according to the farm's website. In addition, he is a three-time Champion Sire and the only top 5 sire 11 of the last 13 years.
Each halter is accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity. Interested buyers unable to attend on Sunday can absentee bid on these items beginning today. To bid, email your name, address, and phone number along with your highest bid to: horses@oldfriendsequine.org
Old Friends is grateful to the private collectors who donated these exceptional halters to our auction.
The post Old Friends Homecoming Auction Premiere Halters Now Available For Absentee Bidding appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
