Fever Temple and DeShawn Parker stepped onto the track for the afternoon's fourth race Tuesday, July 28 and were greeted by a familiar face. The pony horse assigned to take them to the gate was none other than half-brother Even Fever, a retired racehorse who recently joined the pony horse team of Liz Klopp at Indiana Grand.
“I knew Even Fever was being used for outriding at Ellis Park, but I didn't know he was here at Indiana Grand until a few weeks ago,” said Brandi Steele, trainer of Fever Temple. “Liz (Klopp) came up to me and told me she had just bought him (Even Fever) to add to her pony horses. It was pretty cool to see them side by side on the track today.”
Although Even Fever is grey and Fever Temple is dark bay, Steele sees the family resemblance in the two geldings. They all hail from her owner Jim Edgar's mare, Cecilia's Fever, and with six foals of racing age, four are currently or have been under the care of Steele. Even Fever was trained by Tom Dorris in Illinois for Edgar.
“We have had four in the barn by Jim (Edgar's) mare Cecilia's Hope and they are all dark bay and all look the same in the face,” noted Steele. “Looking at Even Fever, even though he's grey, he has the same facial features as all the others.”
Even Fever completed his racing career in 2018, racing primarily in Illinois. The now 10-year-old son of Even the Score won 10 races during his career and earnings in excess of $167,000. He is now excelling as a pony horse in his second career on the track.
Fever Temple, Lucky Fever, and Cecilia's Hope are all part of Steele's barn and currently racing. Fever Temple finished fourth in his start Tuesday. Lucky Fever has had four starts this year. Cecilia's Hope, a two-year-old, will make her racing debut Monday, Aug. 3 at Indiana Grand in the afternoon's third race.
Steele has been training for Edgar, former Governor of Illinois, for the past three years. Edgar has been a longtime proponent of horse racing and still owns part of a Standardbred, but his main focus these days is in the Thoroughbred industry.
“Jim has a farm around the Springfield (Illinois) area, but he breeds here in Indiana and his horses stay over here,” said Steele. “He has seven or eight brood mares right now.”
Although retired, Edgar is still actively involved on numerous boards and lends his expertise as a consultant. He was inducted into the Lincoln Academy of Illinois as Laureate and awarded the Order of Lincoln in 1999, the state's highest honor. He also has a state park named in his honor, the Jim Edgar Panther Creek State Fish and Wildlife Area located in central Illinois. The stakes winning owner remains passionate about horse racing and attends the races frequently to watch his horses compete at Indiana Grand. His best horse to date was Fighting Fever, who won in excess of $276,000 before her retirement to the brood mare ranks in 2006.
The post ‘Side By Side’: Fever Temple’s Half-Brother, Even Fever, Ponies Him To The Gate At Indiana Grand appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
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