“He came back from Dubai in great shape and we intentionally gave him a little extended time between then and now,” said the 4-year-old colt's trainer Doug O'Neill. “He's training with great energy and good stamina. I'm really optimistic about the Salvator Mile being a good stepping stone for the rest of the year. We have the Breeders' Cup Classic at Keeneland circled as our ultimate goal.”

While Hot Rod Charlie will indubitably have a sizeable cheering section at Monmouth this weekend from a partnership that includes Roadrunner Racing, Boat Racing, Strauss Bros Racing and Gainesway Thoroughbreds, another group of 'Charlie' fans will be watching from back home in Goshen, Kentucky.

Hot Rod Charlie was foaled and raised at Hermitage Farm, a 700-acre commercial Thoroughbred nursery outside of Louisville with a rich history of raising top-class racehorses. The close-knit equine team at Hermitage has kept tabs on the star colt throughout his career.

“We have a text chain that we're all on so we know when to watch,” said Hermitage's farm manager Brian Knippenberg. “With Charlie being on the world stage, I don't think I can even explain how important he is to us. This business can be difficult, so these are the kinds of things that keep us going.”

Hot Rod Charlie's dam Indian Miss (Indian Charlie) was a third-generation broodmare for the late Edward A. Cox Jr., a longstanding Hermitage client. Just one day after Hot Rod Charlie was foaled, the colt's half-brother and future 2019 Eclipse Champion Male Sprinter Mitole (Eskendereya) won his first stakes race.

One of 30-some foals to arrive at Hermitage in the spring 2018, Hot Rod Charlie might stick out slightly in the memories of those who worked with him daily.

“He was deathly ill as a foal,” Knippenberg explained. “He had a pretty serious intestinal infection. We had three foals with the same issue. The other two got over it quickly, but Charlie had a really hard time of it.”

While some foals may have quickly gone sour from receiving constant treatment, Hot Rod Charlie was always a good patient and slowly, he began to improve.

“He let us do what we needed to do to get him well,” Knippenberg said. “He is quite a testament to the clinic that helped us with him and to the people here on the farm who took such good care of him, because obviously he made a full recovery. I think that heart and determination he had then is what got him to where he is today.”

While the blaze-faced weanling continued to improve steadily, his breeder faced a terminal illness. When Cox decided to disperse of his stock at the 2018 fall breeding stock sales, Hermitage's longtime general manager Bill Landes encouraged him to keep the one colt behind.

“Landes told him to wait with selling Charlie because one, this horse had a really exciting family coming up and two, he would need as much time as possible,” Knippenberg recalled.

A few weeks before Cox passed away, Hot Rod Charlie was sold at the 2019 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky February Mixed Sale, where he brought just $17,000. He was sent to auction again in October and, having continued to blossom with time, sold to Dennis O'Neill for $110,000.

Flash forward almost three years, and the talented colt has earned over $5.1 million and is now pointing for a repeat appearance in the GI Breeders' Cup Classic.

“Having a horse like Hot Rod Charlie is such an inspiration and a morale booster,” said Melissa Cozart, the Equine Operations Manager at Hermitage. “It re-energizes everybody because we all get so excited when we have a good horse. Our staff is so involved in the success of each of these horses and they follow them all once they leave here and go into their racing careers.”

An Ongoing Tradition of Success

Blaze-faced Hot Rod Charlie as a foal | photo courtesy Hermitage Farm

Established as a Thoroughbred nursery in the mid-1930's by Warner L. Jones, Hermitage Farm has been associated with a myriad of notable horses including 1953 GI Kentucky Derby winner Dark Star, 1967 Kentucky Oaks victress Nancy Jr. and 1988 Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner Is It True, a son of Hermitage's leading sire Raja Baba.

Hermitage dispersed of their stallions shortly after Is It True's racing career, opting to focus on growing their commercial nursery. Today, they foal out around 35 mares each year and their program includes broodmares, foals, yearlings, layups and rehab cases. Along with Hot Rod Charlie and Mitole, 3-year-old champion and young sire West Coast also once called Hermitage home in recent years.

“Hermitage Farm is unique in that it is one of the only commercial Thoroughbred farms in the Louisville, Kentucky area,” Cozart explained. “We have several clients here in Louisville that want to be close to their horses so they have chosen us as a boarding operation. We work diligently to keep up with everything that is going on in Lexington. We have access to exceptional veterinary care and to the major sale companies and their advising, so we really are a full-service, all-around facility that offers a service for everyone.”

Cozart said that the group of broodmares at Hermitage is made up of an approximate 50-50 split between client-owned and Hermitage-owned mares. They have several exciting Hermitage-bred racehorses in the pipeline this summer including Efficiency (Gun Runner), a Klaravich Stables-owned 3-year-old who broke his maiden at Belmont last month by 11 lengths, as well as Cadillac Candy (Twirling Candy), a juvenile filly who recently broke her maiden at Churchill Downs.

The New Hermitage Farm

A peak into the dining experience at Barn8 | Katie Petrunyak

Hermitage Farm was purchased over a decade ago by Steve Wilson and Laura Lee Brown, the entrepreneurs behind the 21c Museum Hotel brand. Since then, the famed property's recognition has grown to a wider audience as it has transformed into a tourist destination.

First, the farm's new owners put Hermitage in agricultural easement, ensuring it will remain farmland for many years to come.

While continuing to grow the Thoroughbred division of the farm, a sport horse division was added. Co-owner Steve Wilson is a four-time champion competitive carriage driver and founded the Kentucky Classic, a marquee event for Combined Driving Event competitors that takes place every other year at Hermitage Farm.

Two years ago, Hermitage Farm's Barn8 restaurant officially opened for business. One of the farm's original barns retained its name and was transformed into a restaurant and bourbon bar that presents a farm-to-table dining experience and a constantly-rotating menu.

“The basic concept of Barn8 is not necessarily Southern food or Kentucky food,” explained Executive Chef Allison Settle. “It's more of making sure that we are a part of the solution to factory farming and overdevelopment, as well as making sure we are providing the season's bounty and accentuating what is good during a particular period. Our philosophy is about making sure that we're providing sustenance as a means to continue farming in the area.”

A sprawling greenhouse adjacent to the restaurant provides much of the produce and herbs served to guests. Settle explained that if the greenhouse's eggplant is ripe for harvest one week, it might be used in an Asian-inspired entree one night and then a Mediterranean lamb-stuffed eggplant the next. Barn8 also partners with farms in the surrounding area to bring in additional locally-grown products.

Settled added that Barn8 is more than just a dining experience.

“We have tours, tastings, mixology classes and pretty much everything that Kentucky does well, we do it here,” Settle said. “We want you to feel comfortable here, it's not stuffy. I think people find it to be a little bit of a vacation.”

Guests can dine at tables running down the main aisle of the barn or enjoy a more private experience at one of the tables in a stall. Some of the stall doors are adorned with the nameplates of Hermitage Farm's most famed broodmares.

Before sitting down to a meal, visitors can tag along on one of the various tours, which range from an art walk and a bourbon tasting experience to a tour of the equine facility. Hermitage's farm store offers farm-grown products, bourbons from around Kentucky and locally-made kitchen utensils and cooking items.

“Hermitage Farm is a really incredible place simply because of the vision of our ownership,” Settle said. “I think what's truly special is that there isn't really an agritourism project like this in the area or maybe even in Kentucky. There is only one place that I'm aware of that if you come to Louisville and you want to see horses, drink really good bourbon and learn about what Kentucky does well, this is the place to go.”

It took a period of adjustment, Cozart admitted, for the Thoroughbred division of Hermitage to acclimate to the many new changes, but she said they are excited about sharing their passion for the industry with new faces every day.

“In recent years, agritourism has become a huge part of Kentucky Thoroughbred breeding farms,” she said. “You're engaging a whole new demographic of people that may not otherwise be exposed to racing. People seem to have a better understanding of where these horses come from once they've seen it, rather than just relying on the public perception of the industry.”

As the farm shares its story to an expanding list of visitors from around the world, and with a horse like Hot Rod Charlie vying for a top position in his division this year, Hermitage Farm's famed legacy not only holds steadfast, but continues to grow.

The post Hot Rod Charlie Carries Banner for Ever-Growing Hermitage Farm Legacy appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

“The Museum is grateful to Hermitage Farm for helping us create a fresh, vibrant space where thousands of children will learn about the Kentucky Derby for years to come,” said Patrick Armstrong, President & CEO of the Museum. “Hermitage Farm is helping us fulfill our mission to engage, educate and excite everyone about the extraordinary experience that is the Kentucky Derby.”

The post Kentucky Derby Museum Unveils Hermitage Farm Education Center appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Bred by Brereton C. Jones, Caressing was purchased by Hermitage's Carl Pollard for $180,000 at the 1999 Keeneland September Yearling Sale and was a maiden winner at second asking before adding a seven-length victory in the Bassinet S. at River Downs. Runner-up in the GIII Arlington-Washington Lassie, the dark bay belied odds of 47-1 in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies, giving young jockey John Velazquez the second of his 18 championship victories to date and securing the Eclipse Award. She added the GIII La Troienne S. and GIII Singapore Plate at three and retired in 2002 with five wins from 18 starts and earnings of $955,998.

The dam of GSP duo of Gold Hawk (Empire Maker) and Juan and Bina (Indian Charlie), Caressing produced a colt to the cover of Flatter in 2014. Ben Glass, agent for Gary and Mary West, had a budget of $350,000 when the colt went through the ring at Keeneland September in 2015, but Glass went to $425,000 for Caressing's eighth foal. Turned over to Bob Baffert, West Coast made up for lost time at three, winning the Easy Goer S. and the GIII Los Alamitos Derby before defeating each of the Classic winners from 2017–GI Kentucky Derby hero Always Dreaming (Bodemeister), GI Preakness S. winner Cloud Computing (Maclean's Music) and GI Belmont S. victor Tapwrit (Tapit) in the GI Travers S. His third-place effort to Horse of the Year Gun Runner (Candy Ride {Arg}) cemented the 3-year-old championship. Now standing at Lane's End, West Coast is represented by his first crop of yearlings this year.

Caressing's first live foal, My Goodness (Storm Cat) was a $475,000 KEESEP yearling and since her export to Japan has been responsible for Danon Kingly (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}), winner of this year's G1 Yasuda Kinen, as well as Group 3 winner Danon Legend (Macho Uno) and SW Danon Good (Jpn) (Elusive Quality).

Caressing is the dam of the Pollard-owned 2-year-old colt Touch Code (Honor Code), in training at Saratoga with Bill Mott and a yearling colt by Gun Runner that also be retained.

WATCH: Caressing winning the 2000 BC Juvenile Fillies

The post Eclipse Winner Caressing, Dam of Champion West Coast, Dies appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

She is buried at Hermitage between the paddocks next to the foaling barn, where she devoted so much time to watching future champions grow.

Caressing, a dark bay mare foaled in 1998, was purchased as a yearling for $180,000 on behalf of Carl F. Pollard. Sent into training with veteran trainer David R. Vance, Caressing was a winner in her second start as a 2-year-old and advanced in her third career race to the Bassinet Stakes, winning by seven lengths.

A 47-1 longshot in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies, Caressing's victory solidified her as the recipient of the 2000 Eclipse Award as champion 2-year-old filly. She retired in 2002 with earnings of $955,998.

The highlight of Caressing's career as a broodmare came in 2014 with foaling season coming to a close with a bay colt by Flatter born on May 14.

Upon visit from Keeneland prior to the sale, Frankie Brothers remarked, “He's either going to blossom or he's going to go the other way.”

The son of Flatter flourished at the right time and caught the eye of Ben Glass, agent for Gary and Mary West, at the sale, despite his late foaling date.

“But I just loved this colt,” said Glass. “He was so charismatic and carried himself so well. He had such a fluid walk he would slink along like a panther. He had good size and a great big overstep on him.”

The price limit for Glass was set at $350,000, but he stretched to $425,000 to bring home Caressing's eighth foal from Hermitage Farm's consignment.

Appropriately named West Coast, the Flatter colt moved to Santa Anita Park under the care of Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert. He did not race at two and finally debuted in February of 2017, taking two starts to win.

West Coast skipped the Kentucky Derby and Triple Crown races entirely. However, he made a scene at Belmont Park on Belmont Stakes day in the Easer Goer Stakes, winning by 3 3/4 lengths. West Coast returned to California for the Los Alamitos Derby to score by 2 3/4 lengths.

The 3-year-old then traversed the U.S. again for the “Midsummer Derby,” the prestigious Grade 1 Travers Stakes, at Saratoga, where he soundly defeated all three classic winners: Always Dreaming (Kentucky Derby), Cloud Computing (Preakness Stakes), and Tapwrit (Belmont Stakes). Now considered one of the top colts in the three-year old division, West Coast made his next start in the G1 Pennsylvania Derby to win by 7 1/4 lengths.

Piloted by Mike Smith in his subsequent stakes victories, Smith admired, “He's just better than they are. As a matter of fact, he was getting bored.”

Closing out his 3-year-old campaign, West Coast faced older horses for the first time in the Breeders' Cup Classic and finished a strong third. He was then voted 2017 Eclipse Award champion 3-year old male.

West Coast's 4-year-old season ended winless in 2018, but his presence was still felt with runner-up finishes in the Grade/Group 1 Pegasus World Cup Invitational, Dubai World Cup, and Awesome Again Stakes. He retired following the 2018 Breeders' Cup Classic to Lane's End Farm. His first foals are yearlings of 2021.

Caressing's first foal, My Goodness by Storm Cat, has since become a prominent broodmare in the Japanese breeding Industry, producing colts Danon Kingly (Earnings: $4,469,755), Danon Legend (Earnings: $3,324,208), and Danon Good (Earnings: $1,231,688). Caressing's other black-type earners include Gold Hawk and Juan and Bina.

She has a 2-year-old son of Honor Code, named Touch Code, in training at Saratoga with Trainer Bill Mott for Carl F. Pollard, and a yearling colt by Horse of the Year Gun Runner who will be retained.

The post Champion Caressing, Dam Of Champion West Coast, Dies At Age 23 appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Hot Rod Charlie (Oxbow) found another gear in the stretch to punch his ticket to Louisville in the GII Twinspires.com Louisiana Derby. Last year's 94-1 GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile runner-up, a $17,000 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky February yearling turned $110,000 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall yearling pinhook by Bob and Sean Feld, is a product of the late Edward A. Cox, Jr.'s breeding program. The half-brother to champion sprinter Mitole (Eskendereya) was bred and raised on Cox's behalf by Hermitage Farm. Cox purchased Hot Rod Charlie's second dam, the unbeaten SW Glacken's Gal (Smoke Glacken), for $250,000 at the 2008 KEEJAN sale. After bringing $240,000 from WinStar at the 2018 KEENOV Sale, Hot Rod Charlie's dam Indian Miss (Indian Charlie) brought $1.9 million from OXO Equine, in foal to leading sire Into Mischief, at the 2020 KEENOV sale. Two-time  Kentucky Derby winning-trainer Doug O'Neill trains Hot Rod Charlie for Roadrunner Racing, Boat Racing and William Strauss.

Known Agenda (Curlin) has really taken his game to the next level since adding blinkers for Todd Pletcher in two starts this term, headed by a powerful performance in the GI Curlin Florida Derby. The St. Elias homebred, out of GI Vanity H. heroine Byrama (GB) (Byron {GB}), RNA'd for $135,000 as a Fasig-Tipton Saratoga yearling. Byrama was acquired privately by St. Elias after RNA'ing for $725,000 at the 2013 KEENOV sale. With the COVID-19 pandemic throwing a wrench into the 2-year-old sales schedule last spring, the chestnut, originally ticketed for the canceled Gulfstream Sale with consignor Eddie Woods, was instead held on to by his breeder Vinnie Viola and taken to the races. Last year's GI Kentucky Derby/GI Breeders' Cup Classic winner and Horse of the Year Authentic was a graduate of Woods's training program. Woods also trained and pinhooked 2008 Derby winner Big Brown ($60,000 FTKOCT yearling turned $190,000 KEEAPR 2yo).

HOT ROD CHARLIE:

“This guy early on was beset with gastrointestinal issues–maybe three days of age–and then again in the summer of his foal year, and had to go to the clinic two times for treatment, and therefore he was setback, physically. When we got him straight, Mr. Cox had already decided to disperse at Keeneland November, but was gonna take the worst of it with this guy pushing him there. We were all in agreement, and I said, 'Let's just pass and I'll get him sold.' I tried to sell him privately and then eventually the Fasig February deadline came and we had to find a home for him and that's where we were.

I can tell you this, from that October of his weanling year, however, he was not going backwards, he was progressing, but he was just behind. But every step he was making was forward. And that's what I told the Felds when they bought him [at Fasig February] and that's what I told everybody that I tried to sell him to, that he was heading the right way that his gastrointestinal issues were taken care of.

His record speaks for itself, he really hasn't looked back from that fall. Everything has been positive and forward. I told the Felds after they bought him, 'You guys stole another one.' He was always a solid colt.”

Looking back now, did Hot Rod Charlie remind you of his now-famous half-brother Mitole at all?

“It was too early to tell. Mitole was pretty straightforward. We didn't have this horse long enough for me to make that impression. To the people that I tried to sell Hot Rod privately to, I did say that he had a half brother that looks well above average.

The sad part of it all is Ed Cox would've absolutely been thrilled following Mitole and Hot Rod Charlie. Oh my God. He wouldn't have bragged. He wouldn't have patted himself on the back to the point he needed Tommy John Surgery. He wouldn't have done that. He would've taken quiet delight that he was the breeder of two really nice horses.

I'm sorry he missed it. We sold Hot Rod in February and Ed died in March. I'm sad about that.” –Bill Landes

KNOWN AGENDA:

“He was a really laid-back horse–a very quiet, good-moving horse. He was pointing to the [Gulfstream] sale, but it was questionable whether he had enough speed to be a proper 2-year-old sale horse. I don't know if the 2-year-old sales would've been the ideal environment for him. But he always moved good and trained good. He just lacked the little bit of sharp toe. When the sale was canceled, he went into a different program and just went along nicely.

I think in this year's Derby, every one has a chance to be a Derby horse. It's that kind of race. He'll run a good race. He'll be closing and he'll get the trip, which I suspect a lot of them won't. The faster they go, the better off he'll be.

It's great for our program and our team. The one consistency we've seen with the Derby horses and the horses that run well in the Derby is that they're really classy acting. They have great composure and they handle all the turmoil that comes with it– prepping for the Derby and the whole day in itself.

He's incredibly laid back–I spoke with Todd [Pletcher] at one of the 2-year-old sales about him and he said he's the same now as he was then.” –Eddie Woods

The post Early Impressions: Kentucky Derby 147–Part II appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Dr. Lavin is survived by his wife of 60 years, Elizabeth (Betsy), sons Allan (Susan) and Kevin (Amy), and granddaughters (known by the family as “The Cousins”) Catherine, Alexandra, Elizabeth, Eleanor, Lulu, and Hattie.

Response from the racing world was immediate and illustrative of Dr. Lavin's standing as a professional and friend, both of the industry and individuals within it.

“If you set out to meld 'country scientist' and 'southern gentleman' the product that exited the forge would be A. Gary Lavin, VMD,” said noted colleague Dr. Larry Bramlage, a world renowned veterinary surgeon. “Whether discussing a difficult case or one of his passions, such as The Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation, words never came quickly and were never wasted: '…Well…if that is the best, we'll do it!' He certainly was one of the 'Best.' They don't come along all that often.”

“Doc Lavin was a mentor to me,” said Dell Hancock of Claiborne Farm. “Anything I have ever done for the horse was inspired by him,” added Ms. Hancock, who is chairman of the Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation. (Lavin served as vice chairman.)

“Doc Lavin did as much to further my career as anyone as I was getting started in Louisville,” said Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey. “He and his family were friends as well as supporters, and I will never forget how important that relationship has been.”

Dr. Robert Copelan, like Lavin a former president of the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP), said upon learning of Dr. Lavin's passing: “He is one of the oldest, dearest, and closest friends I have ever had or hope to have. I think back to when we met. It was at Randall Park in 1953. He was a student then and was in charge of the canoe they used to have in the infield lake. I was in the first year of my practice and was at the head of the stretch inspecting a field going into the gate. We became friends that day and have been friends ever since.”

“'Dockie' was a special person and among the most wonderful human beings I have ever met,” said Keeneland sales executive Geoffrey Russell. “He loved the horse and everything to do with the horse, be it racing, sales, breeding, or its health. He never met a stranger and always had time for everyone no matter your station. His knowledge was immense, and he was generous in sharing it with anyone who would listen. I was blessed to have spent 13 years working with him on the inspection team at Keeneland. Crisscrossing Kentucky and the East Coast, days were filled with great humor and even better stories. He loved history, especially the Civil War. He would joke that I could drive by Civil War markers faster than Rogers Beasley (also on the team) could.​

“After working on the racetrack for over 30 years, he had seen every conformational fault a horse could have and knew what a horse could live with. When grading yearlings that had some conformation faults he would sometimes say, 'Don't worry about that, he'll be alright.' I will always treasure our friendship, and I will raise a glass in his memory. Thanks Dockie. We'll be alright.”

“Every so often someone comes along who touches so many live, both professionally and personally,” said Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas. “Doc Lavin was one of those. He was always there, with advice, or just friendship.”

“He was a true giant,” said Rogers Beasley, who recruited Lavin to be part of Keeneland's yearling inspection team after his retirement from active practice. “I know that phrase is used a lot, but he really was a giant. He accomplished so many things in the industry, and he was always promoting what would benefit the horse. And he never met a stranger. You would see him on the backstretch and he would always ask how you were doing, whether you were and owner or a groom. And he never lost his inquisitive mind.”

Illustrative of Beasley's last point, Dr. Lavin led the decision by Grayson-Jockey Club to make a special call for research on Shock Wave Therapy. He recognized that the beneficial new treatment had the potential downside, if misused, to eliminate pain without a horse being cured and therefore place them at risk of injury. The resultant research project at Iowa State University guided racing commissions' parameters for how long before a race the therapy must not be used.

Dr. A. Gary Lavin was born on November 6, 1937, in New Orleans. He grew up in racing, as the son of Allan (Doc) Lavin, racing secretary at Churchill Downs and also at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Ark. The young Lavins were high school sweethearts in Hot Springs and retained a lifetime affection for track and the area.

Dr. Lavin graduated from veterinary college at the University of Pennsylvania in 1962. (He always enjoyed pointing that his alma mater identified his veterinary degree as VMD, whereas other colleges conferred a DVM.) He established himself as a race track practitioner in Louisville while also working at Warner L. Jones Jr.'s Hermitage Farm and for clients in Bowling Green, Ky., and in Indiana. Over the years, other long-term associations included working for such clients as John Ed Anthony and Peter Willmott. In that capacity, Dr. Lavin and his Longfield Farm were involved with such horses as Anthony's back to back 1982-83 Preakness winners, Pine Bluff and champion Prairie Bayou, as well as the noted future stallion Cox's Ridge, plus Demon's Begone and Eddington. Also, Angel Fever, raised at Longfield, became the dam of Kentucky Derby winner Fusaichi Pegasus.

“My relationship with Gary Lavin began when Loblolly Stable first acquired Thoroughbreds in 1971, 50 years ago,” said breeder-owner Anthony. “From that time forward Doc has been a key part of my life and experience in the industry. He nurtured and helped develop every prominent horse we campaigned, plus attended to the lesser stock with the finest skill, expertise and patience known to his profession.

“The Lavins' Longfield Farm was our home base where mares, foals, and yearlings and layups were under his watchful eye as he and Betsy raised their fine family there. At the sales he was the critical advisor. His counsel regarding trainers and industry personnel was invaluable. I came to know of his kind, honest, and helpful regard for the horses and the people associated with them. He was always optimistic, positive, and encouraging. His honesty and integrity were without question. There are few people one can say they trust absolutely, yet Doc was such a man. Doc lived life fully, but more importantly, calling this fine man friend was a high honor that I am proud to have had in my life.”

Dr. Lavin's long career as a practitioner and surgeon was accompanied by a degree of dedication to the sport and his profession that led him to accept many roles and challenges. He has served terms as president of both the American Association of Equine Practitioners and the Kentucky Thoroughbred Association, and was vice chairman of the Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation and a director of Keeneland Association.

In 1994, Dr. Lavin became the first veterinarian elected to The Jockey Club, and he also has served as a steward of that organization. He has also been on the boards of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association and the Breeders' Cup. Over the many years they owned Longfield Farm in Goshen, Kentucky, he and his family bred major winners, raised horses for the commercial market, and managed bloodstock for clients.

Family members also became deeply involved in the sport in individual capacities. Mrs. Lavin served on the Kentucky Racing Commission, Allan runs Lavin Bloodstock, and Kevin owns Lavin (Equine) Insurance. Lavin Bloodstock bred the sentimentally named Star of Goshen, whose son Pioneerof the Nile sired Triple Crown winner American Pharoah, etc.

Dr. Lavin received many honors, including his alma mater's Bellwether Medal for Distinguished Leadership and the Thoroughbred Club of America's Annual Testimonial Dinner guest designation. He was a Distinguished Life Member of the AAEP, recipient of the Distinguished Practitioner Award of the Kentucky Equine Practitioners, and namesake of the Lavin Cup for Equine Welfare. The Lavin Cup was established in 1996 by the AAEP.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation (821 Corporate Drive, Lexington, Ky., 40503).

A private family burial will be held in Cave Hill Cemetery, Louisville.

The post Esteemed Equine Veterinarian, Dr. A. Gary Lavin, 83, Passes appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post