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.
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.”
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.”
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.”
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.
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