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‘Awesome Indeed’: Awesome Again Dies At 26, Full Veterinary Report Pending

Old Friends distributed the following press release on Dec. 16:

1998 Breeders' Cup Classic winner Awesome Again died very suddenly yesterday at Old Friends Thoroughbred Retirement farm in Georgetown, Ky. The stallion was 26.

Michael Blowen, founder and President of Old Friends, made the announcement this morning.

The exact cause of death is unknown; however, a full necropsy is pending and a full veterinary report will follow.

The Canadian-bred son of Deputy Minister, Awesome Again had an exemplary resume as both a racehorse and a stallion. He broke his maiden at Hollywood Park in just his second start as a 3-year-old in 1997. He returned a few weeks later to capture that year's Queen's Plate Stakes at Woodbine. Back in the U.S. that summer the son of Deputy Minister went on to win the Grade 2 Jim Dandy Stakes and was third to Deputy Commander in the Travers Stakes (G1) at Saratoga.

At four, he completed an undefeated season that included five graded stakes victories, among them the Stephen Foster Handicap (G1), the Whitney Handicap (G1), and one of the most memorable editions of the Breeders' Cup Classic (G1), where, looking defeated, he rallied in the stretch to defeat Grade 1 winners Coronado's Quest and Swain and that year's Kentucky Derby/Preakness hero, Silver Charm.

He retired from racing in 1998 with nine wins from 12 starts and earnings of $4,374,590.

As significant in the breeding shed as he was on the track, Awesome again sired three champions: Ghostzapper, 2004 Horse of the Year and champion older horse; Ginger Punch, 2007 champion older mare; and Nominee, a multiple champion in Trinidad and Tobago. His other elite runners include Old Friends retirees Game on Dude — who captured 14 graded stakes and is the only three-time winner of the Santa Anita Handicap in history — and Awesome Gem, who captured the Hollywood Gold Cup at age seven; Breeder's Cup Distaff winner Round Pond; Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner Wilko; and 2019 Belmont Stakes winner Sir Winston.

He sired 13 millionaires and five multimillionaires as well as four Breeders' Cup Champions. Awesome Again was also the first Breeders' Cup Classic winner to sire a Breeders' Cup Classic winner (Ghostzapper).

Awesome Again had been retired from stud duty at Frank Stronach's Adena Springs in Paris, Ky., in 2019 and was pensioned to Old Friends in October of this year along with the stallions Milwaukee Brew and Silver Max.

“Anyone who ever saw Awesome Again on the racetrack or at Adena Springs knew he was aptly-named,” said Old Friends' Blowen. “I'm just sorry his time at Old Friends was so short because I know he would have made a searing, lasting impression on his many fans, and I'm so sorry that circumstances prevented him from displaying his greatness for a lot longer. Awesome, indeed.”

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Chronic Pain Can Be Detected In Equine EEGs

Chronic pain is difficult to assess as it involves subjective emotional and cognitive facets. There has been increasing interest in using electroencephalograms (EEGs), which measures brain waves, on resting horses to help determine if the horse is experiencing chronic pain. EEGs have been used as a tool in human medicine to help decipher chronic pain.

Riding horses are prone to chronic back pain; horses that experience this pain show lower levels of engagement and shorter attention spans. Drs. Mathilde Stomp, Serenella d'Ingeo, Séverine Henry, Clémence Lesimple, Hugo Cousillas and Martine Hausberger hypothesized that horses with chronic back pain would have resting-state EEGs that differed from horses that were pain-free.

The researchers fitted 18 horses with a headset and a telemetric recorder. The horses stood in a covered arena while they underwent back evaluations that noted the back's shape and muscular tension, as well as took precise spinal measurements. Thirteen of the horses had surface electromyography (sEMG) exams to measure muscle activity; each horse was monitored for 60 minutes to see if they had any stereotypic behavior.

The scientists found that the horses had consistent EEG profiles over time. Horses that were assessed as having back pain had resting-state EEGs that had more fast waves and fewer slow waves. The study team also linked back tension to the frequency of stereotypic behaviors. They scientists concluded that resting-state EEGs are a promising tool to assess chronic back pain in horses.

Read the full study here.

Multi-Millionaire War Story Arrives At Old Friends For Retirement

Old Friends, the Thoroughbred Retirement farm based in Georgetown, Ky., announced Tuesday the arrival of multiple graded stakes winner War Story.

After a six-year career, the Kentucky-bred son Northern Afleet, now 8, has been pensioned by owners Imaginary Stables and Glenn Ellis. The gelding's last start was the Grade 2 Charles Town Classic in August.

War Story broke his maiden first time out in 2014 in a maiden special weight at Churchill Downs. He has earned seven victories in all, including the G2 Brooklyn Invitational Stakes at Belmont Park, the G3 Monmouth Cup Stakes at Monmouth Park, and the G3 Harlan's Holiday Stakes at Gulfstream.

The game chestnut never shied from top competition, however, facing eventual Triple Crown winner American Pharoah in the 2015 Kentucky Derby and again in the Breeders' Cup Classic, California Chrome in the 2016 Pacific Classic, and Arrogate in the 2017 Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes.

War Story has raced coast-to-coast, from Saratoga to Santa Anita, making 40 starts in all earning eight wins, seven seconds and six thirds for total career earnings of $3,271,996.

“He is such a special horse,” said co-owner Ellis. “He could run any distance, he just never gave up, and he could do anything. I'm so happy now,” he added, “because he can just live a happy life and he's earned it.”

“I love War Story,” said Old Friends's founder and President Michael Blowen. “He always tried. I even loved him as a handicapper because he often filled out my trifectas and superfectas at a nice price. But nothing compares to feeding him mints and carrots every day. He's absolutely adorable.”

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New Type Of Equine Wart Discovered

A new type of equine wart has been identified by a New Zealand researcher. Equine warts are caused by the equine papillomavirus, which may contribute to the development of some types of skin cancer.

A 10-year-old Warmblood had two round, thick masses nearly 1 inch in diameter on the back of his left front fetlock; his treating veterinarian biopsied them, thinking they were sarcoids, which would have been difficult to treat in that area.

The biopsy results showed that the growths were actually warts, which typically go away by themselves. There are multiple types of papillomaviruses; they are divided into categories based on what type of lesion they cause. The papillomavirus that caused these warts, however, was new. The type of papillomavirus it is most similar to causes self-resolving warts.

The horse was treated with a topical chemotherapy drug and the lesions disappeared within a month. The veterinarians on the case noted that the cream may not have been the cure for the warts and that they may have gone away on their own.

Though not every lesion caused by the equine papillomavirus needs to be biopsied, in this case it was the correct approach as the masses were not recognized as warts. It's important for vets to remember that warts can sometimes present with an unusual appearance, the treating vet noted.