Tag: Horse Care

There's big news with the release of the 2024 Secretariat's Legacy calendar, which celebrates Secretariat's daughter Secrettame and her notable descendants. While it's the seventh calendar in a series that has already raised more than $33,000 for equine charities through six editions, it's the first one with The Secretariat Center as the primary beneficiary. 

“I've always wanted to work with The Secretariat Center, the only aftercare organization carrying the Triple Crown winner's name,” says writer/photographer Patricia McQueen, whose creative project is part of her research work on Secretariat as a sire. Her book Secretariat's Legacy was published in earlier this year. “With this calendar series likely winding down soon, it was important to make the change now. I'm thrilled that the previous calendars raised considerable funds for Bright Futures Farm, Old Friends, LongRun Thoroughbred Retirement Society, and Victory Alliance Ranch, all very worthy organizations.” Old Friends returns as a beneficiary of the 2024 edition along with The Secretariat Center.

“The Secretariat Center believes all horses deserve care, kindness and a purpose beyond the racetrack, and the Secretariat's Legacy calendar is such a fun way to remember all that Secretariat has done, and continues to do, for the racing industry,” adds Shelley Mann, Executive Director of The Secretariat Center. “We look forward to celebrating his legacy with his fans, both old and new. Thank you to Patricia for generously supporting horses, as they transition into loving homes, through proceeds from her beautiful calendars.”

The calendar series started in 2018 with the Living Legends theme honoring the last living Secretariats, and then transitioned to descendants of Secretariat's important broodmares in 2022. “I owe big thanks to all the racing fans – especially Secretariat fans – who have supported both the Living Legends and Secretariat's Legacy series,” says McQueen. “Their loyalty has been remarkable, and they know that every dollar of profit has gone to the supported equine charities.”

The 2024 calendar is all about Secrettame, and her important descendants included in the calendar are:

1. Gone West, her grade 1-winning son who became an important sire;
2. Lion Cavern, another graded stakes-winning son;
3. Elusive Quality, Gone West's record-setting son who was also a leading sire;
4. Speightstown, a champion son of Gone West who has been a consistent sire of top horses for two decades;
5. Da Hoss, Gone West's two-time Breeders' Cup Mile winner;
6. Came Home, a son of Gone West who was one of the best runners of his generation;
7. Quality Road, Elusive Quality's son who is a strong carrier of the Gone West line today;
8. Smarty Jones, a champion son of Elusive Quality;
9. Union Rags, a Belmont Stakes winner out of a Gone West mare; and
10. Authentic, the only Horse of the Year descendant of Gone West to date.

As in previous calendars, the Tony Leonard Collection continues to generously support the series with a beautiful photo of Secretariat and Ron Turcotte after the Kentucky Derby. Mr. Turcotte has generously autographed a limited number of calendars to help raise even more funds.

The new calendars are available for $22 each, plus shipping, at www.SecretariatCalendar.com, which links directly to The Secretariat Center's online store offering other products benefiting the Center.

The post 2024 Charity Calendar Honors Secretariat’s Daughter Secrettame appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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After 48 starts and nearly $1 million in earnings, hard-knocking gelding Night Ops has been retired and is preparing for his next career at Mid-Atlantic Horse Rescue (MAHR).

The 7-year-old graded stakes winner retires with a win in the Grade 3 Prairie Meadows Cornhusker, and seconds in the G3 Ben Ali and G2 Monmouth Cup.

As an early 3-year-old, Night Ops was trained by Keith Desormeaux for Big Chief Racing and was later campaigned at the graded stakes level by Brad Cox for Steve Landers Racing. After three seasons running in stakes and allowance company, he eventually landed in the claiming ranks in fall 2022.

MAHR co-founder and president Bev Strauss said last week that Night Ops has been at the facility about ten days and is enjoying some downtime before he enters training for a new job.

“He is just happy being out with a herd of five other Thoroughbreds,” she said. “He is super classy and professional. We all love him.”

Racing fans had taken note of Night Ops' career shift on social media and many had expressed concern about his welfare based on his class changes. Strauss was more worried that he could end up in Puerto Rico, which has recently faced questions from mainstream media about the fatality rate and veterinary care quality of racehorses living there. Strauss had been unsuccessful in her attempts to retire stakes-winning gelding Chris and Dave before the horse was claimed by someone who exported him to Puerto Rico, and worried that the same could happen to Night Ops.

Meanwhile, Night Ops had been through eight trainers since the start of his career, and added a ninth this fall when he was purchased privately by Eliot Sullivan.

Sullivan said he'd actually tried to claim Night Ops earlier this year but had gotten outshook. He purchased Night Ops from Michael Simone after the Delaware Park meeting concluded.

“He's a really cool horse to be around,” Sullivan said. “Just really professional and loved doing his job. He was running on a much lower level now but he's a pretty healthy horse. Soundness wise he didn't have much going on. Really nice-looking horse, big in size, nice in coat.

“I like those type of horses, the older class horses. I try to claim a lot of those types of horses. I like to have them toward the end of their career because I can try to get them rehomed. I've had a few along the way and have kept a few of them.”

Sullivan took Night Ops to Mountaineer Park, where he won his final start for a $4,000 tag. He said he knew that he could keep running the horse at that level, but the chances were strong that he'd be claimed. Strauss reached out to Sullivan through a mutual friend, and Sullivan said he welcomed the call.

He had assumed he'd be the person who ultimately placed the gelding with an off-track home; Sullivan said he has connections in his native Ohio who work with Thoroughbred sport horses and has had a number of his runners go on to a polo operation there.

“They've brought a lot of horses out of the racing community into secondary homes, which is nice,” he said.

It is frustrating, Sullivan admitted, to see racing fans posting on social media, making assumptions about the quality of care at his barn, but he can see how they got there. He's seen management and horsemanship at the lower levels that troubles him, and recognizes that most people haven't seen the ways he tries to do things differently.

The public concern also meant that Strauss had heard from people who would be willing to purchase the horse for retirement if necessary. Longtime supporter Laurie Asseo stepped up in Night Ops' case to purchase and help transport him.

“Elliot was super happy, the horse looks like a million bucks, and he will be restarted after a little vacation and placed up for adoption with our contract,” said Strauss. “He will always have a safe place to land; it took a village!”

Sullivan said he's excited to see where Night Ops goes next. In his brief time in Sullivan's barn, the trainer came to think of him as a serious horse. Not one to cuddle during grooming sessions, and not one who's all that patient on the ground – but a horse who still exudes class, soundness, and who takes his job seriously.

“I'd contemplated contacting Old Friends and maybe sending him there because he's made a lot of money. He kind of fit the mold for what they might be interested in,” said Sullivan. “I told Bev, it'll be interesting with his transition. He's going to be a horse that needs a job. He doesn't like not doing anything.

“He's not that old – he's only seven – so he can go into a lot of different disciplines. Hopefully we can all follow along and see how he does in the future with that.”

The post Night Ops Retires, Preparing For New Career At Mid-Atlantic Horse Rescue appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Old Friends, the Thoroughbred retirement facility in Georgetown, Ky., is saddened to report that Sun King, a multiple graded stakes winning millionaire, was euthanized at Rood and Riddle on Saturday, Dec. 2, due to inoperable cancer. He was 21.

The dark bay stallion has been at Old Friends for six years thanks to his owner, Tracy Farmer, a longtime supporter of the farm.

Foaled by Cambridge Farm and James Daniel Conway, Sun King, who was by 1999 Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner, Charismatic, out of the Clever Trick mare, Clever But Costly, was foaled in Kentucky on Jan. 31, 2002.

Trained by Nick Zito his entire career for owner Tracy Farmer, Sun King began his racing career as a 2-year old in 2004. Farmer purchased Sun King for $400,000 at the Keeneland 2003 January Horses of All Ages Sale.

Sun King won his first race in his second start in a maiden special weight race at Belmont Park on Sept. 17. He was moved up into stakes company for his next two races, and finished third in both, the Champagne Stakes (G1) at Belmont Park and the Bessemer Trust Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) at Lone Star.

In 2005 as a 3-year old, he opened his season with two wins, an allowance race at Gulfstream Park, and the Tampa Bay Derby (G3) at Tampa Bay Downs for his first graded stakes victory.

He did participate in two of the Classics that year, finishing 15th in the Kentucky Derby (G1) and fourth in the Preakness Stakes (G1) at Pimlico.

Following those races, he won the Leonard Richards Stakes (G3) at Delaware Park, and the Pennsylvania Derby (G2) at Philadelphia Park. He also finished second in the Haskell Invitational Handicap (G1) at Monmouth Park, and third in the Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1) at Belmont Park. He ended the year with a ninth-place finish in the Breeders' Cup Classic Powered by Dodge (G1) at Belmont Park.

In 2006, in his third start as a 4-year old, he won the Commonwealth Breeders' Cup Stakes (G2) at Keeneland. He then scored three consecutive second-place finishes, the first two at Belmont Park, in the Metropolitan Handicap (G1) and the Albert the Great Stakes (Black Type), followed by the Whitney Handicap (G1) at Saratoga.

In his next race, he was third in the Woodward Stakes (G1) at Saratoga, and then closed out his year with a 10th in the Breeders' Cup Classic Powered by Dodge (G1) at Churchill Downs.

He returned in 2007 as a 5-year old, but did not win any races. However, he did finish second in the Westchester Handicap (G3) at Belmont Park, the Woodward Stakes (G1) at Saratoga, and the Ack Ack Handicap (G3) at Churchill Downs on Nov. 3, which was the final race of his career.

Sun King retired with six wins, seven seconds, five thirds, and $2,240,008 in earnings in 28 career starts.

He began his stud career at Darby Dan in Kentucky in 2008, and moved to Elite Thoroughbreds in Louisiana in 2013. Then, in 2016, he was pensioned due to declining infertility and sent to Farmer's farm.

In 2017, Farmer decided to donate Sun King to Old Friends. He arrived at the farm on Feb. 25, 2017.

“Sun King was one of our best retirees,” said Michael Blowen, President and founder of Old Friends. “A great son of Charismatic, he attracted many fans, including Nick and Kim Zito who came by often to see him. All of our retirees are missed when they die, but no one will be missed more than the King.”

The post Inoperable Cancer Claims Old Friends Resident Sun King appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Treating a sick foal is a challenge in itself, but when foals arrive one after the other in quick succession and are completely unhandled and feral, it adds a whole different level of complexity.

Six weanling foals were transported to the Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical Center (EMC) in Leesburg, Virginia, for emergency evaluation and treatment after being purchased at an auction by Colby's Crew Rescue, based in Keswick, Virginia. EMC is a teaching hospital of the Virginia-Maryland College Veterinary Medicine, located on the Virginia Tech campus in Blacksburg, Virginia.

These feral foals are the offspring of formerly domesticated animals that had either escaped from or been set free by their owners. They had been held at a slaughter holding facility before being offered at auction, an experience that left them fearful and suffering from numerous life-threatening health issues.

The first two foals to arrive at the EMC were referred by Gary Kubala, from Littlestown Veterinary Hospital in Littlestown, Pennsylvania.

Janice, a 3- to 4-month-old filly, was suffering from bronchopneumonia and an umbilical hernia. Morocco, a 4- to 5-month-old filly, had swelling on her left hind limb and other minor scrapes and scratches, as well as a disfigured right ear tip, thought to have been caused by frostbite. Morocco also showed signs of facial trauma.

As they were recently pulled from an auction, the foals were taken directly to the isolation barn due to the likelihood of exposure to several highly infectious diseases.

The remaining four as yet unnamed 3- to 4-month-old foals arrived soon after, all suffering from bronchopneumonia, superficial wounds, and one with the added complication of an orthopedic issue. To reduce their stress and promote emotional well-being, the four foals were placed in isolation stalls in pairs.

The foals were initially received for emergency treatment by Krista Estell DVM '09, clinical associate professor of equine medicine, and transferred into the care of Elizabeth MacDonald M.S. '15, clinical instructor of equine medicine for continued care. The entire EMC medicine team worked together to ensure that these fragile patients received the best care possible.

It became apparent early on that EMC staff would need to spend time each day handling the foals to make treatment less stressful for the foals and create a positive interaction with humans. During their extended period of treatment, staff worked on general handling, picking up their feet, and leading.

“The care and compassion that the weanlings received from EMC staff during their treatment and the dedication of their owners gave them the best opportunity for making a full recovery,” MacDonald said.

Once stabilized, the foals continued their recovery at Always There Horse Care in Haymarket, Virginia, under the care of licensed veterinary technician Malena Brisbois. “Each goodbye was bittersweet, but knowing we contributed to their remarkable turnaround made every effort worthwhile,” Brisbois remarked.

After a couple of months with her pneumonia resolved and her general health and body condition improved, Janice returned to the EMC for surgical repair of her umbilical hernia.

Sophie Boorman, clinical assistant professor of equine surgery, repaired the hernia under general anesthesia. Due to Janice's history of pneumonia, she was carefully evaluated prior to surgery to ensure that she was healthy enough to safely go through the surgical procedure.

Repairing Janice's umbilical hernia now will reduce the risk of the intestines slipping into the hernia and getting stuck which can lead to colic.

The partnership between the EMC, Colby's Crew Rescue, and Always There Horse Care highlights the remarkable outcomes possible when skilled medical expertise is combined with compassionate, dedicated care.

The EMC is uniquely equipped and staffed to successfully treat all six of these weanling foals for a myriad of injuries and illnesses. Their successful treatment involved both the medicine and surgical teams and the dedicated support of all of the EMC clinical staff.

The post Two By Two: Six Feral Foals Recover At Equine Hospital appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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