You never forget the name of your first lesson horse – that horse who taught you what you need to know to work with every one that follows.
In this series, participants throughout the Thoroughbred industry share the names and stories of the horses that have taught them the most about life, revealing the limitless ways that horses can impact the people around them. Some came early on in their careers and helped them set a course for the rest of their lives, while others brought valuable lessons to veterans of the business.
Question: Which horse has taught you the most about life?
Cary Frommer: “I had a horse one time that I bought, Inca Chief, and I bought him just because I loved him. I loved the way he looked. He was an athlete. He sold for a life-changing amount of money for me, and when he ran through his conditions and he didn't really run on, he started going down the claiming ranks, and I got him back to turn out. He still lives at my farm.
“He had been such a life-changer for me, and he's such a sweet, kind horse, but what taught me the most is everybody that was around him wanted good things for him, too. It made me think much better of people than I sometimes do, because everybody worked together to try and give him a good home, and to make sure he ended up with me – happy, turned out, and just living the rest of his life out.
“I think I learned more about people from that horse than I have from many of the people I've known.
“I don't know what went wrong, because he had some pretty serious problems when he got back to me, but he was kind, and 100 percent heart. Just a really special horse in my life. Obviously, he affected everyone that way, because people lined up to help him end up in a good place.
“He just lives out on my farm and eats grass. He babysits the occasional baby, but that's it.”
About Inca Chief
(2014, c., Uncle Mo x Five Star Dream, by Five Star Day)
Inca Chief was bred in Kentucky by Candyland Farm, and he was consigned by that operation at the 2015 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Eastern Fall Yearlings Sale, where he sold to Frommer for $90,000.
The colt was a standout at the 2016 Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream Selected 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale. He breezed an eighth in :10 seconds flat, tying for the sale's fastest time at the distance, and his smooth motion down the Gulfstream Park stretch put him at the head of the class from an eye-test standpoint, as well.
That excitement followed Inca Chief to the sale ring, where he sold to the Coolmore partnership and Stonestreet Stables for $1 million, tied for the second-highest price of the elite auction.
Injuries hampered the big-bodied colt, and delayed his debut until June of his 3-year-old season, where he finished second in a maiden special weight at Monmouth Park with trainer Todd Pletcher.
He raced just once for the connections that bought him at auction before going through the ring at the 2017 Fasig-Tipton Selected Horses of Racing Age Sale, where he sold to owner Doyle Williams for $55,000. Frommer said she was the underbidder at $50,000.
Inca Chief continued to struggle in the search for his first win on a major circuit with new trainer Randy Morse, even dropping into maiden claiming company at Churchill Downs to no avail.
After another long layoff, Williams gave Inca Chief a change of scenery and moved him to the Southwest barn of trainer Scott Young, which paid immediate dividends. He won his first two starts at Will Rogers Downs; first a maiden claiming race, then an allowance race. He was then moved to Prairie Meadows, where he won another allowance at first asking, then made two more starts before retiring.
Inca Chief retired with three wins in 13 starts for earnings of $61,572.
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