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Pensioned Awesome Again, Milwaukee Brew Welcomed To Old Friends Farm

On Friday, Old Friends, the Thoroughbred Retirement Farm in Georgetown, KY, announced the arrival of two new stallions: Multiple graded stakes winners Awesome Again and Milwaukee Brew.

Both were pensioned from stud duty in 2019 at Frank Stronach's Adena Springs, near Paris, KY., and have now been donated to the non-profit organization.

Awesome Again, now 27, boasts 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 Jim Dandy Stakes (G2) and was third to Deputy Commander in the Travers Stakes (G1) at Saratoga.

At 4, 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.

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 7; Breeder's Cup Distaff winner Round Pond; Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner Wilko; and 2019 year Belmont Stakes winner Sir Winston.

He has sired 13 millionaires and five multi-millionaires as well as four Breeders' Cup Champions. Awesome Again is also the first Breeders' Cup Classic winner to sire a BC Classic winner (Ghostzapper).

Milwaukee Brew, 23, earned eight wins in his 24 starts and is best known for his back-to-back victories in the 2002 and 2003 Santa Anita Handicap (G1). Other wins include the 2002 California Stakes (G2) and the 2000 Ohio Derby (G2). The son of Wild Again retired in 2003 with earnings of well over $2.8 million. Also a prominent stallion standing at Adena Springs North, near Ontario, his top runners include Canadian champion 3-year-old filly Milwaukee Appeal, Canadian champion 3-year-old filly Ginger Brew, and Panamanian champion Coltimus Prime

The new stallions will join Adena's Belmont Stakes winner Touch Gold and Breeders' Cup Classic winner Alphabet Soup, who were retired to Old Friends in 2015.

“We're very grateful to Frank and Belinda and everyone at The Stronach Group for trusting us with these two great Thoroughbreds,” said Old Friends founder and President Michael Blowen. “The Stronachs have always been extremely generous when it comes to supporting their retirees. When Alphabet Soup's cancer needed special attention, Frank made sure all of his medical bills were taken care of. And I adore Awesome Again's victory in the Breeders' Cup Classic even though he beat Silver Charm.”

“When it comes to Awesome Again and Milwaukee Brew, they are two of the best-natured stallions I've been blessed to work with,” said Adena Springs Stallion Manager Bill Drury. “When it came time to consider retirement settlements, if not my own backyard, there was no place I would rather they be than with Michael at Old Friends. His has a reputation of exemplary care, and the fan access is exactly what these champions deserve in their twilight years.”

In addition, in the coming weeks, a third Adena stallion, Silver Max, will be pensioned with Old Friends. Silver Max, is perhaps best known for ending reigning Horse of the Year Wise Dan's nine-race win streak with his upset win in the 2013 Shadwell Turf Mile Stakes (G2) at Keeneland. In 2012 Silver Max had earned his first graded stakes over the same oval with a score in the Transylvania Stakes (G3T). He retired in 2014 with 12 wins from 27 starts and over $1.9 million in earnings.

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Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation Launches 2020 Hay Drive With $60,000 Matching Gift

The Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation (TRF) has received a $60,000 matching gift from the Santulli Family Foundation to launch the 2020 Hay Drive challenge–Hay, Oats and Water. The Santulli's will match every dollar donated to the TRF up to $60,000 for this campaign. The TRF's goal for the 2020 Hay Drive is $120,000 to cover the cost of hay for the hundreds of former racehorses currently in their care.

The TRF Hay Drive is one of the most important campaigns for the organization, now in its 37th year of providing sanctuary, retirement and second chances for Thoroughbreds no longer able to compete on the racetrack. The campaign will be conducted by direct mail, email and social media as well as one-on-one donation requests.

“Hay is one of our largest horse care expenses and the most important element of a horse's diet, particularly in the winter.” says Jennifer Stevens, Director of Development at the TRF.

Last year, with the help of the Santulli Family Foundation, the TRF had its most successful Hay Drive to date and the organization is hopeful that this year's response will equal or surpass last year's campaign.

“The Santulli's are longtime supporters of the TRF having funded several areas of need for the organization throughout the years. We are immensely grateful for their contributions to the TRF and the Thoroughbred aftercare effort.” said Patricia Stickney, TRF Executive Director. “Their generous gift will not only help our horses but inspire others to do the same.”

To give to the Hay Drive please visit the TRF giving page here: https://www.trfinc.org/haydrive/

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James Bethell to Retire, Transfer Licence to Son Ed

After training for 46 years, James Bethell will retire on Jan. 1, Racing Post reported on Sunday. The licence will pass to his son Ed, who will continue to train at his father’s old yard of Thorngill Stables in Middleham. Listed winner Moss Gill (Ire) (No Nay Never), who ran third in the G1 Nunthorpe S. this August, will be among the 30-odd horses in work next term.

“I think younger people can work with all the technology and modern communications better than us older folk and I thought it was a good time to do it,” the 68-year-old told Racing Post. “Edward has had a good grounding, he’s been to Gai Waterhouse in Australia, he did a stint in America, he’s had spells with Charlie Hills and with Robert Cowell, and he’s been assistant here.

“We did look at becoming joint trainers but I think it’s better to have it in his name so he gets all the credit if there’s credit to be had. It should work, we get on very well together and he can come to me for advice.”

The elder Bethell, who was an assistant to Bruce Hobbs and Arthur Budgett before training in his own name, celebrated his biggest wins as a trainer with group winners Rich Ground (GB) (Common Grounds {GB}) and Strawberry Dale (Ire) (Bering {GB}).

Added Ed, “I’ve wanted to train all my life, despite Dad’s best efforts to put me off. It’s daunting, especially with what’s going [on] in the world. But as someone said the other day, there’s never a right time to start training racehorses.”

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Enable: One For The Ages

On most mornings there are more than 2,000 horses being exercised on Newmarket Heath, Britain’s epicentre of the Thoroughbred industry.

Plenty of them will end up as minor winners and a decent number of stakes winners will progress from the blustery East Anglian acres of turf to sun-drenched winner’s enclosures across England and beyond. Every now and then a champion will emerge.

It is perhaps a term used too liberally. Each year there’s a champion 2-year-old, champion 3-year-old, champion stayer, champion sprinter. To call Enable (GB) a champion doesn’t really begin to do her justice.

Just months after Frankel (GB) strode up Warren Hill for the final time in October 2012, Juddmonte sent Concentric (GB) (Sadler’s Wells) on a 30-minute journey from Newmarket to Royston to be covered by his old rival Nathaniel (Ire). It would have been almost too indulgent to imagine that Newmarket could become home to another Thoroughbred of such alluring presence so soon after Frankel’s retirement, let alone one emerging from the same stud. But, by the summer of 2017, the foal resulting from that mating had started to write her own exciting chapter in the history of Juddmonte Farms.

Thunder and lightning announced Enable on the world stage when she stormed to the first of her 11 Group/Grade 1 victories as the rain lashed down on Epsom. To the Oaks, she added the Irish and Yorkshire versions and, in a stellar 3-year-old season, won her first of three King Georges and first of two Arcs. For many owner-breeders that would have been more than enough to ensure that she was hastened to stud to start work on the next generation.

Happily, for Enable’s growing legion of fans, this temptation was resisted for three years running. For keeping his great mare in training to the age of six, all who love racing owe Prince Khalid a huge debt of gratitude.

Enable more than upheld her side of the bargain. With each passing year she grew more statuesque, clearly thriving on her routine of emerging from John Gosden’s Clarehaven stable at the end of Newmarket’s Bury Road, either crossing the road for easy cantering days on Warren Hill, or heading away from town for more testing work mornings on the Al Bahathri or the Limekilns.

It is too easy to anthropomorphise horses but in watching Enable make her casual saunters to and from the gallops of a morning, a fanciful mind could interpret the air of regal serenity as her knowing that she was simply better than every other horse she passed. In truth, it is more that physical exertion came much more easily to her than to most and, generally, a racehorse who finds work easy is one who is at ease with life.

As Enable’s reputation grew, so must the pressure have increased on those closest to her. With John Gosden as her trainer the mare had the perfect statesmanlike spokesman to deliver tantalising updates on her training along with insights to her character. “She’ll tell me,” he said often. A wise man taking his lead from a powerful female.

Enable’s competitive froideur was very much in contrast to that of the jockey who rode her in all bar her first two races. But every good double act needs a flamboyant showman and there is no-one better to assume that role than Frankie Dettori.

The one sad footnote to an extraordinary story is that its final act came in the year of a global pandemic. Coronavirus has taken a terrible toll on the world but within our own small racing hub, it was a cruel twist indeed that Enable’s final four runs took place in front of a handful of raceday officials, owners and trainers. If ever there was a horse who deserved to bow out—win or lose—with the roar of an adoring crowd ringing in her enormous ears it was Enable.

Over the last few weeks of sales, a growing number of yearlings have been signed up to join Clarehaven, not to mention the blue-blooded homebreds who will be added to Gosden’s books in the months to come. Boxes will be filled and new champions will emerge, but it is nigh on impossible to replace a horse for the ages.

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