Blowen, Hatfield Team for Old Friends Legends Tour

Old Friends founder Michael Blowen and longtime Three Chimneys Farm stallion manager Sandy Hatfield will join together for a special tour of the Old Friends retirement facility in Georgetown Apr. 9. The tour, with a $150 per person cost, will be limited to 20 people.

“Old Friends is blessed with, not only legendary horses, but with legendary people within our family,” said John Nicholson, president and CEO of Old Friends. “Our founder Michael Blowen, and longtime Three Chimneys' stallion manager Sandy Hatfield are just such legends. I can't wait for their tour, which is a rare opportunity to have these legends take you on a special journey with many of the equine heroes at Old Friends.

“Old Friends is proud to be a part of Thoroughbred racing and these Legend Tours are just the latest way we celebrate the great horses and people in the sport we love,” continued Nicholson. “We look forward to introducing new and different ways, like these Legend Tours, of sharing the story and heritage of horse racing with, not only our sport's old friends, but sharing it with new friends as well.”

Blowen, who founded Old Friends in 2003, and recently stepped down as president of the farm, will tell visitors the stories of some of his favorite Thoroughbred retirees on the farm.

Hatfield, who has spent most of her life working with stallions, in particular, Kentucky Derby winner and Old Friends retiree, Silver Charm, will share her stories of some of her famous old friends.

To reserve a spot on the tour, call the Old Friends office at (502) 863-1775.

The post Blowen, Hatfield Team for Old Friends Legends Tour appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Trailblazer Sandy Hatfield Passes Torch at Three Chimneys

Veronica Reed had just graduated high school when she met Sandy Hatfield, but that short introduction left a life-alerting impact.

Born and raised in Colorado, Reed moved to Lexington to pursue a career in the Thoroughbred industry. While working in the yearling division at Three Chimneys Farm, she was sent to pick something up from the stallion barn. Peeking into the breeding shed to scope out who was in charge, she quickly noticed that a woman was in command. She was petite–at least, compared to the powerful studs she handled–with a blond braid and a sharp eye that took in every detail of the session.

From that moment, Reed had a goal. She too would be a stallion manager one day.

This year, that dream came to fruition as Reed has taken over as stallion manager at Three Chimneys. As stallion manager emeritus, Hatfield is still a fixture in the barn–at least for this year's breeding season–but Reed is now at the helm.

When Reed first approached Hatfield about working for her almost 20 years ago, Hatfield told her to gain a bit more hands-on experience and come back. Reed did just that, working with the yearlings at Three Chimneys while attending Midway University, before eventually joining the stallion team. When Reed graduated college in 2008, Hatfield asked her to escort Point Given to Brazil.

The job came with many challenges, but Reed enjoyed the adventure of going to a new country where the only thing familiar to her was the stallion on the other end of the shank. She spent several years shuttling stallions between hemispheres, including a five-year stint going back and forth between the U.S. and Darley Australia.

Of course, whenever she arrived at a farm, she was not exactly what her new co-workers were expecting.

“The first time I moved to a Southern Hemisphere location was Argentina,” Reed recalled. “It was not only a new culture, but it was a new language and new people. So when they saw a girl come off the airplane, they were as confused as I was. But the best part about it was after working sessions and showing that I was there every day, I earned their trust in the shed. I think you just have to give people time to realize that, yes she's a girl, but she can do it too. I think it was a lot of just being a good person and working hard, and in the end they don't care what gender you are.”

Reed's predecessor was a pioneer of the industry as she pursued a career in a very male-dominated stallion business in the 1980s.

Sandy and Will Take Charge at Three Chimneys | Sarah Andrew

“When I first came to town, there were a lot of breeding sheds that wouldn't let a woman in the breeding shed to watch,” Hatfield recalled. “I mean if you took your mare to the breeding shed, they made you stand outside. There were a lot of times that people came and walked right past me and went to the first guy they saw. Once people realized that I knew what I was doing and could take care of their mares in the breeding shed and make sure they got a good cover, I think they understood.”

Hatfield acquired a love of horses from her father while working on their ranch and racing Quarter Horses in Oklahoma. She moved to Kentucky when she received a scholarship from Murray State University's equine program. She spent a summer prepping yearlings at Spendthrift Farm and instantly fell in love with the industry. After graduating, Hatfield moved back to Lexington to pursue a career as a yearling manager. She was working at North Ridge Farm when the farm's general manager Dan Elliott asked her to go to the stallion barn and pull manes. It wasn't long before she was back in the stud barn for every breeding session and Elliott was asking her if she would be the farm's stallion manager.

“I had asked him, 'Are you sure? You're going to catch a lot of flak for this.' But he told me that they knew I could do it. So they gave me a great opportunity and I was stallion manager there for two years.”

Hatfield would go on to be the yearling and broodmare manager at Calumet Farm and the stallion manager at Gainsborough Farm. In 2000, she was offered the opportunity to move to Three Chimneys.

“It was just the most magnificent place I could have thought of,” Hatfield explained. “Dan Rosenberg was a great manager and horseman and Robert Clay and his family were all great. It was just the epitome of what I wanted to do and it was the best decision I ever made.”

From her early days with Seattle Slew, Dynaformer, Rahy and Wild Again, then later to Big Brown and Smarty Jones, and on to today's headliner Gun Runner, Hatfield has been at Three Chimneys for them all.

Hatfield hesitates to pick an all-time favorite stallion, but ultimately coins Silver Charm as a special one. She even adopted one of his offspring, Silver Indy, who resides at her own farm today.

“I've been here long enough that I've had a few gravestones go out there,” Hatfield reflected. “There are so many of them that you make friends with, especially as they get older and you spend more time with them. You get to know them and appreciate them.”

Hatfield has always made a point to participate in many of the tours at Three Chimneys. While most visitors have little idea of just how unique Hatfield and her prominent position might be, or the significance of her contributions to the breeding industry, Hatfield said her goal is to leave them with a positive impression of the business.

“People have a different perspective when they first come here and you try to explain to them about how much we really love our horses and how we take care of them. I think I've changed some attitudes about the horse industry.”

The horses are the easy part, according to Hatfield. Where stallions are black and white, she said that humans' personalities can be every shade of grey. But the horsewoman who was named 2011 Kentucky Farm Manager of the Year excels at overseeing every type of charge, both human and equine.

“I've never asked anyone to do anything that I haven't done or wouldn't do,” she said. “I think that's important. Treating people like people. I remember when I was a groom, the manager would pull up in his truck and honk the horn and expect us to drop what we were doing and come outside. That always made me a little irritable, that they couldn't take the time to come inside and talk to us. So I've always tried to remember that and remember how excited I was the first time I got to lead a yearling to the sale ring or the first time I got to bring a stallion into the breeding shed.”

Sandy's own small farm is home to a pony named Sugar and Silver Indy, a doppelganger of his sire Silver Charm | photo courtesy Sandy Hatfield

Hatfield has mentored countless young people who have gone on to succeed in the industry, including several women who now work in stallion barns throughout Kentucky.

“I have two-legged kids and four-legged kids down there,” she said, pointing toward the stud barn. “I've watched a lot of people grow up and do great things in this business. It's a feeling of accomplishment that I've watched those people go on to run their own divisions or become farm managers. I mean look at Veronica. She was a young girl, just going to college, and now she's managing stallions at Three Chimneys Farm.”

“She's a good horsewoman,” Hatfield said of her mentee. “She is also good with people and she speaks fluent Spanish. She knows her horses, which I think is one of the most important things.”

Reed, who served as assistant stallion manager at WinStar Farm for four years before joining Hatfield back at Three Chimneys, speaks just as highly of her mentor. She said that no matter the continent, whenever Hatfield's name is mentioned, “basically the red carpet is rolled out.”

“Her reputation in this industry is amazing,” Reed said. “Not only is she a great horsewoman and very dedicated to what she does, but she also gives a great voice to the industry–a voice for everybody, not just females.”

Hatfield's incredible attention to detail, Reed said, is something that she could not have learned from anyone else.

“I've never seen a stallion manager the way that she writes on her sheet. This mare did this or this mare was like that. When you go back to breeding that same mare the next year, you've got tons of information from all the years that she's been here so you can warn the guys that this mare is difficult or this mare is really sweet. Her horses receive some of the best management I've ever seen around the world.”

Yet even today, Hatfield and Reed face opposition from people who doubt their abilities in a male-dominated profession.

“There are a lot of people I talk to today who tell me that women can't work with stallions,” Hatfield said. “I've been managing stallions for 35 years, so I know women can do it.”

Asked about her greatest accomplishments, Hatfield said that she is proud to serve as an example for young women in the industry and that she enjoys following the achievements of the people she has mentored.

“Those are great accomplishments,” she reflected. “And being around a horse like Gun Runner is a great accomplishment. To be able to watch him grow and develop and become a great stallion is pretty spectacular.”

Sandy welcomes Palace Malice to Three Chimneys | Gayle Ewadinger

Hatfield was present for many of the 2017 Horse of the Year's shining moments on the racetrack, including his career finale in the GI Pegasus World Cup where she flew home to Kentucky with him afterwards.

“He's very smart and personable,” she said of the young sire sensation. “He's not a mean horse, but he will let you know that he is the man. He loves to go out and show off when we have tours. He's a magnificent horse, to think about what he did on the racetrack and see what he's doing as a stallion. He's going to be one of the ones that people will remember his name.”

It was Gun Runner's auspicious start at stud that led to the careful changing of the guard in the Three Chimneys stallion barn.

“With Gun Runner's presence and who he is making himself out to be as an important stallion, we really felt a responsibility to him to make this transition as smooth as possible,” explained the farm's COO Chris Baker. “In 2023, we have the benefit of both Sandy and Veronica here. How that changes or when it's 100% Veronica, time will tell. That's up to Sandy. She has earned the right to plot her own course through this.”

“Sandy has done a fantastic job over decades, operating at a very high standard and retiring champions from the racetrack and introducing them to the breeding shed,” he continued. “Three Chimneys has been the beneficiary of Sandy's professionalism and experience. Both Sandy and Veronica are driven by a passion for and a love of the horse. That's really what makes them so good at what they do.”

The love of the horse is where it starts and ends for Hatfield. Even now, as she is supposedly in the early stages of retirement, Hatfield is up before the sun every morning, layering on coats for another breeding session. After 24 years at Three Chimneys, her love for the stallions she cares for and her passion for the industry keeps her coming back.

“I mean, it's what I love,” she said. “I love getting to know the horses. I love the excitement of the breeding shed. I love talking to people about our industry and explaining to people what we do, how much we love our horses and how good of care we give all of them. It has been a great opportunity, a great learning experience, and hopefully I've done a good job.”

The post Trailblazer Sandy Hatfield Passes Torch at Three Chimneys appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Baffert: Medina Spirit More Of A Silver Charm Than An American Pharoah

A favorite interview standby for turfwriters speaking to a jockey, trainer, or owner with historical success is to ask them to compare their most successful horses to each other. Who is better than who? Who reminds you of who? Trainer Bob Baffert, who is asked this sort of question often, was queried on Thursday's NTRA national media teleconference about the similarities between Derby winner Medina Spirit and Triple Crown winners American Pharoah and Justify.

Baffert said the colt by Protonico reminded him of neither champion, but did harken back to some more vintage runners.

The trainer has made no secret of the fact he was surprised by Saturday's result.

“After watching the race, it was pretty impressive because he didn't get an easy lead,” he said. “He carved out some serious fractions; it wasn't a gimme. Turning for home when the swarm came, I was expecting all those horses to go by him and he just dug in and outran them all to the wire. I just kept thinking of Cavonnier — I didn't want to get too excited.”

Cavonnier was Baffert's great hope for the roses in 1996, and is best remembered for a breathless finish fighting off a late charge from D. Wayne Lukas-trained Grindstone after dealing with a smack to the face from Craig Perret, who accidentally struck the gelding with his whip while urging on Halo Sunshine. Though the official margin indicates Grindstone prevailed by a nose, many on site that day swore it was a dead heat. Cavonnier would go on to be fourth in the Preakness and pull up with a badly-bowed tendon in the Belmont. Two and a half years later, Baffert got him back to the races for a win in the 1998 Ack Ack. Cavonnier would leave the track in 2000 a hometown, homebred hero in Sonoma County, Calif., where he was born. A 2016 feature by the Press Democrat indicated that the family who bred Cavonnier retired him to a life of leisure at a ranch in western Sonoma County.

Medina Spirit was 12-1 when the gates opened, and Baffert said he could see why. It was a tough field and although he had solid finishes in his prep races, Medina Spirit hadn't looked dominant. He's also not a hugely physically imposing horse — he's not short at 16.1 hands, but is a light-framed creature.

“I really can't compare him to a horse like American Pharoah or Justify,” said Baffert. “They were superior horses that came in with the Beyers were off the charts, the numbers were faster. He's getting better though. We've learned a lot about that horse.

“He reminds me of Silver Charm. He's gutty. He's going to fight, give you that extra. He's a courageous horse. When he turned for home, he had every reason…I really thought Mandaloun was going to go on by him and he would not let him by. He did that in the Robert Lewis, where Hot Rod Charlie and all these horses came to him, and he went really, really fast early. I noticed that day when he came back, he wasn't tired, he wasn't blowing hard.

“All these good horses, they have a set of lungs on them. And you can't worry about what they cost. Real Quiet was the same way, he only cost $17,000. Actually Silver Charm was a $15,000 yearling, you know. We never take their cost into consideration.”

Neither do they.

The post Baffert: Medina Spirit More Of A Silver Charm Than An American Pharoah appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Flashback: Silver Charm Narrowly Denies Swain In Third Dubai World Cup

The Dubai World Cup meeting celebrates its historic 25th anniversary on March 27, with six Group 1 races and three Group 2s, including one of the world's premier races, the $12 million Dubai World Cup, sponsored by Emirates Airline.

Over the next three weeks, the Dubai Racing Club will pay tribute to each of the previous Dubai World Cup winners. Today, we rewind to 1998, when Silver Charm won the Dubai World Cup title for Bob Baffert. It was the first of many successful outings in the UAE for the American trainer.

For those outside of the USA any chance of seeing a winner of any of America's Triple Crown races used to be limited to the television screen. However, all of that changed in 1996 when the Dubai World Cup created a truly viable option for owners and trainers of America's best to consider international raids.

Cigar was the leader and he paved the way for another history making event in 1998 when Silver Charm, winner of the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes, made his way to Dubai.

Silver Charm's trainer Bob Baffert, who had never left the USA, was able to make the trip to the United Arab Emirates through a hastily arranged passport, to prepare his grey champion for the event.

Just when it was thought that nothing could better the inaugural victory of Cigar and then Singspiel came the epic battle of Silver Charm and Swain, and their jockeys Gary Stevens and Mick Kinane, where it appeared that honor was more valuable than the world's richest prize.

Such was the excitement of that contest that few remember who finished third. For the record books it was the French raider Loup Sauvage, who turned in a personal best.

Silver Charm returned to America with his best performances being a narrow second to Awesome Again (with Swain just behind him in third) in the Breeders' Cup Classic before a win in the Grade 2 Clark Handicap. He returned the following year to win the Grade 2 San Pasqual Handicap, was third in the Donn and Santa Anita Handicaps before returning to defend his Dubai World Cup crown.

He couldn't repeat his heroics of 12 months previously and was beaten a long way from home when only sixth behind Almutawakel. He was retired after his next start when unplaced in the Stephen Foster Handicap at Churchill Downs. Silver Charm was one of the narrowest winners of the Dubai World Cup, however that was his usual method of success, never actually winning his races by big margins, but in winning the Dubai World Cup he defeated a champion in Swain and must be rated as one of the race's very best winners.

The post Flashback: Silver Charm Narrowly Denies Swain In Third Dubai World Cup appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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