Fifty years ago on Friday, Secretariat set the Ketucky Derby record. Only two of his 663 direct progeny are still alive. One of them is happily munching on some hay at a charity for rescued horses, because she had nowhere else to go. ✍️ DanaONeilWriter
COCHRANTON, Pa. — There is no sign or even a marker, only the house number decals stuck to the side of an ordinary black mailbox to inform visitors that this is the right place. Bright Futures Farm is home to eight retired thoroughbreds, but neither the farm nor the horses are the sort people seek out. These are not your resplendent rolling hills of Kentucky bluegrass where champions graze.
But only two of those 663 direct progeny are still alive. One, Maritime Traveler, a one-time teaser stallion, has enjoyed an idyllic retirement in the paddock of the stallion barn at Bridlewood Farms, a reputable breeding farm in Ocala, Fla. Twenty-five years ago, Dee was a successful corporate executive, working for Cellular One just as cellular technology took off. The job, she admits, was frankly easy thanks to the rules of supply and demand, and left her with plenty of time on her hands. “I learned how to golf,’’ she laughs. It also afforded her the chance to pursue a lifelong passion.
Instead Dee learned 10 years ago that the family moved to Oklahoma, driving away and leaving T alone in the field. A neighbor eventually found Dee and alerted her to T’s abandonment. By the time he arrived back to Bright Futures, he was emaciated and had EPM, a spinal cord/brain disease that, left untreated, would have been fatal. He’s now a frisky 30. “I’m at the point where I have to turn horses away, which I hate to do,’’ Dee says. “There are so many that need a home.
When the niece sold her farm, along with the animals that called it home, some animals were easily placed, but an elderly horse is not so easily re-homed. Denise Gonsiewski, an animal welfare advocate in New Jersey, got wind of Trusted Company’s plight and eventually connected with Dee, Gonsiewski caring for the horse through the winter so that they could begin the delicate process of transporting her to Pennsylvania when the weather was a little more forgiving.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Kentucky Derby Contender Co-Owned by Connecticut BusinessmanOne of the biggest spectacles in all of sports is happening Saturday. It’s the 149th running of the Kentucky Derby and one West Hartford businessman hopes to be the winning owner, or at least one of them. Mike Gualtieri is a minority owner of the horse, Confidence Game. It is one of the 20 horses this weekend that will be running…
Read more »
Four horses euthanized at Churchill Downs in last week, Kentucky Derby to be held SaturdayFour horses, including Kentucky Derby entrant Wild on Ice, have died in the last week. Churchill Downs released a statement about the deaths, calling them “completely unacceptable.”
Read more »
'Practical Move' scratched from Kentucky Derby due to elevated temperatureKentucky Derby entrant Practical Move has scratched from the race, two days prior to the event, his trainer Tim Yakteen announced. The horse was removed from competition because of an elevated temperature.
Read more »
Polls open for South Yorkshire local electionsFifty council seats across Barnsley and Sheffield are being contested.
Read more »
Derby's showdown with Owls is fate - WildsmithGoalkeeper Joe Wildsmith says 'there is no bigger game' for him than Derby's final day trip to his former club Sheffield Wednesday.
Read more »
Ian Morley: Police name man found dead in Derby flatIan Morley, 47, was found at his home address in Derby on Monday afternoon.
Read more »