Update on Missy

Missy is doing great.

On July 17, she kicked two boards from her stall and jumped out. She ran away. Mr. Pequinoght called at 6:00 and told us.

Dad and Mr. Pequinoght looked for Missy all morning. Finally, they called and said that they had found her in a neighbor's pasture, that she was safe, and that there was no way she could get out, because they had closed both gates. They couldn't catch her, however, and thought that I might be able to get her.

Later in the evening, dad took me over and I walked up to Missy. At first, she trotted away, but she soon let me catch her. We walked her about a mile to the barn where I brushed her, gave her water, and cleaned her stall while dad walked back to get the truck. She had two cuts, which I put ointment on and which are healed up now, a chipped hoof, which Mrs. Pequinoght said is no big deal, and a tick, which I pulled off. The boards were already back on the stall.

Two days later, Missy developed areas in which her she swelled up. She was also very listless. We found that it was an allergic reaction to the new oil-based flyspray. I gave her a bath, and now she is as good as new. Yesterday, I rode her in her pasture because the arena was too muddy.

Note: I will soon have something up for sale in the "For Sale" box; I am not telling what. It may take me a month to get it finished, or it may only take me one or two weeks, I have no idea. So keep watching!!!

Sir Barton, The First Triple Crown Winner

Sir Barton was born in 1916 to the 17-year-old mare, Lady Sterling. He had great breeding, but was plagued with soft, shelly hoofs which he inherited from his sire, Star Shoot. Because of these unlucky feet, Sir Barton hurted whenever he walked, and shoeing was always hard to do.

In 1918, the chestnut colt raced. His first start was not one of the dignity that he had in his lineage. He finished fifth.

In his next few starts, he finished out of the money. He was then sold to Commander John Kennith Levison Ross. Ross believed that through his trainer, H. G. Bedwell, the colt could be brought back to a winning colt.

With the proper care and handling, Sir Barton began showing incredible speed in training. He was entered in some races, and although he got in the money, he still did not get his taste of victory. Those few races ended his two-year-old season.

In 1919, Sir Barton's stablemate Billy Kelly was entered in the Kentucky Derby. Sir Barton was sent along at the last moment to act as a sort of companion for Billy Kelly. Soon it was decided that Sir Barton should also be entered into the Kentucky Derby. Because he had beaten Billy Kelly before, Sir Barton would act as the "rabbit." He was given instructions to set a very fast pace right at the start of the race, and Billy Kelly would be held back. By the time the horses got to the homestretch, the field as well as Sir Barton would be tired out, and Billy Kelly could make his move and win.

They put the plan into action. Sir Barton got into the lead right when the horses leapt from behind the barrier (in those days, there was only an elastic webbing which the horses lined up behind. The barrier would be flung up suddenly, and the horses would shoot forward). He kept the lead, even into the homestretch, when Ross and Bedwell thought sure that he would tire. In the end, he lead Billy Kelly across the finish line five lengths in the lead. He became the fist maiden to ever win the Derby.

Ross and Bedwell decided tp enter Sir Barton in the Preakness Stakes four days later (the Preakness Stakes is now two weeks after the Kentucky Derby). The second jewel of the Triple Crown was hard to get in those days because of the fact that horses had to be shipped immediately after running the Derby, and then they had barely any time to train. Many got sick on the train and were not able to race. Not Sir Barton, however. He was entered into the Preakness with the instructions to get out in front and stay there. Sir Barton did so, and like the Derby, was never headed.

Now the excitment over a new-found hero was rising. The Derby had been muddy, and many thought that was why the favorites did not come on to win. But the Preakness had been fast, and still Sir Barton had done as before, leading until the end. He was definetely a great horse, everyone decided.

With high hopes of winning the Triple Crown, Sir Barton was entered into the Belmont Stakes, four weeks later. In the meantime, Sir Barton won the Withers on May 24.

Sir Barton was at odds of a whopping 7-20. During this time of wait for the big race, Sir Barton had become a snob, partly because of his hurting feet. He ignored other horses, hated pets, and despised humans. He gave his trainer fits. He would only extend himself in workouts when he was made to think that he was in a real race. Fresh horses became tired because they had to race Sir Barton in order to satisfy him.

Finally, the Belmont came. Sir Barton ran the race easily, winning in a canter by five lengths with jockey Johnny Loftus aboard (who also rode him in the Derby and Preakness). He had set a new time record of 2:17 2/5 for the 1 3/8 mile race (it is now 1 1/2 miles). As Sir Barton crossed under the finish pole, he became not only the first Triple Crown Winner, but also the first horse to win the Derby, Preakness, Withers, and Belmont. This was not duplicated until 24 years later by Count Fleet.

The next year, Sir Barton had an on-and-off spring. Often he did not run well, and then there were times when he ran real good. The summer went better.

Meanwhile, the mighty Man O' War, sired by Fair Play and out of Mahubah, was winning races and showing the world that he was more than "just a racehorse." He was the champion of all the world. He had beaten all the best horses horses of his time, including Exterminator, except for Sir Barton. He had finished second one time to Upset in the Sanford Memorial, in which he was facing backwards when the race started and his jockey made three big mistakes. All his other races were firsts.

Although the horse was fast, Sir Barton had run a distance that he had run in one second faster and carrying two extra pounds. Now everyone demanded a match race to be held between the two. It was decided, and the track who offered the most purse money was Kennilworth track in Canada, with a $75,000 and a $5,000 gold cup. Ross and the owner of Man O' War, Riddle, accepted just a few hours before another track offered a $100,000 purse.

Sir Barton was taken to the track to train, and so was Man O' War. Ross had trouble deciding who should ride Sir Barton. Johnny Loftus hadn't been able to get his license that year, and Clarence Kummer had already been selected to ride Man O' War. Ross put Earl Sande up, but an hour before the race, he changed his mind. Frank Keogh would ride the champion. When the news was broken to Earl Sande in the jockey's room, he sat down and cried. Ross said he had no grudges against Earl Sande, it was only that, in trying to keep his weight down, Earl Sande had been getting queezy and in recent races had lost.

The two champions lined up. Neither owner needed the money from the purse, but if Man O' War won, he would top the $200,000 mark and be the leading money winner for a little. If Sir Barton won, it would only increase his fame.

The horses started, and what was supposed to be a match race was barely a match race at all. The horses battled for a few brief seconds; then, Man O' War was in the lead, and he stayed in the lead, crossing under the finish line seven lengths ahead of Sir Barton.

Did Man O' War break Sir Barton's heart? It seems that he did, for Sir Barton never won a race again. He was soon retired.

On October 30, 1937, Sir Barton died of colic. He had been sold to many ranches, and his colts that he had sired were not very succesful. His fillies seemed to be the best of the foals he sired.

In the Blood Horse Magazine List of the Top 100 U.S. Racehorses, Sir Barton is ranked No. 49.

So went the story of the first Triple Crown Winner in history.

Ruffian, The Greatest Filly of all Time

Ruffian--the talk of 1974 and 1975. Surprisingly, she was a filly. She was a horse that no one could beat.

She was born in 1972. Her sire was Reviewer, and through him she was connected to the mighty Bold Ruler, who sired the great Secretariat. Through her dam, Shenanigans, she was connected to Native Dancer, whom is claimed to be the reason for many racehorses so suddenly breaking their leg on the track.

She was black, but was rated as a "dark bay." She had a white star on her forehead in the shape of a diamond, and a stocking on her left rear leg.

In 1974, she was taken to Frank Whitely Jr. to be trained. She was owned and bred by Mr. and Mrs. Stuart Janney. She was tall; about seventeen hands high. An average Thoroughbred stands about sixteen hands high.

She began training, and her jockey was Jacinto Vasquez. Jacinto also rode Foolish Pleasure, who was to become Ruffian's rival.

The filly won many awards her first year, 1974. In her first race, she broke the track record and won by thirteen lengths. She was never headed in the race, which means that from the beginning of the race until the end, no horse got a nose in front. She stayed in the lead the whole way through.

In all the other races in her two-year-old season, she won and was never headed in any. In the beginning of a race, she didn't have a pony to accompany her like all the other racehorses. Late in the year, she fractured a bone, and she quit racing to recuperate for awhile. By then, however, she was named Queen of the Fillies and had won the U.S. Champion Two-Year-Old Filly Award.

In 1975, Ruffian was back. Everyone looked on in anxiety as the champion filly entered the starting gates of her first race of the year: the six furlong Calthea Purse at Aqueduct on April 14. Was she still the filly they had known? Could she still beat the lights out of all horses? Only a few minutes and they would know.

The bells went off, and the horses shot forward, with Ruffian in the lead She was still leading when they came to the homestretch, and she crossed under the finish line by four-and-one-half lengths. The win answered all questions: Yes, she was still the horse she was. She hadn't changed a bit.

Ruffian won another race by 7 3/4 lengths; then, she entered the Acorn Stakes, the first jewel of the Filly Triple Crown. It would be like the Kentucky Derby in the Colt Triple Crown.

Ruffian won the race.

She entered the second race, the Mother Goose Stakes. She won that, too, and then she won the Coaching Club American Oaks race, capturing the Filly Triple Crown in a few leaps.

Ruffian had proved herself against the fillies. There was absolutely no filly that could've beat her. She won the Filly Triple Crown, several grand races, and had won the U.S. Champion Three-Year-Old and Two-Year-Old Filly. Now, people were talking about putting her to the ultimate test. Could she beat a colt? Foolish Pleasure was the talk of the town, and Ruffian wasn't forgotten. Soon, a match race was organized between the two. Jacinto Vasquez, Ruffian's jockey, had the choice of either riding Ruffian or Foolish Pleasure. (Remember, Jacinto had ridden Foolish Pleasure in many of his races). Jacinto chose Ruffian.

The trainer of Foolish Pleasure trained him to break from the gate as fast as lightening. He was probably hoping that he could get a nose in front and baffle Ruffian, so that she would give up hope of winning the race and lose.

The race was soon underway. Everyone was excited. Who would be the winner of this race? Female or male? The race is often called, "The Battle of the Sexes."

The two broke, and Foolish Pleasure got a nose in front. That didn't baffle Ruffian. She courageously moved up, and when they were coming on the first turn, Ruffian was in the lead. For the first quarter mile this went on, Ruffian staying in the lead by an average half a length. Then suddenly, both her sesamoid bones in her right foreleg snapped, and the race was over.

Jacinto had a hard time pulling the filly up. She wanted to run her race to the finish, broken leg or not. A lot of times racehorses don't realize that they are hurt; racing means to much to them. Veterinarians rushed out onto the track, and she was loaded in an equine ambulance and quickly taken to the hospital.

Four vets tried hard to save her, and she was coming along fine during the surgery. Everything was going as it should be. Finally, they were done, and the filly woke from her anesthesia. She began pawing and kicking and thrashing around. They tried their best to hold her down, but it was no use. The filly broke her other foreleg and further injured her already broken one. It was decided right then and there, and the great champion was put to sleep. She was buried at Belmont Park, with her nose pointed toward the finish line. She was the first racehorse to be buried whole. A flag waves over her grave, and if you ever watch the Belmont Stakes race, watch for it. You will see a tall flagpole with an American flag waving brilliantly on it, a sign that the greatest champion was buried there. I believe she would've beat Foolish Pleasure. I believe she could've beat all horses except for Man O' War and perhaps Secretariat. Even so, she is rated in the Blood Horse Magazine of the Top 100 Horses as 35. And if you ever happen on a young child who never heard of Ruffian, you can now tell him of the greatest filly that ever set foot on a track.

So was the story of Ruffian.

Update on Missy

Missy is doing great. Nothing is new with her.

We just picked up her saddle after having it fixed at the leather shop. When I was cantering on her, the stirrup suddenly broke and fell off! So we got it repaired. It's an old saddle, and we also got the other stirrup repaired.

Affirmed - 1978 Belmont Stakes

Affirmed, The Last Triple Crown Winner

Affirmed was a chestnut colt born on February 21, 1975. Years before, a man had bought a sire, Raise a Native, for the cheap price of $20,000. This sire eventually became Affirmed's grandsire.

Raise a Native sired Exclusive Native, who sired Affirmed. Won't Tell You was the dam of Affirmed. When Affirmed was bred, Alydar was bred from Raise a Native. Alydar was the colt who provided real competition to Affirmed.

Affirmed was owned by Harbor View Farm, and Alydar Calumet Farm. Calumet Farm was famous for it's being the owner of two Triple Crown Champions, Whirlaway and Citation, and having owned eight Kentucky Derby winners. Harbor View Farm was, however, 'just another farm,' as one might say.

In 1977, Affirmed raced in nine races, winning seven, and placing two. The two he placed were lost to Alydar. It was a battle between the two chestnut colts, as Affirmed beat Alydar in a few of those seven wins.

In 1978, Affirmed won four straight races, as did Alydar, and were both entered in the 1978 Kentucky Derby. The horses broke like a flash, and Affirmed snatched the lead in the second turn, then lead the field all the way to the finish line, one-and-one-half lengths in front of Alydar. The colt's jockey had only been able to ride in the Derby because of how many honors, awards and money he had won. He had just turned eighteen years old.

The Preakness was somewhat harder. In the homestretch, it was all about Alydar and Affirmed. When Alydar moved up a few inches, Affirmed moved up a few inches. The finish photo showed that Affirmed had won by a neck. Affirmed was the only horse that Alydar couldn't beat.

The Belmont Stakes came, and when the horses took off, it found Affirmed as their leader. In the backstretch, however, Alydar moved up on him, and they began a dual down the homestretch. Only a few times did it waver, when Affirmed stuck his nose in front, but then they were back to together again. They were so close, in fact, that Cauthen, Affirmed's jockey, and who was on the inside, had no choice but to whip with his left hand, and Valesquez, Alydar's jockey, had no choice but to whip with his right. It all ended showing that Affirmed had won by a nose, becoming the eleventh Triple Crown winner and the last to this day.

Affirmed raced several other times, and most were won. By the time he had retired, in late 1978, his earnings totaled $2,393,818. The only time he had placed out of the money was in a race where his saddle slipped, nearly unseating his jockey. He ended up in fifth.

Affirmed sired some good racehorses. In 2001, he was euthanized, prior to his unability to walk.

Update on Missy

Today, I rode Missy. She did real good and obeyed immediately. I trotted her around the barrels a few times. I would like to do some barrel-racing with her.

Citation - 1948 Kentucky Derby

Citation, A Horse Who Earned a Place in History

Citation was born on April 11, 1945. His dam was Hydroplane II, and his sire Bull Lea, who had a successful racing career before he was retired. Citation was Bull Lea's third foal, and the first two had been ordinary. It was amazing that, after having two foals who weren't going to pay off, Bull Lea sired the third greatest horse in all of history.

It was said that the colt could have beat Man O' War, and that he was better because of his nice disposition; whereas Man O' War had a typically erratic disposition. The colt loved to run, and could face his opponents on any ground, anywhere. He never got worse than fifth place, and most of his races were wins.

In 1947, the colt began racing. He was two years old, an average-sized bay colt. Out of nine starts, his wins were eight, placing once to his filly stablemate, Bewitch.

In 1948, the colt was even more successful. He started off the season with six wins and two places, in which the track was muddy. Although Citation had proved that he could run in the mud, he preferred dry land. In one race, the Flamingo stakes, jockey Ted Atkinson, atop Pennant Day, said that in the final turn, he heard the pounding of hoof beats coming from behind, and immediately knew it was Citation. He got out of the way quick, not wanting to get run-over. It showed the growing respect for the colt. Before the Chesapeake Trial, regular jockey Al Snider drowned fishing in the Florida Everglades, and now jockey Eddie Arcaro rode him.

In the 1948 Kentucky Derby, My Request went off as the favorite, with Coaltown, Citation's stablemate, close behind. Horseman observed that both horses had won four races straight that year, whereas Citation had placed two. Eddie even doubted in the horse, wanting to ride Coaltown, but he was restricted to Citation.

Citation had the rail post. The horses took off, and as they passed the 1/2 mile pole, the field was behind them. Now, only Coaltown remained.

Coming into the stretch, Citation drew even with Coaltown, and they battled head-to-head for awhile before Citation began to pull away. Citation won by four lengths, with his ears pricked.

In the Preakness Stakes, two weeks later, only three other horses opposed Citation. He was the favorite at 1-10, and easily won the race by five-and-one-half lengths. Instead of resting him in between the Preakness and Belmont, trainer Jim Jones raced the colt in the Jersey Stakes, where he easily won by eleven lengths.

The Belmont Stakes arrived, and this time seven other horses opposed the colt, hoping for a hole in his stamina. When the bell rang, Citation stumbled out of the gate, but got back up and went on to win by eight lengths over Better Self.

The colt raced many times after that. Warren Wright asked that they keep racing the colt until he earned the record one million dollars, and they continued to do so even after he died. At age four, however, the colt skipped over a year because of leg injuries.

At age five, Citation was back, but not as the same colt he had been. He seemed to have forgotten the want to defeat horses, and many times he finished second. Once he even finished fifth, the worst place in all of his racing career. He finished third twice.

Finally, at age six, he seemed to remember the forgotten days, and won three times. He avenged the filly Bewitch, who had been the first one to beat him. In one race, no other horses were entered, and Citation took the race in a walk-over, beating a track record and winning $10,000. Jockey Eddie Arcaro had to have his arms massaged afterward because of the strain of trying to hold the colt in.

Finally, the colt reached over one million dollars in earnings. He was retired, and sired few good foals. He was considered a bad sire.

In 1970, the colt--affectionately called "Big Cy"--died. But not after earning his place in history.

The colt was buried beside his sire, Bull Lea, and his dam, Hydroplane II.