[Image courtesy of Echo Farm Racing]
Wonderful news to report this evening about one of our favorite workhorses, Danthebluegrassman! In a comment posted to one of my earlier posts, Sarah R. from Wood End Farms reports the following information received via the Old Friends newsletter:
Danthebluegrassman is heading home. The 9-year-old son of Pioneeering, bred by the late Dan Mallory and named after Dan Chandler, the bon vivant uncle of U.S. Representative Ben Chandler, will be retired at Old Friends sometime with the next few weeks. After shipping is arranged with Brookledge over the next few days, Dan will go first to Alfred Nuckols Hurstland Farm where he'll settle down from his racing career under the watchful eyes of Alfred and Tim Overton. Dan last raced for owners R and J Thoroughbreds and trainer Ryan Beattie at Penn National a few weeks ago. The owners were kind enough to consider, and accept, an offer of $7500 for Dan. We'll be having a big welcome home party for the big horse once he settles in. We'd like to especially thank Jim Ponte of Harris Printers in Phoenix, who kept his eye on Dan's career and pestered us to get him, and Tim Ford of Indianapolis who helped put the negotiations together and expedite Dan's return home. They both also contributed $500 and become the first two shareholders in our latest star.
What a terrific ending for a hard-knocking horse that may not have the legions of followers of superstars like Street Sense, Curlin or even Lava Man, but nevertheless delighted a number of fans over the years!
Much thanks also to Old Friends for taking him in and providing a home for this old warrior. If you feel so inclined, please remember Dan and others like him by making a donation to one of these worthy organizations for retired thoroughbred racehorses:
Old Friends
Wood End Farms
Our Mims Retirement Haven
United Pegasus Foundation
Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation
CANTER
4 comments:
I am sooo glad to hear this!!!! I love Dan very much and was so excited when I got to see him in Baffert's barn at Churchill. He was such a cute guy! I have been just beside myself that I couldn't have claimed him since I have no place to keep him. I have just been fearing that something would happen to him. Thanks for reporting this wonderful news! I can't wait to see him again!
What an excellent, excellent piece of news. Thanks for keeping tabs on it and letting us know.
Thank you for the update on "Dan" - I'll never forget meeting him on the backstretch at CD, quite the handsome lad. My sister was introduced to Baffert as one of Dan's biggest fans and he commented that Dan needed all the fans he could get :)
Great news!
I've worked with TB rescue for the past few years, and see this as a victory for not just Dan and Old Friends, but for every "class horse" that has meandered down the claiming ranks. The fact that a racing partnership was willing to sell Dan for his claiming tag, even tho that meant their partners would lose money is HUGE. Dan's former owners took a lot of heat, (some of it a bit hysterical and misguided), but DID THE RIGHT THING.
For our cause, we really need to point out these successes, and tread a fine line. The TB rescue/retirement movement can only benefit by seeing owners as PARTNERS, and not adversaries. Thanks to all who have made a difference in (any) horse's life.
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