Miscellaneous

Horse racing is probably one of the oldest sports in the world today. It is known that as far back as 4 500 BC tribesmen were racing their horses on a less official basis than exists today. In later years it became a common sight to see horses and horse drawn carriages being raced against each other, however, horse racing only made its appearance in Jamaica some years later. It is said that the first horses to have set foot in Jamaica arrived in 1509 and that by the time the English annexed the island from the Spanish, horses were found roaming the Jamaican landscape in all regions.

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“We all knew this day would come, but that doesn’t make it any easier to accept,” an emotional Robert Clay commented in the wake of Wild Again being euthanized. “At 28 years old, he lived a long and fruitful life. Wild Again was integral to the success of Three Chimneys and proved to be a highly significant sire and broodmare sire both in the U.S. and abroad.” 5 December 2008 will be a date long remembered by all at Three Chimneys, as losing Wild Again has been a day they all have been dreading. But he has left behind a magnificent legacy and cherished memories for Clay and the horse racing industry.

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He is considered to be the best jockey in New Zealand, and someone who has a magnificent career ahead of him. After being taken under the wing of trainer Allan Sharrock, Michael Walker did his time as a general worker, but Sharrock saw potential in Walker and at the age of fifteen he was placed in the saddle, and began racing by the age of sixteen. As an apprentice jockey, Walker raked in an amazing one-hundred and thirty-one victories in his first year and went on to clock six-hundred and fifty-three wins for Sharrock. In 2004, and at the age of twenty, he completed his apprenticeship and became a jockey. But on 20 May 2008, tragedy struck.

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The Kentucky Horse Park is a facility that is dedicated to horses and educating the public on these magnificent animals. Located on a picturesque one thousand two hundred acre piece of land, the Kentucky Horse Park not only hosts horse riding events, it offers demonstrations, exhibitions showcasing horses from across the world, tours through their museums and is home to some of the most legendary thoroughbred racehorses, standardbred horses and various other breeds. At present it is awaiting the arrival of the spectacular Funny Cide.

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All jockeys, whether professional or amateur, win at least a few races during their careers in the horse racing industry. They place a number of times and accept defeat when it comes their way. But for forty-four year old Anthony Knott, defeat is all he has experienced during his career as a jockey, until Thursday, 20 November 2008, when he won his very first horse racing event. Even though Knott might not have enjoyed glory and countless victories, his determination and love for the sport has finally paid off and brought him to his long awaited victory.

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The horse racing community in Ireland has just been trying to recover from the news that purses will be cut for the coming 2009 racing season, which has also led to the renovations at Curragh Racecourse being put on hold, when the news of a retirement broke. It seems that the magnificent Kicking King will be going into retirement sooner than anyone had expected, and it has added to the gloomy cloud hanging over horse racing in Ireland at the moment. Known as one of the greatest chasers to have come out of Ireland, Kicking King will truly be missed, but remembered for all time.

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The California Horse Racing Board recently convened to plan and approve the new racing schedule for 2009 for the Northern and Southern Thoroughbred racing, Standardbred racing and Quarter Horse racing. Although some feel that the schedule is not planned with sufficient flow to accommodate smooth shipping from one event to the next, it is hoped that in future these small issues will be able to be sorted out. The unforeseen closure of Bay Meadows has caused some disruption in the schedule due to racing events having to be relocated.

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Denis of Cork was foaled in 2005 and is the progeny of the sire Harlan’s Holiday, and the beautiful mare, Unbridled Girl. He was first sold as a yearling at the OBS August Yearling Sale for $120,000, and in 2007 at the Barretts March Two Year Olds in Training sale, he was bought for $250,000 and has remained with owners William and Suzanne Warren ever since. He is trained by David Carroll and won his maiden race on the 24th of November 2007, after which he has grown and matured into a spectacular horse racing athlete. An unfortunate injury has been keeping Denis of Cork off the track, but it seems that he is already getting back to training and is preparing for a comeback.

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Great excitement and anticipation is beginning to build around the Fasig-Tipton mixed sale, which will be taking place in Texas. The Fasig-Tipton Texas mixed sale will be hosted at the Lone Star Park, Grand Prairie, on the 14th of December 2008. Tim Boyce, the Director of Fasig-Tipton Texas, has commented that the breeding stock they have on sale this year is of a very high quality and he is pleased with the catalogue they have been able to put together for the sale.

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Not many people give much thought as to what becomes of racehorses once their horse racing careers are over. They simply see a horse racing, and after the announcement is made that a horse is retiring, people often just assume that they will be spending the rest of their lives grazing happily in green pastures. Sadly, the reality for many horses is slaughterhouses, abuse and neglect. However, organizations like the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation and the Thoroughbred Charities of America, work hard to assist retired racehorses in finding loving new homes and bringing hope to horses in despair.

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