The Derby, The Queen's Plate and Raising A Glass To Jaguar Hope

Horse racing is a sport where hope springs eternal. A losing wager can be overcome in mere minutes at the next call to post. Retiring champions, though never forgotten, lose their place in the headlines to the next round of stars on their way to the starting gate. Despite this never-ending potential for rejuvenation, the game can break your heart. From Real Quiet's triple crown denying photo-finish loss to Victory Gallop to the bet you meant to make on Arcangues, some losses just stick with you. None of the above can compare to the tragic loss too soon of a horse dearly loved.

In December of last year, I wrote a story for Down The Stretch newspaper about Wendy Uzelac and Jaguar Hope. Wendy represents the ideal of an advocate for horses, working tirelessly against horse-slaughter with Alex Brown and the Fans of Barbaro, yet still having time to care for her two off-track thoroughbreds - Jaguar Hope and Nannie's Rio.

I am sad to report that Jaguar Hope left us earlier this week after a freak accident in the paddock leading to a bad dislocation of the fetlock joint in his back left leg causing Jag to be put down. My heart goes out to Wendy, who took such great care of the horse she loved so much.

Wendy and Jag in a smiling competition.


Though Jag is now racing in sunnier pastures, he has left behind an important legacy for his fellow thoroughbreds having proven that he was more than just a racehorse. Jag was a companion, a loved one and an aspiring eventer. Through their combined perseverance, Wendy and Jag will have inspired many new owners to adopt and re-train an off-track thoroughbred and create all new stories of their own.

To honour Jag, I've donated US$50 to Canter, Michigan, an organization I know Wendy puts a lot of effort into. If you've been touched by Jag's story, I invite you to click on that link and make a donation of your own.

To Jag: He raced, he loved, he won!


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On Saturday, Turfway Park hosts the Lane's End Stakes, which could propel West Side Bernie into the ever-growing list of Derby hopefuls. Named after West Side Story composer Leonard Bernstein, the dark bay colt has a couple of wins over the Turfway synthetic already including the G3 Kentucky Cup. Edgar Prado takes the mount and I have high expectations of a horse that finished sixth, though beaten just three lengths, in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile won by Midshipman over a game Square Eddie.

On the Canadian front, Square Eddie has been named the winter-book favourite for the 150th running of the Queen's Plate. The current top ten for the first leg of Canada's Triple Crown are:

Square Eddie 5-2
Utterly Cool 6-1
Active Duty 10-1
El Brujo 12-1
Van Lear Rose (f) 12-1
Parabola 15-1
Keino West 15-1
Mean Green 20-1
Stardust Ziggy 20-1
Flip for the Coin 20-1

Canadian readers may have noticed a slew of great changes on the HorsePlayer Interactive website that will make online wagering a much easier process. Already fitted with programs, replays and live-action charts detailing will-pays and probable payouts - the site has undergone a face lift and I'm liking the links to free Brisnet reports and easy access to paid past performances. The 2009 Woodbine thoroughbred campaign kicks off April 4th.

I'll Blog With A Little Help From My Friends

Sometimes seven days a week and twenty-four hours a day just doesn't seem like enough time to get things done. In this short span, I try to find time for the dozens of things I love to do and there's simply never enough minutes in the day. At times I get stressed out about it, but then I remember that I'm not the only one keeping busy...

For instance, Ernie Munick just returned from performing at the Fountain of Youth down Florida way. If the Woodbine Media Department is reading, please invite Ernie up to Woodbine for a little "Stump The Guitarist" and some jammin'. When not performing, Ernie also finds the time to lead the TRNY troops through their exercises on behalf of Thoroughbred Racing in New York.

Here's Ernie belting out "Horseplayer Stuck in North Carolina"


Another good friend, Wendy Uzelac has started a blog to keep track of the development of her Off Track Thoroughbred partner-in-crime Jaguar Hope. Check out Wendy's blog Race Horse To Show Horse.

Alex Brown is watching the entries roll in for his $1000 Anti-Horse Slaughter Contest. Do this busy man a favour and send in your Youtube entry now.

Another busy friend is local racetrack legend Peter Gross. Peter is a Toronto media personality and editor of Down The Stretch newspaper. Peter won the Sovereign Award in 2008 for Best Feature Story and you can find all sorts of his old TV spots on Youtube. Though his segments on City TV were meant to focus on the people of Toronto, Peter often found a way to make his stories focus on the people of Woodbine and Greenwood.

Check out a little bit of the World According To Gross.


By the way, you can read my latest article for Down The Stretch by clicking here. Please check out my links in the right margin to find out more information on my friends at the Ontario Standardbred Adoption Society.

Meanwhile, top blogger Wind Gatherer has been regaling us with stories of his up-and-coming horse Imalexus. When not trying to take over the racing world from the track up, Wind Gatherer is busy writing some of the finest pieces online. It's a good place to start your day. Add his blog to your favourites list.

Wind Gatherer is part of the rampaging blogging group, Thoroughbred Bloggers Alliance on whose homepage you find everything from FREE past performances to polls to widgets and photos from all over the horse racing galaxy. The TBA group is led for the most part by blogger HandRide who today is tweeting about Twitter.

Speaking of Twitter, you may have noticed my Twackle box over in the right margin. If so, twank you very much.

Another friend, Brooklyn Backstretch recently posted a great debate on the use of language in racing. Click on the link above to check it out. Teresa has a way with words and her blog is one of the most visited horse racing sites on the net. That must keep her busy too. Take the time to reward her hard work with a click or two.

Speaking of language and how it can be mis-construed, a co-worker stopped by my office yesterday to ask me if I'd heard the new Britney Spears song. Yeah, I know. Still, I humoured her when she pointed out the title had the word "AMY" in it. My girlfriend ~ ~ and entrepreneur extraordinaire ~ is named Amy and has complained about the lack of songs with her name in it. My co-worker sang the chorus of the latest Spears anthem, "If You Seek Amy" for me a few times before I managed to suss out the true "meaning" behind this song and thoroughly embarrass my co-worker in the process. Needless to say, she won't be singing this one around the office anymore.

See if you can figure out the not so well hidden meaning.


Finally, to leave this on a happier musical note, I'll share a story from my Sunday night when Amy and I joined a few friends for Kickass Karaoke at the Rivoli in Toronto. This night is legendary in Toronto and the evening featured several stirring performances including a little Bowie, a rambling Shane McGowan and a brilliant cover of Tom Waits' "The Piano Has Been Drinking" by street performer Kate Awesome. Kate started out on the stage, before stumbling her way across the room in faux drunken stupor to sing to all the tables. As the song spun further out of control, Kate began to climb the walls as she sung in a brilliant Waits-esque growl ending her performance by laying flat out on the bar to a cheering group of bartenders and patrons alike. It was...awesome. Our friend Anneke just about topped that performance with her version of "America" from West Side Story that featured singing, dancing and the entire bar yelling out the parts meant to be sung by the American Jets.

Here's Tom Waits performing the original "The Piano Has Been Drinking"


Phew! I'm exhausted and just too busy to write a post today. Hopefully visiting my friends will make up for it. Cheers!

Permanent Winner's Circle: Horses With Homes

The latest edition of Down The Stretch includes a story I wrote about Wendy Uzelac who helped with the rescue of Top Bunk and has given a loving home to two Off -Track Thoroughbreds of her own. The story can be found here.


(Jaguar Hope and Wendy smile for the camera!)

Wendy is the perfect example of a racing fan who cares. Her efforts to find a home for Top Bunk, demonstrate commitment to improving quality of life for race horses. However, what I found most impressive was the love she has for her two "boys" - Nannie's Rio and Jaguar Hope.

Jaguar Hope is a handsome son of Turkoman with rich bloodlines who had a modestly successful racing career winning 15 times in 71 career starts. Here's footage of Jag winning a race at Great Lakes:

Nannie's Rio, now more affectionately known as Toby, raced until the age of three as a Quarter Horse before becoming a successful hunter/jumper in the AA circuit. At the age of 19, Toby has found himself a great home in Michigan with trails to run and hills to climb.

While I'm happy with the article as published, I think a blog is the perfect place to add a more personal touch. As well, Wendy provides a lot of great information for future OTTB owners.

TDH: Where do the boys live? What can you tell me about their surroundings?

WU: Toby and Jag live on a small private facility with only a handful of boarders. There’s an indoor arena, outdoor arena, five paddocks and then about 200 acres of hunting property adjacent to the barn property. The owners of the hunting property allow us to ride on their trails when it’s not being used for hunting.

TDH: Have past connections come forward to ask about either Toby or Jag?
WU: I was thrilled to get an email from Curtis Cranford. Almost all of Toby’s racing life was with Mr. Cranford. Most horsemen love their horses and want what’s best for them. I realized that when I volunteered for CANTER. When we were at the track and visiting the backside, several track employees would ask us about horses they had donated to CANTER and how they were doing in their new lives.

Jag was purchased from his owner/trainer straight off the track. Dr. Bob Gorham, the leading trainer at Pinnacle and Great Lakes Downs, was his owner/trainer for most of Jag’s racing career. I had seen Jag run one night at GLD, and simply fell in love. I saw his age, nine, watched him come in sixth place on a sloppy track. Two weeks later I was on the backside of GLD doing volunteer work for CANTER-MI when I saw Jag again. This time one of the workers brought him out for me. He was friendly and looked to be in great shape. That did it, I wrote Dr. Gorham in early June who called me right away. We worked out our schedules and I was able to get him in August. Dr. Gorham was so pleasant to deal with and very open. I’ll never forget how awkward I felt when I asked if Jag had been on any steroids (which were/are legal). I wanted to know what I might be dealing with when Jag left the track.

Dr. Gorhams quote was great! “Wendy, if a horse can’t run with good training, oats and water then he shouldn’t be running at all.”

One more note, Dr. Gorham sold his horse to me for a price that is clearly below the worth of the horse yet enough to show Dr. Gorham that I could afford him. His philosophy is that he doesn’t make money in selling his retired horses, he makes his money while the horse is working for him in racing. He just wants to be sure the horse is retired to a good home.

TDH: How are Toby and Jag adjusting to their new life?

WU: Toby at his age, gets worn out being ridden all the time so it works out well for me to have Jag who loves to be ridden all the time and craves having a job. I ride most every day. I’m very aware of their aches and pains. Toby has some arthritis and Jag seems to have a sensitive lower back. I bring in my chiropractor to work on them once in awhile. He’s great, but Jag clearly hasn’t had a treatment before he became mine. On his first visit, the chiropractor pushed down on Jag’s sore spot a bit too strongly and Jag tossed him like a rag doll!

I’ll never forget the first carrot I gave Jag. He told me in no uncertain terms that it was poison! Now he hollers for them as soon as he hears me. His favorite, and what really gets him to be vocal, are bran mashes. I make my own with bran, some treats thrown in, veggie oil, hot water and the most important ingredient brown sugar. If there are peppermints to throw in then in they go. Sometimes apples and carrots are thrown in. Basically, whatever I can find. Jag thinks it’s the greatest thing and it’s the reward he gets after a good lesson, work or trail ride. Now if you were Jag and Toby wouldn’t you like this new life of massages, chiropractors, treats and trail rides?!

TDH: Does Jag get airs about his regal pedigree?

WU: He’s all ego – LOL. He’s a son of Turkoman and just carries himself at all times as if he himself was Eclipse award winner Turkoman! He loves a camera, loves attention and waits for you to tell him how beautiful he is. Jag is a handsome looking thoroughbred so my Internet friends on Alex Brown Racing have dubbed him “Derek Zoolander” after the movie character. He’s very sensitive and into communicating with whomever is around. He makes it very easy to figure out his likes and dislikes.


(Jaguar Hope showing his best "Blue Steel.")

TDH: What should the public know about the Top Bunk list?

WU: That great champion horses end up in these low level claimers, and that these great horses can get lost in the shuffle of the claiming system. Take the story of Lights on Broadway, the 2001 Texas horse of the year that was dropped into the claiming ranks. He kept dropping to lower levels, eventually he was put onto a slaughter truck, before being picked up by a Quarter Horse trainer that was friends with the kill buyer. Lights on Broadway raced in the lowest of the low claiming races for the Quarter Horse trainer which put him back up on our radar. Now, Lights On Broadway is living with Texas trainer Dallas and Donna Keen being retrained to be a pony at the track. A bridleless pony at that!

It bothers me how the claiming system does a disservice for these horses. These horses on the Top Bunk List are big time winners and as you know, most horses in a race don’t win. They deserve an opportunity for a dignified retirement.

TDH: What two or three things keep you up at night with regard to potential owners finding homes for thoroughbreds?

WU: One, did the new owner fully prepare themselves for ownership - and two, will they have support if problems arise.

Probably my biggest thing for those who want to get into OTTB ownership is to prepare yourself and do your homework before you go out and get an attractive thoroughbred. I really did my homework right down to half leasing another horse to see if I could afford two horses before I actually had two horses. I also knew I wanted to try retraining the horse myself but made sure I had a trainer who would work with us and teach me the things I needed to know in order to train my horse. I had all my ducks in a row LONG before I met Jag. Meeting Jag must have been kismet because the timing was uncanny!

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A big THANK YOU to Wendy Uzelac for her time and effort in answering my many questions. Why not end this piece with a little more footage of Jaguar Hope mixed with one of my favourite Paul Simon songs.




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WHAT CAN YOU DO TO HELP?

Visit Alex Brown Racing and read about the issues and get involved.

Visit Long Run Thoroughbred Retirement Society and adopt a horse or volunteer.

Visit Phase 2 Thoroughbreds and help a race horse find a second career.

Get political with the Canadian Horse Defence Coalition.


Donate funds directly from your HorsePlayerInteractive account to the Long Run Retirement Society. 1500 points can be redeemed for a $5 donation.