Sarah Says Go was saved twice before making it home. First, from the New Holland Auction, where horses are commonly at risk to be sold for meat, and shortly after, when sadly, she was scheduled to be euthanized for medical reasons.
This is when Anne Buxton, one of her first owners, entered the picture. She had searched for the mare on the Internet, vowing that if she could find her, she would take her home.
For many years, Buxton had assumed the mare was dead, but she couldn’t stop searching for her. When she discovered Sarah lived, she found the hardworking horse who always came through for her on the racetrack was now sickly and dropping weight. Buxton was impelled to reach her and help. After all, the once fine race-mare wasn’t always sickly, and had often put food on Buxton’s table with a win at the track.
Buxton contacted Sarah’s owner and begged her to cancel the appointment to be euthanized. And the Virginia-based owner was so touched by Buxton’s plea, she went a step further, and drove the mare 80 miles in her own van to bring the horse closer to Buxton’s home in Ocala, Fla. And with funding provided by nonprofit charity The Second Race, the lucky little mare made it home. Please see the full story here.
This dramatic rescue occurred in 2011. And today, not only is Sarah Says Go thriving in Florida, but she recently gave birth to a foal.
Here is what Buxton says:
“I was just re-reading your story on Sarah Says Go again, and it still makes me tear up! Anyway, I thought you might like to know how she is doing now.
“She has a beautiful weanling filly (about to be a yearling) by Kiss the Kid.
“She is a fantastic mother, and loves her baby girl. She was in foal this year to Exclusive Quality, but slipped at 5 months. I’m undecided about whether to breed her back in the spring, but if so, she’ll go back to Exclusive Quality.
“If not, she’ll be hanging out with my other retirees for many years to come, as she still runs around like a young horse. She is as fat as a hog and very happy!”
Now let me get this right. The mare ends up at New Holland where so many horses go because of overbreeding. Then you find the horse when it is sick. But then you get her back,nurse her back to health. Then you BREED her. WHY so you can put another horse back into an already OVERCROWDED horse world. You make no sense. I’m glad you have her back. But why are you breeding more foals? So they can end back up at New Holland?
Kudos to Anne for stepping up for Sarah! Wish more owners were like this!
Anne, it so wonderful to see the update on Sarah! I know you will continue to take good care of her and her filly.
Dear Anne, thank you so much for caring enough keep looking for Sarah and giving her a life she deserves.
To Susan, thank you for writing these stories.
My only hope is that both she and her foal never fall into bad hands again. Take care of them for life. They deserve no less.
She has a nice pedigree, Beau Genius mares are good broodmares, was a hell of a racemare, (won short, long, on turf, and dirt) and I wanted to raise a foal out of her to race…that sort of heart doesn’t come along very often.
When I sold her she had never run for less than $25, 000, had won at Gulfstream Park, Calder, and Delaware Park…she wasn’t sold because she had to earning ability left, she was sold because she had value as a racehorse. Sure wish people could just be happy about a happy ending and not so incredibly judgmental…
Hi Anne,
I think anyone reading this story can see what a great thing you did for Sarah. I was happy when I saw that she’d had the foal, because I knew, as someone with my own thyroid issues, that it meant she was in GREAT health. Thanks for updating us! xo
So why was the mare sold in the first place? My first guess would be they ran her as she dropped in class (49 starts, in the money <30%). Which begs the question why was she bred?
Hi Lmaris
I did an earlier story on Sarah Says Go, and link to it within the story, so you can read about her background. One thing I find it interesting to note is that Sarah earned about $100K on the track, so her skill was obviously pretty good.