Archives by date

You are browsing the site archives by date.

Valentine manages as Kayla August attends to him.

19 year old T-bred is Eventing rock star

Valentine, a poorly put together 19-year-old Thoroughbred with knee chips and early stage navicular, is blowing the socks off the competition in Preliminary cross-country throughout the Area 3 Eventing world. The unlikely sport horse, who once won a race under Jockey Club name R Motel, by “running in terror from the other horses” is never so happy as when he is plunging into water, and soaring over obstacles with his owner Kayla August. “His thing is Cross Country. He falls asleep before dressage and showing jumping. But put him in a start box and he goes wild,” she says. “At […]

Valerie Ashker, 60, sustained 2 broken ribs in an accident on Monday. She resumed her 3,500-mile journey on her OTTB yesterday.

Rider, 60, breaks ribs crossing USA on her OTTB

A 60-year-old California woman attempting to cross the United States on her Thoroughbred sustained broken ribs Monday from a horse kick. Three weeks and 200 miles into the ride to raise awareness about off-track Thoroughbreds, Valerie Ashker and her entourage were in Fallon, Nev., settling in for the night at the Drost family farm, when her OTTB Primitivo tried to kick her other T’bred Solar Express during a playful moment. Asker says, “We were trying to blanket them and Solar is a real Alpha and was nipping at Tivo, who is the smaller follower. We got the blankets mixed up […]

Rathor, a Bobby Frankel horse who beat Funny Cide, arrives at Old Friends this week after an "army" of friends pitched in. Photo courtesy Michael Blowen

‘Army of friends’ retires Frankel horse

A Bobby Frankel-trained Thoroughbred, who beat the great Funny Cide at Keeneland in 2007 and was once favored to trounce Derby winner Giacomo, was assisted this week by an “army” of friends hell-bent on giving their all for a beautiful black horse in need of some luck. In four short days, several New England horsemen, a good-hearted shipper, and Michael Blowen of Old Friends of Kentucky mustered to assist 14-year-old black gelding Rathor in an effort to retire him well, and fast. The opinionated OTTB, who retired from racing with 46 starts and $300,000 in earnings after refusing to leave the […]