Auction horse shows at Washington Int’l
Terrified and desperate, the red mare flailed in the confined auction-house stall like someone being buried alive. Unable to lay eyes on another horse for reassurance, the 4-year-old OTTB Brightly Shining became so frenzied at the Thurmont Auction in Maryland that she scared off every buyer who could have saved her from the slaughter pipeline. Except for one. Mike Keech had seen plenty of “crazy horses” in his 75 years, and wasn’t about to be deterred from at least taking a peek at the animal raising such a ruckus. Brightly Shining Sire: Posse Dam: Bright Shining Foal date: Feb. 14, […]
Signed jockey goggles offered at Preakness
The Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (TAA) and the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund (PDJF) have come together to offer signed jockey goggles as a part of a joint fund-raising effort. The goggles, signed by top-class jockeys, will be available as a souvenir in exchange for a donation to be shared between the two organizations. The TAA and PDJF will be offering the goggles on site at Pimlico Race Course on Black-Eyed Susan Day (May 20) and Preakness Stakes Day (May 21). The goggles have been signed by jockeys such as Victor Espinoza, last year’s Triple Crown-winning jockey, and Hall of Fame jockeys […]
Horses under rainbow show inmate a new path
A former inmate who had lost almost everything when she was sentenced to four years in a Florida jail found “some peace” in her life and a path to a new career after embracing the surprise opportunity to participate in a prisoner/racehorse program. After taking a leap of faith that her prison’s Thoroughbred program could somehow help right her ship that had sailed so off course in life, Kelly Esposito, 51, of Ocala, Fla., graduated the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation’s Second Chances horsemanship program and landed on solid ground. In January, after she was released from jail, Esposito began work at the […]