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Maker's Mark  Sponsorship during the 2014 Keeneland Spring Meet with Wise Dan. Photo courtesy Rood & Riddle

Rood & Riddle to fete Wise Dan’s comeback

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital has announced that an award honoring the remarkable Thoroughbred champion Wise Dan will be presented at Hats Off Day on July 30 at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington. The Rood & Riddle Comeback Award is given to an equine athlete who overcame a major health complication and returned to elite competition. “We are pleased to present the inaugural Rood & Riddle Comeback Award to Wise Dan. Wise Dan exemplifies the characteristics of an outstanding athlete who suffered a major health issue and returned to compete successfully,” said Tom Riddle, DVM. Wise Dan, owned by […]

Valerie Ashker and her entourage has crossed into Colorado on horseback. She is attempting to cross the USA riding or walking her OTTBs.

OTTBs log 1,000 miles on cross-country trek

Navigating tricky terrain and nursing broken bones, Valerie Ashker and her off-track Thoroughbreds crossed into Colorado this week, logging nearly 1,000 miles on a cross-country trek to prove the merits of the mighty ex-racehorse Thoroughbred. Primitivo and Solar Express, opposite horses in so many ways, have had their ears pricked forward in shared enthusiasm for a daily walk or jog toward the east coast. “They’re doing incredible,” Ashker says. “It was really perfect to take the two of them, because they’re both so different. Solar is rangier and comes from the Damascus/ Buckpasser line. Tivo is smaller and has a […]

Real Gentleman had 41 starts, bouncing between Suffolk Downs and Finger Lakes, before tapping his inner Dressage Horse spirit. Last week he took fourth at his Prix St. George debut against seasoned Warmbloods. Susan Correia Photography

Low claimer with 41 starts rocks Prix St. Georges

A hardscrabble racehorse who bounced between Suffolk Downs and Finger Lakes, earning a pittance and never shining during his 41-race career, continues to rise up through the Dressage levels, winning against the most rarified Warmbloods. In his debut last month at a Prix St. Georges-level show in Nottingham, N.H., OTTB Real Gentleman took a fourth-place ribbon against seasoned Warmblood competitors, putting in a flowing, steady and brilliant test, says his owner and businesswoman Ann Seamonds. Real Gentleman Barn name: Rio Sire: Gone for Real Dam: Sunshine Star, by Star de Naskra Foal date: Feb. 5, 2006“It was a very hot […]