Tag Archives: horse racing

Old Friends Final Resting Place for Medina Spirit

Photo of Medina Spirit Courtesy of Photographer Bee Buck.

GEORGETOWN, KY – FEB. 25, 2022 —Old Friends, the Thoroughbred Retirement facility in Georgetown, KY, announced that the farm has been chosen as the final resting place of multiple graded stakes winner Medina Spirit.

Medina Spirit’s ashes will be interred in Old Friends’ Nikki Bacharach Memorial Garden alongside such champions as Kentucky Derby Winners Charismatic (1999) and War Emblem (2002), both of whom were retired to Old Friends following breeding careers, as well as Eclipse Winner Hidden Lake and Breeders’ Cup Classic Winner Alphabet Soup.

Old Friends will host an open house Tuesday, April 5, 2022, from 12:30pm to 2:30pm to offer fans an opportunity to visit the gravesite and pay their respects to this great athlete.

Trained by Bob Baffert and owned by Zedan Racing, Medina Spirit had a short but brilliant career on the track.

A win in the GR3 Robert B. Lewis Stakes and a second-place finish in the GR1 Santa Anita Derby earned the dark bay son of Protonico a berth in the 2021 Kentucky Derby. Despite being a long shot behind favorites Essential Quality and Rock Your World, Medina Spirit went wire-to-wire against his rivals.

Further proving his mettle, later that year Medina Spirit won the Shared Belief Stakes and the GR1 Awesome Again before coming second in the GR1 Breeders’ Cup Classic.

“The Zedan Racing family was deeply saddened by the sudden loss of our beloved Medina Spirit,” said Amr Zedan. “He brought us great joy during his time, and we will forever cherish his spectacular win in the Kentucky Derby.  Medina Spirit truly had the heart of champion,” Zedan added, “and it is very comforting to know that he will be laid to rest with many of racing’s greats and the wonderful people at Old Friends Farm.”

“To most, Medina Spirit was an over-achiever, the kind of colt who surprised the experts,” said trainer Baffert and his wife Jill. “But he would not have agreed with that assessment. He carried himself like the champion he was through all his days. From his first race to his last, he was a confident and competitive thoroughbred who always gave his best. We were lucky and blessed to have known him.

“Medina Spirit was loved deeply by us and everyone at the barn,” the Bafferts added. “We grieve his loss, but take comfort knowing he will be buried among some of racing’s all-time greats at Old Friends.”

“We’re very grateful to Mr. Zedan and Bob Baffert for allowing us the honor and privilege of burying Medina Spirit’s ashes at Old Friends,” said Old Friends President Michael Blowen. “His gravestone, which will be a constant reminder of his spectacular achievements, will be placed next to Charismatic and War Emblem in the Nikki Bacharach Memorial Garden where his legion of fans can pay their respects.”

For more information, please call (502) 863-1775 or visit www.oldfriendsequine.org.

How Many Female Jockeys Have Ridden in the Grand National?

Photo: Scott Heppell/Reuters.

On April 9, 2022, the Aintree Grand National returns to racing in its full format. At Aintree Racecourse in Merseyside, England, the “National” has been broadcast live on free-to-air terrestrial television since 1960.  An estimated 500 to 600 million people watch the Grand National in over 140 countries. The race has also been broadcast on radio since 1927.

Looks like we may have a female jockey again: Rachael Blackmore, riding the #1 favorite, Minella Times, who made history winning the 2021 edition with Blackmore in the stirrups.  Minella Times will be running with his rating having risen to 161 – up 15lb from his mark of 146 last year. Grab this list of Grand National Runners and their jockeys for 2022.

In 2012, the first female jockey to finish in the top three was Katie Walsh on Seabass. Walsh and Nina Carberry both started six Grand Nationals, a joint record for a woman. In 2021, Rachael Blackmore, riding Minella Times, became the first female jockey to win the race. Will she do it again in 2022?

Blackmore’s Grand National win comes three weeks after she was the first woman to be leading jockey at the Cheltenham Festival.

The 173rd running of the world’s most famous steeplechase provided a story for the ages as Blackmore won in the colours of owner J. P. McManus.

As Blackmore and Minella Times safely jumped the last, it became clear a piece of racing folklore was being created and the pair passed the winning line clear of their rivals.

Forty-four years after Charlotte Brew was the first woman to ride in the race on 200-1 outsider Barony Fort, who refused at the 27th fence, Blackmore had bettered Walsh’s third-placed finish with an historic victory.

Since 1977, female jockeys have been allowed in the Grand National horse race following the passing of the Sex Discrimination Act 1975. A total of 19 female jockeys have entered the Grand National since then. Charlotte Brew on her horse, Barony Fort, was the first woman to compete in the race, in 1977. In 1982, Geraldine Rees became the first woman to complete the course. She rode Cheers to eighth place. That time, Brew returned with her horse Martinstown; this was the first Grand National with two female jockeys entering.

The Grand National is a National Hunt horse race held annually at Aintree Racecourse in Liverpool, England. First run in 1839, it is a handicap steeplechase over an official distance of about 4 miles and 2½ furlongs (4 miles 514 yards (6.907 km)), with horses jumping 30 fences over two laps.  It is the most valuable jump race in Europe.

See More on Metro, OTTBs, Racehorses on AHorseBlog.com

Breeders’ Cup Classic Winner Alphabet Soup Euthanized at 31

Photo by Laura Battles.

GEORGETOWN, KY – JANUARY 28, 2022 — Multiple graded stakes winner and 1996 Breeders’ Cup Classic Champion Alphabet Soup was euthanized January 28 at Old Friends Thoroughbred Retirement farm in Georgetown, KY, where he has been pensioned since 2015. The cause of death was chronic kidney disease.

At 31, the gray son of Cozzene was the oldest living winner of the Breeders’ Cup Classic.

Bred in Pennsylvania out of the Arts and Letters mare Illiterate, Alphabet Soup was a late bloomer for owner Georgia B. Ridder, winning his first stakes at age four when he captured the 1995 Native Diver (GR3) and the Del Mar Breeders’ Cup Handicap (GR2).

In 1996 he was the victor in the San Antonia Handicap (GR2), the Pat O’Brian Handicap (GR3), and the San Pasqual Handicap (GR2) en route to his greatest triumph, the 1996 Breeders’ Cup Classic (GR1), where he defeated the “invincible” Cigar as well as that year’s Preakness Stakes winner Louis Quatorze — all while setting a new track record at Woodbine.

Retired in 1998 to Adena Springs having captured 10 of 24 starts and earnings of over $2.9 million, Alphabet Soup sired numerous stakes winners, among them Grade 1 winners Egg Drop and Alphabet Kisses, and champions Our New Recruit, Phantom Light, and Sovereign Award winner Alpha Bettor.

“I’m saddened by the news today of Alphabet Soup’s passing,” said Hall of Fame jockey Chris McCarron, who piloted Soup to his Breeders’ Cup win. “I truly enjoyed my relationship with Soupy, and he will always have special place in my heart. He represented the U.S. well when he bested the Cigar and Louis Quatorze in the Breeders’ Cup Classic. Rest in peace old friend.”

“It won’t be the same around here without Soup,” said Old Friends President and founder Michael Blowen. “Over these seven years he was a delight to be around with his sweet nature and enormous popularity. He brought joy to everyone.

“His best friend, the donkey Gorgeous George, will miss him terribly,” added Blowen, “and so will everyone on the farm. We are so grateful to Frank Stronach and everyone at Adena Springs for giving us the privilege of retiring this fabulous champion.”

For more information, please call (502) 863-1775 or visit www.oldfriendsequine.org.

“Seabiscuit” Star, Popcorn Deelites, Dies at 24

Photo by Laura Battles.

GEORGETOWN, KY – JANUARY 20, 2022 — Popcorn Deelites, one of several Thoroughbreds that portrayed Depression-era hero Seabiscuit in the 2003 Oscar-nominated film, has died. The cause of death was complications from colic.

The 24-year-old gelding, who had a moderate racing career in mostly claiming contests, had been retired at Old Friends, the Thoroughbred Retirement farm in Georgetown, KY, since 2005. He had been pensioned there alongside his sire, Afternoon Deelites.

“Pops”, a blood-bay Seabiscuit look-alike, appeared in numerous scenes throughout the film, including the thrilling match race against Triple Crown winner War Admiral.

He returned to racing following filming for owner David Hoffman and conditioner Pricilla Leon, who were both instrumental in retiring Popcorn to Old Friends when his career came to an end.

In all, Popcorn Deelites started 58 times and had 11 wins with career earnings of $56,880.

Hall of Fame jockey Gary Stevens, who portrayed legendary rider George Woolf in Seabiscuit, remembers his co-star fondly.

“Popcorn Deelites was a star in Seabiscuit,” said Stevens, who is now a racing analyst for Fox Sports. “He was my go-to guy in all the big scenes. He not only won real races multiple times, but he won the famous match race playing Seabiscuit. He was kind, fast, and a great friend that lived out his life at Old Friends in the paddock next to my other buddy, Silver Charm,” Stevens added, referring to the horse he piloted to a win in the 1997 Kentucky Derby, who is also an Old Friends retiree. “RIP, Popcorn.”

“Pops’s Hollywood history made him an enormous fan favorite, of course,” said Old Friends’s Michael Blowen. “But what really won people over was his warm personality and friendly demeanor. Fans adored him and he adored the fans. He will be sorely missed here on the farm,” Blowen added, “but I’m sure that his old pal and paddock mate, Special Ring, will miss him the most.”

For more information, please call (502) 863-1775 or visit www.oldfriendsequine.org.

Two-Time Breeders’ Cup Mile Winner, Da Hoss, Dies at 30

LEXINGTON, Ky. (January 4, 2022) – Two-time Breeders’ Cup Mile Winner, Da Hoss, died Sunday, January 2, at the Kentucky Horse Park where he had retired after a successful five-year racing career. At the age of 30, the gelding passed away due to infirmities of old age.  Da Hoss had been living at the Kentucky Horse Park since January 2000.

“We will miss Da Hoss greatly. He was a fan favorite as he proved that spirit can triumph over adversity,” said Nicole Rivera, Interim Deputy Executive Director of the Kentucky Horse Park. “I would like to extend a special thank you to Rob Willis and the Hall of Champions staff for the great care and affection they showed Da Hoss during his time here at the park.”

Sired by Gone West, out of Jolly Saint, Da Hoss was foaled on January 18, 1992.  Wall Street Racing bought the lowest priced Gone West foal, Da Hoss, as a Keeneland September yearling for $6000 that same year.  After racing as a two-year-old for trainer Kevin Eikleberry and Wall Street Racing, an 85% interest in Da Hoss was sold to Prestonwood Farm.  He was immediately shipped to Fair Hill training center to start training with Michael Dickinson and Joan Wakefield.

Da Hoss is one of only five horses to win the Breeders’ Cup Mile twice, and the only horse to win twice in non-consecutive years.  Between the 1996 and 1998 Breeders’ Cup Races, Da Hoss was injured three times and did not race for nearly two years. His inspiring finish in the 1998 Breeder’s Cup Mile produced one of Tom Durkin’s most memorable race calls, as he exclaimed: “The greatest comeback since Lazarus!”

“He was our horse of a lifetime,” said trainer Michael Dickinson of Tapeta Farm.  “We all loved him.  He brought us so many highs, even with his problems; we knew he would never let us down. He gave his all and loved to win.  He was spoiled but deserved to be.  He loved going out in one of his grass fields with his best friend Boomer for two or three hours every day.  He knew he was special. It was comforting to know he was always well looked after by everyone at the Kentucky Horse Park where he enjoyed a wonderful retirement.”

Da Hoss shared the Kentucky Horse Park Hall of Champions with other Champion horses including Thoroughbreds Go for Gin, Funny Cide, and Point Given, Standardbred pacers Western Dreamer and Won the West, and Standardbred trotter Mr. Muscleman.

Like the other great Hall of Champions horses that died in retirement at the park, Da Hoss will be buried in the Memorial Walk of Champions.

To learn more, visit www.kyhorsepark.com.

Contact: Kerry Howe
kerry.howe@ky.gov
859-259-4224

US Horse Racing Top 4 Betting Events

Interest in horse racing in the United States has never been higher, with increased media coverage helping to promote the sport to a much wider audience in recent years.

Nowhere is that point better highlighted than in the United Kingdom, where Sky Sports Racing broadcasts live action from the US on a daily basis. This has created a scenario where the top-class races in the US now attract significantly more international entries, thus boosting the quality of the action.

Read on as we take a look at the four standout events in the US racing calendar – the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, Belmont Stakes, and Breeders’ Cup.

Kentucky Derby

The Kentucky Derby is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred horses held over 10 furlongs at Churchill Downs in early May. It is the first leg of the Triple Crown alongside the Preakness and Belmont, and generally attracts a field of 20 runners.

Horses can qualify for the event by accumulating points in a series of 35 races dubbed the ‘Road to the Kentucky Derby’, which take place at tracks across the US, Europe, and Asia.

Often called the ‘Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports’, the Derby regularly attracts more than 150,000 spectators to Churchill annually.

Preakness Stakes

Run over a slightly shorter distance of one and 3/16 of a mile, the Preakness Stakes is staged at Pimlico Racecourse on the third Saturday in May each year.

Attendance at the Preakness Stakes usually beats all other stakes races including the Belmont Stakes, the Breeders’ Cup, and the Kentucky Oaks. The only exception to this is the Kentucky Derby, which often attracts over 20,000 more spectators when it is staged earlier in the month.

Notable past winners of the Preakness include Secretariat, Affirmed, and American Pharoah, each of whom went on to complete the Triple Crown.

Belmont Stakes

Traditionally the third and final leg of the Triple Crown, the Belmont Stakes is run at Belmont Park on the first or second Saturday in June. Run over one and a half miles, the race is widely viewed as the event which determines the best middle-distance horse in the US, according to the horse racing betting guide.

The most famous winner of the race was Secretariat, whose winning time 2:24.00 remains a track and world record for the distance on dirt.

Justify’s stunning victory under jockey Mike Smith in the 150th running of the race in 2018 saw him become the 13th Triple Crown champion.

The Breeders’ Cup

The Breeders’ Cup World Championships is a series of Grade I thoroughbred races staged annually at different tracks in the US or Canada. It was initially a single-day event, before expanding into a second day in 2007 due to the enormous global interest in the meeting.

The Breeders’ Cup kicks off with Future Stars Friday, which comprises five top-class juvenile races featuring racing’s brightest rising stars. Championship Saturday is one of the richest days in racing, culminating with the hugely prestigious $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic.

More on Metro, OTTBs, Racehorses at AHorseBlog.com

Albert the Great Euthanized at Old Friends

Photo: Laura Battles.

GEORGETOWN, KY – NOV. 20, 2021 – Multiple graded stakes winner Albert the Great was euthanized November 19 at Old Friends, the Thoroughbred Retirement farm based in Georgetown, KY, where he has been pensioned since 2017.

According to attending veterinarian Dr. Bryan Waldridge, the 23-year-old stallion was euthanized due to chronic sinus infection.

Campaigned by owner Tracy Farmer and trainer Nick Zito, the son of Go for Gin had a short but very prestigious career. He earned his first graded stakes as a 3-year-old capturing the GR2 Dwyer Stakes in 2000 and, later that year, the GR1 Jockey Club Gold Cup. At Saratoga that summer he fell just a stride or two short of victory in the GR1 Travers Stakes.

At 4 he captured the Widener Handicap (G3) at Hialeah Park, the Suburban and Brooklyn Handicaps (G2) at Belmont Park, and ran second in four other GR1 contests, including the GR1 Woodward and Whitney Stakes.

Albert the Great retired from racing in 2001 following a 3rd place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Classic with a 8-6-4 record from 22 starts, 15 of which were made in graded stakes. His lifetime earnings totaled $3,012,490. He entered stud in 2002 at Three Chimneys Farm before relocating to Pin Oak Lane in 2008.

He sired such GR1 winners as Moonshine Mullin, Albertus Maximus, and Nobiz Like Shobiz, who is currently retired at Old Friends.

“Albert the Great was aptly named,” said Old Friends founder and President Michael Blowen. “He was the master and everyone else was just a serf. He didn’t need you to be his friend, just his servant. He was certainly a unique iconoclast and he’ll be missed. Our thanks to Three Chimneys, Tracy and Carol Farmer, and Nick Zito,” Blowen added. “They raised a great one.”

For more information, please call (502) 863-1775 or visit www.oldfriendsequine.org.

Will Texas-Based Asmussen Return to Glory with Echo Zulu?

Photo source: Unsplash.

Steven Asmussen is one of the most distinguished horse racing trainers in the United States, achieving victories at the Preakness Stakes, Belmont Stakes, and the Breeders’ Cup Classic over the course of his career. However, the 55-year-old has been thwarted in his attempt to win further crowns since 2017 when the last of his great horses, Gun Runner, triumphed in the Breeders’ Cup Classic.

Gun Runner was named the American Horse of the Year for 2017 before signing off his career with one final run at the Pegasus World Cup, winning the title for the first time for Asmussen. Since then, there have been no notable successes, but the daughter of Gun Runner, Echo Zulu, could be about to change his fortunes.

Echo Zulu is the favorite in the Breeders’ Cup Fillies Juvenile event with odds of +150, although Asmussen does not have a proud history in the race, failing to win the previous 13 contests. Echo Zulu has exhibited the quality of her father on the track in the fledgling stages of her career, but delivering on the grand stage will be a challenge amid the talent in the race.

Even Gun Runner had issues competing against elite charges before he found his form at the top. He participated in the Kentucky Derby in 2016 and was one of the leading contenders after winning the Louisiana Derby. Gun Runner was competitive in his first Grade One race, but he could not cope with the pace of Nyquist, finishing four-and-a-half lengths behind the winner.

The American thoroughbred also underwhelmed as a three-year-old in the Haskell Invitational and the Travers Stakes. It took time for him to find his feet among the elite, returning to the track with vigour as a four-year-old. He won the Stephen Foster Handicap, Whitney Stakes, and Woodward Stakes ahead of the Breeders’ Cup Classic.

Arrogate was the favorite for the race, having bested Gun Runner in the Dubai World Cup earlier in the year. However, Asmussen’s charge turned the tables on his rival to win the crown ahead of Collected, with Arrogate placing down in fifth. It was a flawless performance from Florent Geroux in the saddle, bringing out the best in Gun Runner. They signed off together with a victory at Gulfstream Park in the Pegasus World Cup, enjoying the perfect end to a career at the top.


Gun Runner has appeared to pass his skills down his daughter, who dominated her first race at Saratoga. She then built on her performance in the Spinaway Stakes at the same venue, finishing four lengths ahead of the rest of the field. Echo Zulu has momentum on her side ahead of the contest as a two-year-old.

Asmussen could well have a champion on his hand in the Fillies Juvenile along with other leading events next season such as the Kentucky Derby. He has endured a four-year drought without a major crown, but courtesy of his former champion, the Texas-based trainer could well be on the way back to the top starting at the Breeders’ Cup.

Horseracing Series 2021

2021 has been another huge year for the horse racing industry worldwide. While many great events took place, the two main series in the United States were the Triple Crown in the spring and the Breeders’ Cup in the fall.

The Triple Crown

The Triple Crown began in May, making it one of the two most important months on the horse racing schedule. Online horse betting has reached a peak, including many options for betting on the go using horse betting apps such as these: https://horse-betting.pro/guides/best-horse-betting-apps/.

The Triple Crown series of races are traditionally run in May and early June of each year, although global events have resulted in schedule adjustments, such as in 1945 and 2020.

On the first Saturday of the month of May, and the first of the Triple Crown series, the legendary Kentucky Derby takes place at a distance of a mile and a quarter. With a purse of some $3 million and a huge worldwide following, the Derby is one of the top horse events on the planet.  Thunderous applause can be heard from afar during the Kentucky Derby at the gorgeous Churchill Downs (Kentucky).

It is dubbed “The Run for the Roses,” stemming from the blanket of roses draped over the winner, and in the United States it is also known as “The Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports” or “The Fastest Two Minutes in Sports” because of its approximate duration. It is the first leg of the American Triple Crown, followed by the Preakness Stakes, and then the Belmont Stakes.

Three weeks after the Derby comes the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Racecourse in Baltimore, Maryland with a distance of 9.5 furlongs (1+3⁄16 miles (1,900 m)) on dirt. It has been dubbed “The Middle Jewel of the Triple Crown.”

The Preakness Stakes has also been termed “The Run for the Black-Eyed Susans” because a blanket of Maryland’s state flower is placed across the withers of the winning colt or filly. Attendance at the Preakness Stakes ranks second in North America among equestrian events, surpassed only by the Kentucky Derby.

An interesting history of the Preakness is that Pimlico officially opened October 25, 1870 with the colt Preakness winning the first running of the Dinner Party Stakes. Approximately 12,000 people attended, many taking special race trains arranged by the Northern Central Railway. Three years later the horse had the 1873 Preakness Stakes named in his honor.

The final leg in the American Triple Crown, open to three-year-old Thoroughbreds, is the Belmont Stakes, known by the nicknames “The Test of the Champion”/”The Run for the Carnations”/”The Third Jewel of the Triple Crown.”  The Belmont Stakes takes place on the first Saturday in June in Elmont (an unincorporated hamlet), New York.

When run at 1+1⁄2 miles, the Belmont Stakes covers one full lap of Belmont Park, known as “The Championship Track,” because nearly every major American champion in racing history has competed on the racetrack. Despite the distance, the race tends to favor horses with tactical speed: relatively few winners close from far behind the early leaders.

The 2021 Belmont Stakes was the 153rd running of the Belmont Stakes and the 110th time the event took place at Belmont Park. It is the final race of the Triple Crown.

The Triple Crown has come to represent the pinnacle achievement in horseracing. In its history, only 13 horses have won all three races; two of them are still alive.

The Breeders Cup World Championships

Ending at one finish line is the of the Breeders’ Cup World Championships, an annual series of Grade I Thoroughbred horse races held on the first weekend of November.  These races are operated by Breeders’ Cup Limited, and in 2021, The Breeders’ Cup will return to another iconic racing venue: Del Mar, where the turf meets the surf Southern California style.

The event was created as a year-end championship for North American Thoroughbred racing, and also attracts top horses from other parts of the world, especially Europe.

With the current 2021 year having $31 million in purses and awards, every horse, jockey, trainer, and owner around the world has this two-day, 14-race, year-end culmination of the Breeders’ Cup World Championships in their sights.

Many Breeders’ Cup winners will go on to win the Eclipse Award in their respective division. For example, of the eleven flat racehorse categories, seven of the Eclipse winners in 2015 had also won a Breeders’ Cup race, while three others were in the money.

The Breeders’ Cup Championship Saturday is one of the richest days in racing awarding over $22 million in purses and awards over 9 races, culminating in the defining event of the international racing season, the $6 Million Breeders’ Cup Classic.

More on Metro, OTTBs, Racehorses at AHorseBlog.com

New Retirees Arrive at Old Friends

Bordonaro (left) and Next Shares (Photo Mary Greene)

Graded Stakes Winners Next Shares and Bordonaro

GEORGETOWN, KY – SEPTEMBER 23, 2021 – Old Friends, the Thoroughbred Retirement Facility in Georgetown, KY, has welcomed new retirees.

Next Shares, winner of the 2018 Old Friends Stakes at Kentucky Downs, and multiple graded stakes winner Bordonaro.

A Richard Baltas trainee and owned in partnership, Next Shares (Archarcharch – Two Dot Slew, Evansville Slew) retires after seven seasons with a record of seven wins from 49 starts and earnings of $1.891,971.

A multiple graded stakes winner, Next Shares also captured the 2018 GR1 Shadwell Turf Mile at Keeneland, the GR2 San Gabriel Stakes at Santa Anita, and the GR2 Seabiscuit at Del Mar in 2019.

Bordonaro (Memo – Miss Excitment, Rajab), comes to Old Friends through the United Pegasus Foundation in Tehachapi, CA. A William Spawr trainee, the now 20-year-old gelding won the 2006 GR1 Ancient Breeders’ Cup Stakes at Oak Tree and is a two-time winner of the GR3 Count Fleet Sprint Handicap (2006 and 2007) at Oaklawn Park. He retired with 10 wins from 20 starts and earnings of $938,128.

“We’re so thrilled to have both of these wonderful athletes,” said Old Friends founder and president Michael Blowen. “Richard Baltus, who entered Next Shares in the Old Friends Stakes because it guaranteed his retirement, and Bill Spawr, who trusted us with Amazombie, are two very special old friends.”

Old Friends Welcomes Rocketry

SEPT. 24, 2021 – Old Friends has welcomed multiple graded stakes winner Rocketry.

The son of Hard Spun, now 7, retired from racing in August of this year following a fourth-place effort in the Birdstone Stakes at Saratoga. At that time, he was sent to owner Centennial Farms’ Middleburg, VA facility to unwind.

He retired after five seasons on the track with six wins from 29 starts and lifetime earnings of $811,577.

A fan favorite thanks to his thrilling late-running style, Rocketry truly came into his own as a 4-year-old under conditioner Jimmy Jerkens. He captured the 2018 Temperence Hill Invitational Stakes at Belmont Park by crushing a 98-year-old track record for 1 5/8 miles held by Man o’ War, and, later that year, he earned his first graded stakes victory in the GR2 Marathon Stakes at Churchill Downs, again setting a new track record for the 1 ¾ miles.

In his 6-year-old campaign Rocketry added a third track record to his resume, this time going 1 5/8 miles in 2:42.57 at Keeneland, and picked up another graded victory in the GR2 Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance Stakes.

“Just like the movie character, Rocketry could not have lived up to his nickname of ‘Rocky’ any better,” said Don Little, Jr., President of Centennial Farms. “He consistently campaigned in stakes carrying the Centennial flag with honor every time he set foot on the track. He was sound throughout his career while breaking three track records over a distance of ground. Being involved with a horse like this was truly a joy, thrill, and one that will be cherished by all the partners involved,” Little continued. “While he will be missed on the oval, we look forward to him showing off to visitors at Old Friends.”

“Who doesn’t love Rocketry?” said Old Friends founder and President Michael Blowen. “We’re very fortunate that Centennial Farms trusts us to care for their great marathoner. Thanks to Don Little, Jr. and Jimmy Jerkins for allowing us to showcase him to his many fans.”

For more information, please call (502) 863-1775 or visit www.oldfriendsequine.org.