by Lori Mahan
Saratoga Springs is the summer place to be, and this year the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation (TRF) will host five of their retired Thoroughbred racehorses at a local farm to serve as ambassadors representing the organization’s herd of 750 horses and former racehorses across the country.
These Thoroughbred ambassadors come to Saratoga from the TRF’s Second Chances program at the Wallkill Correctional Facility in New York. They will be spending the summer in Saratoga Springs helping to introduce the TRF herd to the racing community and racing fans and to raise awareness of the importance of thoroughbred aftercare to everyone visiting the Spa this summer. Upon their June 26 arrival at the Summer Farm, they were warmly welcomed by the TRF team and enjoyed carrots and apples. They quickly settled into their pastures and embraced their new home as “the summer place to be.”
The five horses at the TRF Summer Farm @Saratoga are representatives of the Thoroughbred horses to whom the TRF provides lifelong sanctuary through the network of 19 farms, located in 12 states and including eight Second Chances programs at Correctional Facilities. They look forward to meeting new friends and longtime supporters of the TRF throughout the summer meet. Who are the horses?
Cogs My Man is an 18-yearold, Kentucky bred gelding with five career starts. His sire, Louis Quatorze, won the Jim Dandy Stakes at Saratoga in 1996.
Son of a Gun is a sweet, smart 12-year-old bay gelding, who would definitely like a human to call his own.
Blown Save is a 10-year-old bay gelding, who raced 12 times. His sire is the great Smart Strike. He is the big man of the herd standing at 17 hands.
Dusk to Dawn is an impressive looking 7-year-old, bay, NY bred gelding. His sire is Malibu Moon. “Dusky” had eight career starts. He is a big horse and quite the character. He last raced in 2015 and still remembers the call to the post song when played!
Bold Mon is a 15-year-old grey gelding who had a successful racing career with lifetime earnings of $170,000. His last race was at Saratoga and he is happy to be back for a visit
The farm will be open Tuesdays during racing season from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., or by appointment with the TRF. The retired racehorses will be staying at the Heading for Home facility located just east of Saratoga Springs. Heading for Home is a racehorse rescue and retraining facility for both Standardbred and Thoroughbred racehorses.
This partnership formed as a result of a collaboration with Racehorse Aftercare Charitable Endeavors of Saratoga (R.A.C.E.). This group of racehorse aftercare organizations was launched in 2015 and promotes education and awareness on racehorse aftercare in the Saratoga area.
“We are thrilled to introduce our retired horses to the Saratoga community and to have the opportunity to elevate the conversation regarding racehorse aftercare,” said TRF Director of Development and Communications Jennifer Stevens.
“TRF’s national headquarters is based in Saratoga Springs, yet we rarely have a chance to have our supporters meet our herd in person. Each horse has a unique personality and a story to tell. We hope the community will visit the farm to meet them and come to appreciate and love them as we do,” Stevens continued.
For more information, or to schedule a visit to the TRF Summer Farm, please call the TRF at 518-2260028. Because the farm is a private venue, drop-in visits are prohibited without prior permission.
Photos provided by Saratoga Today Newspaper.
Find out more about racehorse retirement and rehoming in our Retire & Rehome section right here on EIE.
