His name is Lake Pleasant, a 5 year old bay gelding who will probably end up right at 16 hands. 22 starts, 4 to place, 3 first (one this year), earnings just over $45k. He's at Churchill Downs right now and will come to us from his trainer, who is also part owner. This is the part where I tell you all about how professional I was talking to this trainer on the phone, while he's standing in the stands at Churchill Downs with a track announcer and crowds cheering behind him, talking racehorses. Yeah right. I was slightly starstruck. Let's just say it's a good thing he couldn't see my face while we were discussing race training techniques and rehab.
When you look at his pedigree, Lake Pleasant is a rock star with Seattle Slew by way of his Grand-sire, the famous A.P. Indy. Secretariat is also on both sides in addition to a double dose of my beloved Native Dancer (including a straight mix of Dancer and Secretariat blood) on his Dam's side.
He's a looker too with his socks and blaze. I imagine he's going to charm his way into a second career easily. Lake is leaving racing due to minor complications from an injury, he suffered a conylar fracture (very common injury to young racehorses) to his right ankle a few years ago. Surgery placed screws in the ankle and he recovered, raced, and won again on that leg.
Unfortunately track life is a little too hard on him now and after full work outs he pulls up lame for a day or two. The trainer tells me that a little hand walking and he's back to 100% sound moving again. The x-rays taken as recently as yesterday show nothing except a few signs of arthritis and no one can really find a reason why he is coming up lame. The track vet recommends a few months off to allow it to calcify a little more, possibly reducing flexibility in the joint, but leaving him sound to move and work under saddle for a lot of years. Lake Pleasant won't need the pounding on that leg that a show jumping horse takes, though the Dressage world may need to watch out for him with his good looks and flashy chrome.
He hasn't been on turn-out with other horses since he was a yearling. Most of the usual questions you would ask about a horse, "does he get along with other horses? is he bossy? Does he challenge fence-lines?" Can't be answered because nobody really knows. It'll be interesting to see how he handles life here with a bossy gray mare and a quiet old Arab once he's well enough for full turnout.
His trainer describes him as spirited with a dose of playfulness and adds that there isn't a mean bone in his body. Lake Pleasant has no vices, not even stall weaving, and should be arriving once the vans of horses begin packing up from Kentucky and heading to Ocala, FL for the winter. Turns out Seven Hearts is in a prime location for an OTTB turnover spot, we're right by the interstate that all the racehorses travel twice a year between KY and FL.
1 comment:
Welcome Lake Pleasant.
Post a Comment