![]() They do not want to see them end up at an auction or with an unskilled rider so they work with people who know how to retrain and place off-the-track Thoroughbreds (OTTBs). Good owners and trainers take care to place their horses when they are done racing. They were retired while still young and sound for other careers. They retired to their owners’ farms instead of filtering down to the bottom tier tracks to race–until they couldn’t. So what happens to racehorses when they are retired?Īmos and Andy are two of the lucky ones. Not a real impressive racing career.ĭetroit Iron (Andy), finally a winner at age four He retired to his breeder’s farm in Lexington with career winnings of $13,923–one win, one second and four thirds in 15 races. He raced several more times in Virginia and moved on to Maryland where he finished his racing career sound and in good health. He finally won his first race, as a 4-year-old. He raced on the Polytrack and did not like the surface, beating just one horse, then raced once at Indiana Downs before traveling east to the turf of Colonial Downs in Virginia. A change of track and trainer took Andy to Florida where he moved up in class from $11,000 maiden claiming races to a $16,000 maiden claiming on the turf.Īndy liked the warm weather and the turf, finishing third with better comments of “some late interest.” He raced a couple more times in Florida before returning to Keeneland in Kentucky. He finished seventh out of nine horses in his first race with a comment of “failed to respond.” In his next race he finished a milquetoast sixth out of eight. His owner recognized that Amos was not happy with his job and started looking for a third career for the still-sound, now 7-year-old gelding.Īndy, the dark grey colt, also went into training but at Turfway Park instead of Churchill Downs–kind of like a baseball player dropping down to the minors before proving himself and moving up to the majors. He enjoyed his life as a pony horse for several years until the pounding of the young horses on his stout frame made Amos wish for another career. ![]() Each day he led the trainer’s more famous Thoroughbreds, including $2 million winner Brass Hat and Breeders’ Cup champion female sprinter Groupie Doll, to races that were worth a lot more per race than Amos had won in all of his 18 races. He embarked upon a second career as a pony horse for the same trainer, eventually becoming the best pony horse ever at Churchill Downs. He came off the track age four, sound and ready for a new job. Seventeen more races added just one second and one third to his race record, and with only $12,210 in total earnings, it was decided that Amos should be retired. It took four starts before he finished first. His first race was as a 2-year-old at Churchill Downs. Soon Amos was at Churchill Downs learning to become a racehorse under the watchful eye of the experienced trainer. Although the trainer was partial to greys, he chose to partner with the breeder on Amos to train for racing. A well respected trainer came by to check out the two young thoroughbreds. Their breeder nicknamed the grey Andy and the chestnut Amos.Īmos and Andy played in the bluegrass of their old Kentucky home until it was time to begin training for careers as racehorses when they were late yearlings. There were only two foals born on this farm in 2006 and they were the best of buddies. When Thoroughbred foals are born, before they have their official racing names, they usually get nicknamed by their handlers at the farm. But these two foals were bred to become racehorses. The chestnut had four white socks and a big blaze down his face–the kind of chrome that is flashy in the show ring. The dark colt was from a beautiful grey mare and was destined to become a gorgeous dappled grey–the kind of horse that everyone wants to own. There were two foals born on the small breeder’s farm that year: a very dark grey colt and a chestnut colt. I want to share a story about two Thoroughbred horses born in Lexington, Ky. Elizabeth Wood of Bits & Bytes Farm shares the story of their unlikely reunion. ![]() Amos and Andy were best buddies as foals, but their racing careers sent them down separate paths.
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