I Had No Idea, part one Affirmed
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I fell in love with our nations last Triple Crown winner Affirmed - well after his race career. I was old enough but didn't quite comprehend big time racing. I thought the big horses were running at McGee Park in Farmington, New Mexico. We even took a family vacation from New Mexico to Hodgenville, KY that year to visit my uncle's family. (side bar: My Uncle James grew up in Kentucky and met my Aunt Alice and my Mom while they all worked for the FBI - not kidding - in Washington, D.C.) My Dad took a road trip with some people to Lexington to see the farms and stuff - I didn't go because I wanted to play. I didn't even get what Lexington was at that time. I never regret anything I've done because I always find that to be a pathetic waste - I stick by the decisions I have made throughout my life - however, I do WISH (I don't regret - get it straight now) that I had made the trip that day. I would have been sucked into this awesome world even earlier I assume.
Affirmed - the last Triple Crown winner and one of only Eleven. That is a big deal folks. Why did he become one of my top three favorite Thoroughbreds of all time? First off - I learned most of what I knew of Affirmed early on from my Father. He taught me all about him and talked of him with great respect. So when I started paying more attention to the national level - I found myself searching to find Affirmed . You have to remember that back then we still only had three television channels for me to watch - so it wasn't like news of his retirement made it to my little spot in the Four Corners. I started reading an old BloodHorse that belonged to my Dad it was the issue with Genuine Risk winning the Kentucky Derby - I wonder what we did with that? Anyway - I found the Spendthrift Farm ad that listed Affirmed's name on their stallion roster and began to write.
I didn't know any better - so I addressed my letter to Leslie Combs II the owner of Spendthrift Farm. I asked all kinds of questions and believe it or not - one day I went to our P.O. Box and there was a large envelope from Spendthrift Farm. Now if you're in the business and you're thinking - big deal - anyone and everyone got a large envelope at one time or another from any farm. What you need to do right now is imagine yourself not associated with anything this great. Imagine being a pre-teen kid living in Anywhere USA just starting to dream about horse racing. So I ran out of the Post Office (btw it was so cool to be given the key to the box and walk in there like it was my very own P.O. Box - I wish I could thank my Mom for that now) with the mail and sat in the front seat of my Mom's white Chrysler - I still remember the red velvet like seats on my legs (I was wearing shorts).
I remember telling her with great excitement that Spendthrift sent me something. It was addressed to Mr. Billy Huntington- I was a Mr! That's like grown up stuff (I've yet to become a grown up really). I opened it to find a the full color 1982 stallion brochure, and my letter. They had sent it back to me (it was hand-written in pencil by me on notebook paper). I was at first hurt - until I realized that someone took the time to answer every question - they wrote the answers in pen in the margins. They even answered questions that were not related to Spendthrift at all - to tell me that Cougar II was at Stone Farm. Can you believe that? Who does that? Does anyone anymore?
I opened the brochure with a young Seattle Slew on the cover and read the Tradition of Excellence letter about their 1981 season from Brownell Combs II. I had to read it five times to comprehend all it said. Pausing over this sentence: Affirmed, whose first foals will reach the yearling sales next year; There it was Affirmed's name. There is still a wee little pen mark where I had touched his name. On the following page was the Stallion Roster - with a head shot of Slew and of some stallion named Caro (I couldn't take my eyes off him). I didn't even know who these stallions were but I hung on their names, Bold Hour, Dewan Keys (what does that mean?), Exclusive Native (!!!!!!! that's Affirmed's Dad!), Grey Legion (wow he's by Secretariat), Nashua (I'd heard that name - I know it), Raise a Native (that's Affirmed's grandpa - wow all the good ones are here!), Valdez (I go to school with a kid with that last name). I was flabbergasted at the stud fees. They were so big compared to stallions in our state. I would soon understand that difference.
Next was two pages of Spendthrift sired runners. Once again horses I'd never heard of but felt like they should be important to me now - because Spendthrift wanted me to see their pictures. I wasn't so naive that I thought they put this together especially for me - I knew it was mass produced and probably many breeders out there got one - but for me a 12-year-old kid in Bloomfield, NM that owned one little Quarter Horse foal named Risky Raidette - to get this brochure and a letter - I felt so honored. I couldn't wait to show my Dad. The horses were the likes of Ringaro, winner of the Flash S., Willow Hour, winner of the Travers S., Syncopate, the Bing Crosby H. winner, and Lillian Russell, winner of the Cleopatra H. I hadn't a clue at what those names or those races were supposed to be about - but I took them all in.
By now we were home and I was on the couch ignoring everything reading my brochure. I was in heaven when I turned to the pages of Raise a Native's dynasty. I was finally seeing photos of Affirmed . The horse my Dad loved. Plus I was seeing his sire and grandsire for the first time. They were no longer just names they had color and markings and I was in awe of the men standing them up for the photos. How lucky those men must feel. On theses pages were insets of other sons and grandsons - Majestic Prince, Princely Native, Native Royalty and Valdez. Breathtaking to me - all of them.
Next was a page with their breeding shed information and a picture of a man leading a stallion down the path. Then onto pages about the Spendthrift Training Centers in Kentucky and Florida. The KY division is now The Thoroughbred Center. There is an inset of three yearling fillies that I soon would find to be superbly bred - Secretariat-*Lianga; Seattle Slew-Allez France (her first live foal y'all) and Northern Dancer-*Madelia. I had no idea how great the dams of these fillies were on the track.
Finally I turn the page to find Affiliate on the left and Affirmed on the right. So much information - I didn't even know what I was reading to be honest. I read it all though. I read every page of that brochure. The intro paragraph for each stallion, the race record, the sire record, the male line the female line, the box with the five generations - (oh wow I see Man o'War - that excited me greatly - I'd read that book in the 5th grade by Walter Farley), the owner line with stud fee. There were 44 stallions at Spendthrift in 1982. I knew everything about all of them.
I will add that I wrote letters to several other big name farms - and got responses from them all - but Spendthrift's willingness to respond to me started a giant love affair with this industry. I still have all the responses over the years that I got back from Spendthrift. I have every brochure, every newsletter and I cherish them to this day - just now opening the first one to relive that moment in my youth actually gave me chills and I even got a little teary eyed (if you know me - that's not a shocker - big ass cry baby that I can be). It was really special to me - and I owe a lot of my love of Affirmed and numerous other horses - like *Caro to being included and informed by those that put these items together. I had no idea when I read these that one day I would be here. I had no idea that I would one day take the Secretariat-Lianga daughter to the sale ring as a broodmare while working for Three Chimneys Farm. I had no idea that I would meet and be asked to take horses to the ring for John Williams who managed Spendthrift. who I had no idea that I would one day put together information during the sales for Padraig Campion - the man showing Affirmed in the brochure. I had no idea that I would one day work for Jonabell Farm and be able to visit Affirmed time and time again in their stallion barn and work on a 20 year anniversary celebration. Spendthrift had no idea that they helped put a kid on this path.
Tell me what got you to this industry - whether it was because you were born in it - or because you had some experience like mine.
I Had No Idea, part two - tomorrow
I fell in love with our nations last Triple Crown winner Affirmed - well after his race career. I was old enough but didn't quite comprehend big time racing. I thought the big horses were running at McGee Park in Farmington, New Mexico. We even took a family vacation from New Mexico to Hodgenville, KY that year to visit my uncle's family. (side bar: My Uncle James grew up in Kentucky and met my Aunt Alice and my Mom while they all worked for the FBI - not kidding - in Washington, D.C.) My Dad took a road trip with some people to Lexington to see the farms and stuff - I didn't go because I wanted to play. I didn't even get what Lexington was at that time. I never regret anything I've done because I always find that to be a pathetic waste - I stick by the decisions I have made throughout my life - however, I do WISH (I don't regret - get it straight now) that I had made the trip that day. I would have been sucked into this awesome world even earlier I assume.
Affirmed - the last Triple Crown winner and one of only Eleven. That is a big deal folks. Why did he become one of my top three favorite Thoroughbreds of all time? First off - I learned most of what I knew of Affirmed early on from my Father. He taught me all about him and talked of him with great respect. So when I started paying more attention to the national level - I found myself searching to find Affirmed . You have to remember that back then we still only had three television channels for me to watch - so it wasn't like news of his retirement made it to my little spot in the Four Corners. I started reading an old BloodHorse that belonged to my Dad it was the issue with Genuine Risk winning the Kentucky Derby - I wonder what we did with that? Anyway - I found the Spendthrift Farm ad that listed Affirmed's name on their stallion roster and began to write.
I didn't know any better - so I addressed my letter to Leslie Combs II the owner of Spendthrift Farm. I asked all kinds of questions and believe it or not - one day I went to our P.O. Box and there was a large envelope from Spendthrift Farm. Now if you're in the business and you're thinking - big deal - anyone and everyone got a large envelope at one time or another from any farm. What you need to do right now is imagine yourself not associated with anything this great. Imagine being a pre-teen kid living in Anywhere USA just starting to dream about horse racing. So I ran out of the Post Office (btw it was so cool to be given the key to the box and walk in there like it was my very own P.O. Box - I wish I could thank my Mom for that now) with the mail and sat in the front seat of my Mom's white Chrysler - I still remember the red velvet like seats on my legs (I was wearing shorts).
I remember telling her with great excitement that Spendthrift sent me something. It was addressed to Mr. Billy Huntington- I was a Mr! That's like grown up stuff (I've yet to become a grown up really). I opened it to find a the full color 1982 stallion brochure, and my letter. They had sent it back to me (it was hand-written in pencil by me on notebook paper). I was at first hurt - until I realized that someone took the time to answer every question - they wrote the answers in pen in the margins. They even answered questions that were not related to Spendthrift at all - to tell me that Cougar II was at Stone Farm. Can you believe that? Who does that? Does anyone anymore?
I opened the brochure with a young Seattle Slew on the cover and read the Tradition of Excellence letter about their 1981 season from Brownell Combs II. I had to read it five times to comprehend all it said. Pausing over this sentence: Affirmed, whose first foals will reach the yearling sales next year; There it was Affirmed's name. There is still a wee little pen mark where I had touched his name. On the following page was the Stallion Roster - with a head shot of Slew and of some stallion named Caro (I couldn't take my eyes off him). I didn't even know who these stallions were but I hung on their names, Bold Hour, Dewan Keys (what does that mean?), Exclusive Native (!!!!!!! that's Affirmed's Dad!), Grey Legion (wow he's by Secretariat), Nashua (I'd heard that name - I know it), Raise a Native (that's Affirmed's grandpa - wow all the good ones are here!), Valdez (I go to school with a kid with that last name). I was flabbergasted at the stud fees. They were so big compared to stallions in our state. I would soon understand that difference.
Next was two pages of Spendthrift sired runners. Once again horses I'd never heard of but felt like they should be important to me now - because Spendthrift wanted me to see their pictures. I wasn't so naive that I thought they put this together especially for me - I knew it was mass produced and probably many breeders out there got one - but for me a 12-year-old kid in Bloomfield, NM that owned one little Quarter Horse foal named Risky Raidette - to get this brochure and a letter - I felt so honored. I couldn't wait to show my Dad. The horses were the likes of Ringaro, winner of the Flash S., Willow Hour, winner of the Travers S., Syncopate, the Bing Crosby H. winner, and Lillian Russell, winner of the Cleopatra H. I hadn't a clue at what those names or those races were supposed to be about - but I took them all in.
By now we were home and I was on the couch ignoring everything reading my brochure. I was in heaven when I turned to the pages of Raise a Native's dynasty. I was finally seeing photos of Affirmed . The horse my Dad loved. Plus I was seeing his sire and grandsire for the first time. They were no longer just names they had color and markings and I was in awe of the men standing them up for the photos. How lucky those men must feel. On theses pages were insets of other sons and grandsons - Majestic Prince, Princely Native, Native Royalty and Valdez. Breathtaking to me - all of them.
Next was a page with their breeding shed information and a picture of a man leading a stallion down the path. Then onto pages about the Spendthrift Training Centers in Kentucky and Florida. The KY division is now The Thoroughbred Center. There is an inset of three yearling fillies that I soon would find to be superbly bred - Secretariat-*Lianga; Seattle Slew-Allez France (her first live foal y'all) and Northern Dancer-*Madelia. I had no idea how great the dams of these fillies were on the track.
Finally I turn the page to find Affiliate on the left and Affirmed on the right. So much information - I didn't even know what I was reading to be honest. I read it all though. I read every page of that brochure. The intro paragraph for each stallion, the race record, the sire record, the male line the female line, the box with the five generations - (oh wow I see Man o'War - that excited me greatly - I'd read that book in the 5th grade by Walter Farley), the owner line with stud fee. There were 44 stallions at Spendthrift in 1982. I knew everything about all of them.
I will add that I wrote letters to several other big name farms - and got responses from them all - but Spendthrift's willingness to respond to me started a giant love affair with this industry. I still have all the responses over the years that I got back from Spendthrift. I have every brochure, every newsletter and I cherish them to this day - just now opening the first one to relive that moment in my youth actually gave me chills and I even got a little teary eyed (if you know me - that's not a shocker - big ass cry baby that I can be). It was really special to me - and I owe a lot of my love of Affirmed and numerous other horses - like *Caro to being included and informed by those that put these items together. I had no idea when I read these that one day I would be here. I had no idea that I would one day take the Secretariat-Lianga daughter to the sale ring as a broodmare while working for Three Chimneys Farm. I had no idea that I would meet and be asked to take horses to the ring for John Williams who managed Spendthrift. who I had no idea that I would one day put together information during the sales for Padraig Campion - the man showing Affirmed in the brochure. I had no idea that I would one day work for Jonabell Farm and be able to visit Affirmed time and time again in their stallion barn and work on a 20 year anniversary celebration. Spendthrift had no idea that they helped put a kid on this path.
Tell me what got you to this industry - whether it was because you were born in it - or because you had some experience like mine.
I Had No Idea, part two - tomorrow
Well three Triple Crown winners in the 1970s certainly did not hurt in getting me into the sport. I always watched all three of those races. My mom was more into horse racing than my dad, so that was interesting. She had attended a couple of Derbies and we always had Derby glasses in the house. I don't remember Secretariat's run--I was five then--but I heard all the stories and later saw all the highlights.
I remember Slew and, of course, Affirmed. Affirmed had a big Cincinnati connection because of "The Kid" Steve Cauthen. The whole city pulled for that horse. The 70s was a great time to be a kid in Cincinnati. The Reds were the best team in baseball and now we had a Triple Crown winner--in a way. As a lot we were probably pretty cocky.
My friends and I would discuss the TC races, not as a betting angle--we were kids--just general interest in the horses.
I'm not sure how many people realize that Cincinnati is a pretty big racing town. I think it's the smallest city that essentially has two tracks: River Downs and Turfway--Latonia back in those days.
My best friend's grandfather trained some horses on a general circuit of Beulah, River Downs and Turfway Park. Just after I got out of college, he would give us a call when he had a good one running. We'd hang out with him at the track. He'd tell us about all the jocks, the winners, the hard workers, the losers, the flakes.
Good times.
At that time, I got into betting on the horses. Still, the most enjoyable gambling puzzle I've ever found. I've been turned off of late because of some choices that are being made on the pari-mutuel end of things but I still love the puzzle of it all.
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