by Nancy Jaffer | May 11, 2024
EquiRatings gave New Zealand’s Tim Price only a 10 percent chance of winning the 5-star MARS Badminton Horse Trials this weekend, but he’s on track to prove them wrong.
On a testing cross-country course designed by Eric Winter, the optimum time of 11 minutes and 19 seconds proved impossible for anyone to make, as was the case in 2023. But Tim, ranked sixth in the world, did well to finish with Vitali on just 0.4 time penalties, jumping clean and moving up two spots from his dressage placing to stand first before show jumping on 31.7 penalties.
Of Vitali, Tim said, “He gave everything he had today – he was just class.”
Looking toward Sunday’s final phase, Tim noted, “His show jumping has been good recently and I think I’ve got a bit of a plan in place. He’s buzzing with fitness and wellness, so hopefully that will help tomorrow, but I’m just going to enjoy it for today.”
Tim Price and Vitali (Photo Badminton Horse Trials)
If he wins, Tim will have achieved what his wife, Jonelle, did in 2018, when she was victorious with Classic Moet. EquiRatings advises that eight of the past 11 winners have been in the top five after dressage.
Tim, who has jumped every 5-star course in the world, won’t rely as yet that tomorrow he will be holding the famous Whitbread trophy. Only six of the last 11 cross-country leaders went on to win the entire event, EquiRatings says, noting less than one in five have jumped clear at Badminton since 2010.
Great Britain’s most veteran William Fox-Pitt, tied for eighth after dressage, is less than a rail behind Tim with 33 penalties. He had a mere 2.4 time penalties added to his dressage score of 30.6. William took one cautious longer route that added a few seconds to his total on the lovely mare Grafennacht.
The master rider has hinted that this will be his last Badminton, and you know he’d like to go out a winner.
Of his mount, he said, “She’s a cracking mare – anyone could ride her; she always says `yes’. She’s not put a foot wrong and is a great old man’s conveyance.
William Fox-Pitt and Grafennacht. (MARS Badminton Horse Trials)
“I was optimistic about today because she has never had a cross-country fault. I did take a long route and circle at the Dew Pond and Tim didn’t, so that serves me right,” added William, who made an amazing comeback from a life-threatening head injury more than eight years ago.
Further back on 37.2 penalties is Ireland’s Lucy Latta, a Badminton first-timer with RCA Patron Saint (such a good name for an event horse who is no trouble on cross-country). Lucy, who works in marketing, had the fastest time of all, coming close to the optimum by one second with just 0.4 penalties and making the leap from equal eighth in dressage (that should sound familiar) to stand on 37.2 penalties. That gives Tim a margin of a rail plus some time over her.
And what of the rider EquiRatings picked as the favorite with a 21 percent chance of winning?
That would be defending champion Ros Canter on Izilot DHI, her 2023 Pau 5-star winner and the leader after dressage. The world number two-ranked rider activated a frangible pin at obstacle 10 jumping into the MARS Badminton Lake, then retired after her horse spooked and ran past the final element. Bummer.
It was also a disappointing day for the U.S., especially since there were such high hopes for Boyd Martin and Tsetserleg after they finished fourth in dressage with 29 penalties. The experienced duo was going well as one of the first rides on course, until…
Let Boyd tell you about it.
“Thomas (as Tsetserleg is known around the barn) started out fantastic. We were humming along, jumping all the hard obstacles early on,” said Boyd, ranked world number three.
And then trouble struck three-quarters of the way around.
It was “a sunken road, which was a skinny down a dip in three strides, up a bank to one stride to a skinny. I had a complete mental breakdown,” he recounted.
“I knew I had to stay out and get square but…I don’t know, we were going pretty fast. We’d done a lot of the harder jumps and I was getting a bit too brave and confident,” he admitted.
Boyd Martin and Tsetserleg at Badminton (Photo Peter Nixon for USEA)
“Unfortunately, I cut my turn and tried to angle this skinny and it was basically a horrible ride. Poor old Thomas didn’t have a moment to see the fence and balance up and jump the jump. We ran off the skinny and I sort of tried to figure out where the alternate was and sort of figured it out.”
But not exactly.
“I crossed my tracks going the alternate way. After that, I was sort of just on survival and got him home safe and sound. It was unbelievable riding here and a tough, tough place to bring an event horse.”
He was given 20 penalties for the run-out and 40 more for crossing his track. Then there were the 25.2 time penalties, making his total 114.2 penalties and putting him in thirty-eighth place among the 41 who finished cross-country.
Good on Boyd for being so honest, as he usually is, and for adding, “Very proud of Thomas. Kicking myself all day for the ride I gave him at one jump. Fingers crossed for tomorrow’s show jumping.” He’s looking for his first completion at Badminton.
Grace Taylor and Game Changer, the best U.S. finisher after cross-country at Badminton. (Peter Nixon for USEA)
The best-placed U.S. rider is the unsung UK-based Grace Taylor with Game Changer, nineteenth on 54.6 penalties and clear over the jumps. She moved up from thirty first place after dressage. After her it’s Tiana Coudray on Cancaras Girl, twenty-sixth, followed by Cosby Green in thirty-second on Copper Beach.
Meghan O’Donahue (Palm Crescent) and Allie Knowles (Morswood) were eliminated after falling.
Click here for results
by Nancy Jaffer | May 10, 2024
The Tewksbury (N.J.) Trail Association and the Tewksbury Historical Society are collaborating next month on their biennial barn tour. Held in even-numbered years, the tour always offers an insight into interesting barns and stables in the picturesque Hunterdon County municipality.
This time, the June 8 tour includes a property where the owners are involved in an innovative regenerative organic method of farming. A two-acre permaculture food forest with 100 plants, trees, shrubs, bushes and grasses is a highlight.
“We’re really excited about this one, just because it’s a little bit different and we’re hoping people will be interested in learning more about this,” said Jeannie Shuster, president of the Tewksbury Trail Association.
She emphasized how important the tour is to the work of the organization that maintains trails throughout the sprawling township.
“Our treasury takes a big bump up on the years that we have the barn tour,” she explained.
“It’s a super-important fundraiser and allows us to get out and do more trail maintenance because of the funds we have in our treasury. Our main goal is keeping the trails clear and marked,” Jeanne noted, saying proceeds may enable purchase of additional equipment for trail clearing.
As a partner in the popular tour, the Historical Society also shares funds that go toward its own projects. Jeannie emphasized how happy TTA is to be able to join the other organization in the presenting the popular tour.
The tour begins at 10 a.m. and ends promptly at 3 p.m.
For tickets, go to tewksburyhistory.net. Look on the left-hand side of the page for the barn tour notice and click there. Tickets purchased in advance are $40 each. On-line sales end at 10 p.m. June 6. Tickets for adults at the gate are $50, but tickets for children 11-18 are $5 each. Children 10 and under are free. Children’s ticket purchases are available only on the day of the event, however.
For more information about the Tewksbury Trail Association, click on https://www.tta-nj.org/
by Nancy Jaffer | May 8, 2024
Oliver Townend, last month’s Kentucky 5-star winner with Cooley Rosalent, is missing out on a chance to make history this week.
With a win at the Burghley 5-star last year and then Kentucky this year, all he would have had to do was win the Badminton 5-star this weekend to collect the $350,000 Rolex Grand Slam prize. Okay, that wasn’t a given, but the horse nicknamed Thomas has a record that made it seem a real possibility.
Oliver Townend and Ballaghmor Class were Kentucky 5-star winners in 2021. (Photo © 2021 by Nancy Jaffer)
Only two riders in history, Pippa Funnell and Michael Jung, have been able to do it. But Oliver won’t be the third, at least this year.
“Absolutely gutted to withdraw Ballaghmor Class from this week’s MARS Badminton Horse Trials,” the British rider reported about his 17-year-old Irish sport horse.
“He had an abscess earlier in the season and consequently missed a couple of runs and gallops. This morning, he went for his final gallop and with the 11.5 mins cross-country course combined with the possible soft ground, we don’t feel he’s at his normal 5-star fitness right now.
Oliver Townend and Ballaghmor Class on their way to winning the Kentucky 5-star in 2021. (Photo © by Nancy Jaffer)
“This is the first time in his career he’s missed a 5-star and with the Rolex Grand Slam of Eventing being at stake (for the third time for me!) and Thomas’s record with 10 top-5 placings at 5-star, 4 of which are from Badminton including twice second place, and his three wins at Burghley and Kentucky, we really hoped he would finally get the Badminton trophy he so badly deserves.
“He’s fit and well, and knowing his huge heart. he’d give us his all, but it’s simply not in his best interest to run this week and his welfare is our top priority.
“Thomas will be rerouted to plan B, but for now, we’d like to give a huge thanks to his owners, our sponsors and our team, who are all equally gutted but support us to make this call to look after our superstar.”
Oliver had two other shots at the Grand Slam and had been itching to make the third time the charm.
“The first time, I nearly killed myself trying to win it,” he recalled about his cross-country fall at Kentucky that landed him in the hospital in 2010.
And that was after he was stranded in Britain by the Icelandic volcano fallout. Desperate to get to Kentucky for the last leg of the Grand Slam after winning Badminton and Burghley, he took a train to Paris, hoping for a connection to Madrid, where the airport was open, but encountered a train strike. He then hopped in a cab and convinced the driver to take him from France to Spain, which cost about $3,000.
His next shot at the Grand Slam also was disappointing, but less traumatic.
“The second time,” he remembered, “I was second at Badminton.”
by Nancy Jaffer | May 6, 2024
It definitely was a longshot.
When Alice Tarjan handed her talented mare, Jane, to her trainer, Marcus Orlob, three months ago, it seemed unlikely the new combination would be among the eight U.S. competitors making the cut for a trip to Europe as part of the Olympic selection procedure.
Yet that is just what happened after the qualifying process ended last weekend at the 3-star TerraNova show in Florida.
This week, Marcus, a naturalized American citizen, heads to his native Germany to work with Jane for a month before the shortlisted U.S. riders face off against each other for the benefit of the team selectors in Hagen, Germany in June.
Marcus Orlob and Jane. (Susan J. Stickle Photography)
“I am excited and looking forward to getting to know the horse better and spend some time training,” said Marcus.
“It was so busy the last couple of weeks, showing, showing, showing. Now I can finally experience a little bit and connect with her more.”
The Annandale, N.J., resident will be in Dusseldorf, where his family has a home, working with former Brazilian team coach Johan Zagers.
“It’s another step. Olympics? I don’t think it’s realistic, but you never know. The horse is doing great and has so much more potential,” he said of the 10-year-old Dutch warmblood (DesperadoXMetall).
While Marcus admitted he “lost his head” and went off-course at one point in his most recent show, “there are moments where I connect with her some more and she got a couple of eights and a nine. There are good moments coming. I am excited for Jane now.”
The talented mare had been trained through the levels by Alice, but because Jane could be strong in the arena, the horse’s owner felt Marcus should work with her. Jane’s first CDI with her new rider was only March 28, two months after Alice was showing her at Intermediate A.
The purpose of going to Europe early is for Jane “to have a couple of easy days and then focus on, hopefully, good training,” Marcus said.
The top eight horse/rider combinations on the U.S. Olympic dressage ranking list announced Monday include three other pairs that are new this year, but veteran Olympian Steffen Peters leads the shortlist roster, as he has throughout the qualifying period with his 2021 Tokyo Games mount, Suppenkasper.
His average for the qualifying period was 73.620 percent to 72.702 for second-place Adrienne Lyle with Helix. Adrienne is also fourth on 72.028 on Lars van de Hoenderheide, behind Endel Ots and Zen Elite’s Bohemian (72.041). They all new pairings.
Adrienne Lyle and Helix. (Susan J. Stickle Photography)
The top eight riders are supposed to go to Europe to prepare for the Olympics, but Adrienne has two horses (both owned by Zen Elite) which moves Marcus up a notch from ninth place (70.761 percent).
Anna Buffini and Fiontini (71.494) are fifth. Like Steffen, Anna is a Californian. Neither she nor Steffen came East to compete this year. Pan American Games individual bronze medalist Anna Marek is number six on the list with Fire Fly (71.040). With the exception of the two Annas and Steffen, the rest of the top group rode in the final qualifying show.
Katherine Bateson-Chandler and Haute Couture (70.979) are seventh overall and Sarah Tubman with First Apple is eighth (70.817).
Endel Ots rides the most celebrated of the three Zen horses, Bohemian, guided to fourth in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics by Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour of Denmark. He capped his campaign with a victory in Terra Nova’s Freestyle, where he was marked at 75.670 percent.
Endel Ots and Bohemian. (Susan J. Stickle Photography)
Appropriately, Endel’s music included a bit of “Bohemian Rhapsody,” It was the first ever international freestyle that the rider had performed. His highest mark for a routine that included a piaffe pirouette on the last centerline was 79.35 percent from judge Christof Umbach at E.
“That was a really fun experience and a little surreal,” said Endel, whose freestyle (which included a little French interlude looking toward Paris) was crafted by his trainer, Albrecht Heidemann and Terry Gallo.
Adrienne won the Special with Lars (71.723), while Marcus was second on 69.872.
Noting that Saturday was a “blistering hot day,” Adrienne commented that while Lars completed his qualifying criteria for the Olympic short list with his Special victory despite the weather, Helix “did the freestyle just as thunderstorms rolled in.” She said “he found the plants blowing in the wind to be quite scary, but still managed to pull off a podium finish and complete his qualifying criteria.”
Helix, who was marked at 72.560 percent, to be third in the freestyle, won the Grand Prix on Friday.
Saying it was time for a big sigh of relief after qualifying criteria were completed, Adrienne thanked Zen’s owner, Heidi Humphries, and her own mentor, Debbie McDonald, as well as her grooms.
Kasey Perry-Glass, who had been a team regular with Doublet, now retired, was second in the freestyle on her new ride, Heartbeat W.P. (72.615).
The Freestyle is a requirement for Olympic candidates, but it doesn’t count in their overall standings. It’s the Grand Prix and the Special, which determines the team medals at the Games. The Freestyle secures individual medals, which are considered less important than team medals in the big picture.
Click here for Olympic dressage ranking list
Click here for TerraNova Grand Prix results
Click here for TerraNova Grand Prix Special results
Click here for TerraNova Freestyle results
by Nancy Jaffer | May 9, 2024
While the riders trying to make the U.S. eventing, show jumping and dressage teams for this summer’s Paris Olympics are getting a lot of attention, the Perrigo U.S. Para Dressage Team also is making an impact, as its riders won the Mannheim, Germany 3-star Para Nations Cup this week.
Polished performances from Kate Shoemaker and Rebecca Hart led the squad for “our largest-ever team score and an average individual percentage of 75.35,” Chef d’Equipe Michel Assouline said.
He warned, however, “We can’t rest on our laurels and don’t want to peak too early either. Careful planning is going into this ahead of our next international in Hagen, Germany next month.”
The U.S. team’s total was 452.199 to Germany’s 443.62 while Austria was third on 433.69. Riding on the U.S. team were Beatrice de Lavalette with Sixth Sense, Rebecca with Floratina, Fiona Howard aboard Diamond Dune and Kate with Vianne, a relatively new mount for her.
Front row: Rebecca Hart, Beatrice de Lavallette and Fiona Howard. Back row: Chef d’equipe Michel Assouline and Kate Shoemaker (Photo by Stefan Lafrentz)
Rebecca and Kate led with exciting scores in both the FEI Para Grand Prix Test A and FEI Para Grand Prix Test B team tests, marking their second consecutive international competition with numbers above 75 percent.
Rebecca was undefeated with Rowan O’Riley and Chloe Gasiorowski’s Floratina, winning both Grade III classes. She was marked at 75.11 percent in Grand Prix Test A and 75 percent in Grand Prix Test B. In her freestyle, Rebecca earned some marks above 80 percent with a final total of 78.84 percent.
Kate and Vianne, owned by NorCordia USA, were first in both Grade IV team classes, earning 76.57 percent in the FEI Para Grand Prix Test A to achieve a personal best, and 75.54 percent in the FEI Para Grand Prix Test B. Their freestyle was marked at 73.58.
Fiona, who first rode for the U.S. in para-dressage in 2022, won in Grade II. She was competing on Diamond Dunes, owned by Dressage Family LLC and Hof Kasselmann, in the FEI Para Grand Prix Test A on Saturday. They were marked at 75.11 percent before finishing with 74.778 percent in the FEI Para Grand Prix Test B, putting Fiona second there. In individual competition, Fiona finished third in the FEI Para Grand Prix Freestyle Grade II
Also competing in Grade II, Beatrice rode her 2022 FEI Para Dressage World Championship partner Sixth Sense, to a 65.40 percent on the first day of competition, and 69.94 percent in the FEI Para Grand Prix Test B for the team. On the mount owned by Elizabeth and Nicolas de Lavalette, she also earned fifth place with her high score of the weekend, a 72.878, in the freestyle.
The FEI Para Dressage World Rankings, which do not include Mannheim, list Kate as number one. Rebecca is fifth on the list and Fiona tenth.
For results, click here, but go to the bottom of the page for the para scoring.
by Nancy Jaffer | Apr 30, 2024
The cross-country course designer for this summer’s Paris Olympics will fill the same role next year for the MARS Maryland 5-star at Fair Hill.
Pierre Le Goupil will succeed retiring course designer Ian Stark in 2025 and stay at least until 2027. Ian was the inaugural designer for the competition, which debuted in 2022.
Pierre Le Goupil. (Shannon Brinkman Photo)
“I am delighted to design for the Maryland 5 Star at Fair Hill starting in 2025, and I am filled with gratitude towards the organizing committee for their trust,” said Pierre.
“It’s a fabulous opportunity for me, and it’s also a great honor to succeed Ian Stark, who in less than three years, has greatly contributed to the event’s reputation.”
The new designer, who is 61 and a former eventer himself, has also been lead course designer for last year’s Pan American Games in Chile and the 2023 FEI European Championships in Haras du Pin, France.
“We’re thrilled that Pierre has agreed to be our cross country course designer starting in 2025 for the MARS Maryland 5 Star at Fair Hill presented by Brown Advisory building upon the incredible foundation that Ian Stark has created through this year,” said Jeff Newman, president and CEO of the Maryland 5-star committee.
“There is no position more important in eventing than the course designer, as it’s paramount both to ensure horse and athlete safety and the entertainment of our fans globally. We’re so fortunate and honored to have two of the very best supporting Maryland as we continue to build upon our legacy as a world-class event at the highest level of the sport.”
Ian is pleased with the choice of his successor, saying, “Upon announcing my retirement, there was obviously going to be a new designer and I’m thrilled for the event that Pierre will be the new man. He has the talent, the imagination and the flair to succeed and I look forward to following his plans for the future of the course.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Apr 29, 2024
This summer’s Paris Olympics was a frequent topic at the Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event, even though the mission of the weekend involved good performances in the 5-star and 4-star competitions. After all, those divisions were a chance to qualify, as well as make an impression and demonstrate the potential of horse/rider combinations for the biggest show of all.
A case in point is 4-star winner Diabolo, who impressed by finishing on his dressage score with Will Coleman in the biggest test of his career.
Diabolo and Will Coleman. (Photo © 2024 by Nancy Jaffer)
Riders had to decide whether to compete their top horses in the 4-star or the 5-star. The Olympics’ cross-country is at 4-star level, so you can understand why so many chose that route at Kentucky. Others, including likely members of the British team, didn’t want to forego the opportunity to make their mark at a 5-star.
I had a chance to chat with U.S. Chef D’equipe Bobby Costello about how things look at this point on the Paris perspective for American efforts and he told me that while we know “the horses that are available today, it’s a long time to the Olympics, and we may lose one or two.”
Both Will Coleman’s Chin Tonic and Tamie Smith’s 2023 Kentucky 5-star winner Mai Baum, who had been entered in the 4-star, did not compete due to physical issues. Each will be evaluated when their riders get home and come up with a plan for how they progress.
But Bobby advised, “Both of those are still such unknowns no one should get too excited or too worried today. So we can’t freak out because we actually still have really, really good depth. I think we have to stay positive.”
At the same time, he cautioned, “You have to keep building on it. Who knows what the next couple of months will bring?
“It is still so competitive for that Olympic team,” Bobby noted, saying “One good phase isn’t enough to get someone on the team.”
Following final selection trials at the Badminton 5-star and Tryon, N.C., the selectors will choose horses to be examined by USEF veterinarians, then use that report during the selection process.
Candidates will participate in the mandatory outing at Stable View Horse Trials next month to demonstrate continued competitive form and soundness. Three weeks later, the selected group will go to Pennsylvania for a mandatory gallop and veterinary evaluation before heading to the team training camp in France. They go to Versailles, the Olympic venue, July 24. Competition begins July 27.
by Nancy Jaffer | May 5, 2024
The late Debbie Haimowitz will be remembered May 13 in a celebration of her life at the U.S. Equestrian Team Foundation in Gladstone, N.J. Everyone who knew her is invited to attend, and asked to bring their best stories about her.
The open house runs from 1-8 p.m., with speakers beginning at 4 p.m. An RSVP is required by May 7. Call Jonna Gaston at 845-893-2364 or email her at jonnagaston@gmail.com.
Deb Haimowitz
Debbie, who died of cancer in February, was “an extraordinary person whose determination to teach us surpassed even our own expectations, a human who wouldn’t let the student quit until they felt or understood even a mere second, a moment, of a concept,” Jonna commented.
“Deb’s perseverance both on and off a horse was exceptional in a patient, kind and feeling manner, she continued to coax you to another level you didn’t know was possible.”
by Nancy Jaffer | May 3, 2024
Saturday’s Kentucky Derby had a stellar line-up, with the likes of $2.3 million yearling purchase Sierra Leone, erratic but brilliant Fierceness and undefeated Japanese star Forever Young, not to mention 17 other contenders. It’s the one day of the year when even people who normally don’t care about horse racing actually do care about horse racing.
But the question was, would the 150th anniversary of the iconic race go down in history as one of the 10 Best Kentucky Derbies?
That’s the title of a new book from the staff and correspondents of The Blood Horse recounting the most memorable runs for the roses. This iconic race, replete with mint juleps and tradition, has many stories to tell.
And yes, you can add another chapter to this volume, and consider changing the name to the 11 Best Kentucky Derbies.
Not only was there a three-way, almost-too-close-to-call at first sight photo finish, but the winning trainer and jockey achieved a memorable double. The day before taking the Derby with Mystik Dan, conditioner Kenny McPeek and rider Brian Hernandez won the Kentucky Oaks with Thorpedo Anna.
In the Derby, Dan nosed out Sierra Leone and Forever Young in a memorable stretch duel. It’s one that won’t soon be forgotten.
What a finish–Sierra Leone, Forever Young and Mystik Dan.
While you’re in the mood to consider Derbies past and present, this book about the best of those races offers not only cherished memories, but also little-known facts abut the most famous Derby winners. Even those of us who really follow racing will discover untold tales and relish reminders of greatness while leafing through its pages.
You can probably guess that the number one story is “The Legend of Big Red” — who else but Secretariat 51 years ago, at the first stop on his way to Triple Crown glory. (That’s our cover photo).
Before the race, he had been syndicated for more than $6 million. Think what that would be in today’s currency. He had a following, he was a star, he rewrote the record book and is probably the one most people think of when they hear the word “racehorse.” He is best known, of course, for clinching that Triple Crown, a feat many thought might never be accomplished again, because it hadn’t happened since 1948 when Citation swept the Derby, Preakness and Belmont trio.
The immortal Secretariat in full gallop forever.
His great rival, Sham, is part of Sec’s story, and deserves deference for his heartbreaking try against the magnificent champion, so let’s not forget him.
Two years before Secretariat, Canonero II also was a sensation. Who would have thought that a colt who sold for $1,200 due to a crooked front leg would have any potential at all? But he wound up in the barn of trainer Juan Arias, who grew up in the slums of Caracas and slept in horse stalls when he got his first full-time job at the track.
Canonero, named after a type of singing group, won his first race in Venezuela and came to Del Mar in the U.S., where he showed promise but bad luck meant he didn’t get sold and went back to South America. The story of how he finally got nominated to the Derby is worth reading, as well as the saga of subsequent trials and tribulations. not to mention his come-from-behind triumph.
Talk about an underdog (underhorse?) He was a real horse of the people.
The “Bad Dream Derby” demonstrated that nightmares can come true, unfortunately. You’ve heard of most of the field in the 1957 Run for the Roses: Bold Ruler, Gallant Man and Round Table. Iron Liege, however was not a household name.
But he wound up the winner when the great jockey, Willie Shoemaker, misread the finish line and stood up in the stirrups aboard Gallant Man, enabling Iron Liege to cross the finish line first. In an eerie twist, Gallant Man’s owner, Ralph Lowe, had a dream two days before the Derby in which that’s exactly what happened.
Trainer John Nerud heard the nightmare story and repeated it to the jockey the night before the Derby, emphasizing to the legendary Shoemaker that he should “Ride past the wire.” When the dream became reality, one has to wonder if the power of suggestion had something to do with the misadventure.
Bill Hartack was all smiles on the way to the winner’s circle aboard Iron Liege. (Skeeets Meadors photo)
There are plenty of other tales worth telling in this volume. It’s as good an accessory for future Derby days as the all-important hat (or that julep). There’s Regret, the first filly to win the Derby in 1915, the long-tailed Whirlaway in 1941 and Alysheba, a determined winner who astounded the crowd when he amazingly recovered from a stumble to take the trophy in 1987. And we can’t forget that longshot of longshots, 2022 winner Rich Strike.
Rich Strike
So who do you like in the 2024 Derby? Will the winner’s story become a conversation piece that morphs into another memorable addition to Derby history? Let’s hope it’s a tale worth telling, and remembering.
If you want the book, click here for a link to buy it.
by Nancy Jaffer | May 1, 2024
The historic Potomac Horse Center in Maryland, which trained generations of horsemen and women, is closing this summer. stating it was unable to renegotiate its 1993 lease.
The 60-acre property is owned by the Maryland-National Capital Parks and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC), which made the renewal contingent on PHC raising $3 million to $5 million to improve the infrastructure, with no assurance that PHC would be permitted to remain on the property, Potomac’s Nancy Novograd announced in a letter explaining the closure.
She explained, “PHC simply cannot ask our clients to pay for and invest in a rapidly deteriorating infrastructure that PHC does not own,” saying the terms of the lease are unsustainable under current economic conditions.”
PHC pays M-NCPPC a monthly base rent for use of the facilities plus a percentage of PHC’s net and gross income.
Additionally, PHC pays for capital improvements, repairs and maintenance of M-NCPPC’s property. Income from the lesson program also goes to veterinary care, farrier services, hay and grain for the horses; utilities, payroll, insurance, farm equipment maintenance, fuel, and tack.
“It has become nonviable for our programs to cover the increasingly higher and higher costs of the rapidly aging infrastructure, let alone allow PHC to build up the $3 million to $5 million required by M-NCPPC toproceed with negotiations,” Nancy said.
The closing is effective July 22, but lessons will continue through June 16.
Asked for comment, Maryland-National Capital Parks and Planning Commission responded that Potomac Horse Center, “a private business, recently notified Montgomery Parks of its intent to end its lease with Montgomery Parks.
“Since its lease began in 1993, PHC has been contractually responsible for all maintenance and capital improvements at the facility. However, structural assessments performed by an outside expert in the fall of 2023 showed major life safety and structural concerns on site.
“Montgomery Parks requested that PHC develop a plan to fund the necessary repairs and maintain a viable equestrian operation. However, PHC instead notified Montgomery Parks of its intent to cease operations and vacate the property. In the near term, Montgomery Parks will take steps to address immediate safety issues on the site,” the statement concluded.
Potomac Horse Center was founded in the late 1950s by F.G. “Stretch” Harting. News that it will not continue was greeted with sorrow by the many friends and graduates of PHC.
In an online posting, Diana Barnes said, “Betty Howett and Colette Stevens came with Porlock Vale experience in the UK, and modeled HorseMasters after the British course of study.”
PHC “Classed-up and stepped up our equine knowledge, `American’ dressage, and style of riding, not to mention improved equine care, both physically and psychologically.”
In another post, Suzanne Crowell stated, “The horse center was particularly important to those of us who had our intro to dressage there. Other than Morven Park there was really nowhere else in the ‘70s. It was instrumental in the accelerated development of the sport in the U.S. The quality of instruction and horses for a large operation was unsurpassed. The everyday clientele were women who worked for a living to support their horse habit.
“I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the job market for women expanded dramatically then, such that women could support themselves with better-paid jobs and had some money left over.”
On June 17, 2024, all assets, including school horses, are available for sale to approved homes, by appointment only. Starting immediately, prospective buyers can try the horses and see everything that is for sale. The horses and equipment needed for daily use will remain on the property through June 16.
However, individuals may immediately purchase all other assets, including surplus tack and farm equipment. PHC will accept cash or certified funds only, but no personal checks and cannot arrange payment plans.
The Potomac Horse Center main number will not be fielding sales calls or making appointments. For inquiries, those interested may call (240) 614-3834.
