Tasty Caberneigh

[safehorses]

Oh, oh...I want to play! I am kinda bending the rules here, since CANTER NE did all the heavy lifting, but here's my rescue guy:



This is Tasty Caberneigh. Once upon a time he was running in stakes level races. His final record was 56 Starts: 10 - 9 - 10, $326,060.

Here's his link on Pedigree Query:
www.pedigreequery.com/tasty+caberneigh
His sire was a Kentucky Derby winner!

As happens with a lot of mid level and lower level geldings (actually, pretty much any gelding not named Funny Cide or John Henry), Tasty spent many years at the track and his legs were beginning to show the wear and tear. He ended his career at Suffolk Downs near Boston and over the summer it became clear that time was running out on him and he needed to be moved away from the track and sent into retirement. CANTER NE was able to secure him a place with the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation, but they didn't have enough money to buy him. The trainer who had him had had a falling out with the killer buyer at the track, but CANTER didn't want to find out the hard way that they'd kissed and made up. They wanted to get him away from his current situation as quickly as they could. That's where I came in...I sent them the money to buy him. A TRF truck was leaving Suffolk for Kentucky and they wanted to make sure he got on that truck before the trainer changed his mind.

So...now Tasty is livin' large at the Walkill Correctional Facility in KY. My parents think it's very funny that I had a hand in sending a horse to a prison, but it's actually a great place for horses and the horses do a lot to rehabilitate the inmates. I haven't gotten an update on Tasty lately, but last I heard they were not sure if he was going to live life out as a pasture pal or if they thought he could be rehabilitated enough to be somone's riding buddy. Regardless, he's finally gotten the retirement he earned many years ago and he's going to be safe for the rest of his life. I hope to meet him one day.

I want to do this for more horses who need to leave the track...which is why I think the Race Horse Forum is going to be so helpful! Below is a picture of a horse that CANTER NE and CANTER OH are currently working on getting into retirement...his name is Pal Joey and a couple times now CANTER has been led to believe that he would be retired, but he's still running...actually, someone needs to tell that boy to slow down a bit! His purchase price was raised over on COTH...now we just need the trainer to follow thru on her promise to sell him to CANTER as soon as she thinks it's time for him to retire.

[cardicorgi]

That's a great story! Those are some lucky inmates - who was it who said "there's something about the outside of a horse that's good for the inside of man"?

I hope you get to meet him, too.

[dowedoit]

Well I said it before and I'll say it again... I LOFF him! He's a beauty. So, now that COTH has raised the money for the nice little bay, why don't y'all just send him my way. I'll bet Duey would love a buddy. ;D

[safehorses]

Aren't Tasty's dapples purdy? I also love how his blinkers make his ears look...they look like mule ears to me...I want to give them a tug (which I am sure he doesn't want me to do!).

Duey and Joey...has a great ring to it! Joey's last race was okay, nothing spectacular. He was fifth I think and the chart listed him as "never a threat". CANTER had a foster home lined up for him when they thought they could get him a few weeks ago. But he was sold right before they got the cash from COTH, so his new trainer wants to race him "a few more times" and see how he does.

His last two races were a bit better than what he was doing at Suffolk...last or next to last and obviously not a happy camper. I am worried about his legs, so I am watching him via the internet as closely as I can. One of CANTER OH's volunteers works for his trainer on the weekends, so if anything went sideways, CANTER can step in right away. I just hope his legs can take a few more races until the new trainer thinks he's ready for retirement.

This poor guy has had no luck lately...CANTER's been promised twice that his owners wanted to retire him, and twice he's ended up in another racing barn. These lower level barns are a classic for wanting to run an older horse "a few more times" when it's clear the horse has done enough running for one lifetime.