Who was your first horse ?

[LUCPARK]

Post’m up
 

[Illegal Larry]

My first whore was a neighborhood tramp named Betsey. She slept around alot but dang was she good when I bought her a rok of crack one night. Blowing and sliding for 3 hours. Great whore

[rainman2]

Actually 20 years ago today 4-23-2004, I convinced my girlfriend to claim our first horse Allamerican Fancy [Big Towner-Fancy Nancy-Nihilator] at Pompano Park.  Claiming price was $4800 + 6% sales tax and title USTA of $ 33 = $5121.  I will never forget the experience walking through the catwalk up to the judge's office to drop in the claim.  After dropping the claim, back down the catwalk and the 6th floor.  Before heading down the elevator, I walked into the restroom with dry heaves trying to puke to no avail.  A great experience and still stayed in the business 20 years later. 

[Meadow Ford]

Hanging in my office are many pictures.
Two are from the early 1950's.
One is a picture of me sitting on my pony (Pinto).
The other is me sitting on a jog cart and driving my pony.
In the back ground is a horse barn, a dairy barn, and acres of corn.

[TimTimTimbo]

My first horse was 2 time NZ trotter of the year. I leased the horse who had 2 bad legs and was neglected and left to rot in a paddock. I knew it was a project to get him healthy.

It took 3 years to get him to the races. He won his 1st race as a 6yo and won 23 more. I bet $500 to win on him when he faced the best for the 1st time and he went off at 7.85 to 1 and beat NZ's best trotter at the time. I used that 4,500 and purchased him as the lease was 4,000 with a right of purchase.

Only horse in NZ to go faster than the pacers record for 2600 meters at the time.  Broke the trotter's record by 4 seconds and the pacers record by 1/5th of a second.

[polish jola]

Going Guy, we claimed him for $4000 in 1972 from Carmen Alessi, he was claimed back next start for $5000!

[JL52]

In 1988, claimed a $7500 7 YO Aussie pacer at Monticello. Nervous that something would befall him in the race, since one reason to claim was that his driver was horrible. Due to poor speakers in the grandstand, couldn’t clearly hear that I was the new owner, until the trainer told me ( not that it was likely there would be multiple claims entered). Raced decently for almost two years. As a 9 YO, the horse simply lost interest, and I sold him for about $2000.
Continued to own for 30 years till I realized I could get to the first turn faster than they could.

[pylon]

my 1st horse was a mare named Judana...i claimed her for $4000 plus allowances in 1973 at Greenwood in Toronto...she won her 1st start for me with a single shafted sulky...i was a young kid in my early 20.s....got a couple more wins before she got claimed...what a thrill ride....great memories

[Lance]

      I was at the track one day and there was a guy selling a horse for 2 thousand, I scraped every cent I had and bought him.  My folks had a small farm so I turned him out....  scraped some gear together all week and put him in to go...didn't see a harness all week, in the field 24/7.  Goes out and wins by 13 lengths...I'm thinking I got something here. Next week take him to a local training center jogged him all week, trained a trip and in to go....horse was awful, finished 7th. After that he was turned out all the time,  day and night and just raced right out of the field. Won 8 of his next 10 and gets claimed for 8K.  Easy game.  I go see the same guy and he sells me one for $800.  Six starts with him and he never hits the board, I sell him for $500.  Oh well, you win some and loose some. 

[Kirby's Ace]

I have always thought that we over work our horses between races. Meaning jog jog jog and train. I feel it's too much for todays standardbred who races about 22-25 races a year. I also noticed some top trainers give horses way more field time and less jog miles. Once they get a solid foundation under them the less you work them is usually better.

[Frank the Zipper]

Gene Autry's coin-operated "Champion". A nickle a ride!

[Sam R]

Getaway Pick at Monticello. Bought him from George Bailey for trainer James L Bernstein. He was a B-3 pacer. He was 6yo when I bought him and I had him until he was 12. He was a Gene Abbe stud. The guy that I sold him to had a farm in Ohio where he bred old Pick for several years and kept him till he was about 30 years old.

[Illegal Larry]

Post’m up
 

Oh so sorry. I thought the question was who was your first whore. My first horse I was a silent partner with Bea Farber and we claimed her from Jerry Grahman. Her name was Loretta Jane and she was fast as hell. Made good money with her and Bea decided to breed her. She threw a few decent horses but nothing as good as herself.

[SeattleSlew]

1.) First "horse" was a broodmare named Katie L (in partnership with Ben Webster) who was sired by Great Lullwater.  We had a 3 yr. old, a 2 yr. old, 3 stud fees and carried the mare for 3 years before we gave up on her.  Lesson 1 learned.. one cannot get involved in breeding unless you have a "portfolio" amongst which you can spread your risk.  Only real benefit was that one of her get was "double-gaited" and we gave the horse to Lou Miller, who, with his partner Joanne, ran a school for prospective trainers, caretakers etc.  I went there and learned the care of a horse from the bottom up and ultimately would jog him and others.  Nick Sodano learned on that horse!!

2.) First "racehorse" was a trotter named "Archie's Boy" out of Dream of Glory (and a strong producing mare).  He was a money-winner, hard hitting horse who won in fairly high classes at Yonkers, Roosevelt and the Meadowlands and provided great moments, lots of photos and enough cash to then get involved with a stream of trotters through the 80's and 90's and early 2000's.  Almost all were well-bred, bought as "made" horses and won good money.  When I moved out West I gave up ownership, but follow ardently.

[Six Pence]

When I was 14, I purchased my first stamdardbred....h is name was Bewitching Blackie (a name that I always hated as his original name was Keystoner's Boy) He was only five but was
pulling a buggy and had gotten too sore to get to church and back.  He had two bows and blind jacks and the guy was going
to send him to the kill pen. I asked the Amishman how much he
thought that the horse weighed.  He said 800 pounds and I could see that he weighed closer to a thousand pounds.  Kill price was 8 cents a pound at the time so I told him I would give
him $64 and he could save the trucking bill that he would incur
sending him to the auction.  I blistered, rubbed, and bandaged
that horse and ended up racing him at the fairs where he earned around $1500. I sold him in the fall for $650 to another
trainer. How easy was that ?  Needless to say I was hooked and sixty five years later, I still have the addiction.