Celebrating Old Friends: Stories from Kentucky's Thoroughbred Retirement Farm

by Michael Blowen (Introduction)

Overview

Over the last decade Old Friends, the Thoroughbred Retirement Facility in Georgetown, KY, has put a new face on the concept of equine aftercare.

When Michael Blowen first dreamed of creating Old Friends, he envisioned a place where Thoroughbred stallions could retire with dignity following their racing or breeding careers. He also wanted people to visit the iconic horses.

In 2003, Old Friendsopened on leased land with a miniature horse named Little Silver Charm, a gelding named Invigorate and a mare named Narrow Escape. Today, the two-hundred-plus-acre farm in Georgetown has more than 160 retired Thoroughbred stallions, geldings and mares, including two Kentucky Derbywinners. It even welcomed two satellite farms, one in New York and one at Kentucky Downsracetrack.

In his follow-up to History of Old Friends, Rick Capone revisits the unforgettable history of this horse retirement home.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781467137836
Publisher:	Arcadia Publishing SC
Publication date:	10/09/2017
Series:	Sports
Pages:	176
Sales rank:	1,141,776
Product dimensions:	5.70(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Rick Capone has been a writer since the mid-1980s, working as a technical writer at IBM, an editor/writer for a number of online publications and as the editor of Coaching Volleyball magazine for the American Volleyball Coaches Association. He is currently the sports editor for the Woodford Sun, a weekly newspaper in Versailles, Kentucky, just down the road from Keeneland. In addition, he is a freelance writer and has been published in a number of horse racing publications, both online and in print. This is his second published book. His first book, The History of Old Friends: A Retirement Home for Thoroughbreds, was also published by The History Press in 2014. He lives in Woodford County, Kentucky, with his cat, Rascal, and is the co-owner of a beautiful retired Thoroughbred at Old Friends, Miss Hooligan.

Table of Contents

Foreword Mary Simon 7

Acknowledgements 9

Introduction Michael Blowen 11

1 Silver Charm 13

2 Touch Gold 21

3 War Emblem 25

4 Sarava 30

5 Charismatic 33

6 Game On Dude 38

7 Amazombie 44

8 Alphabet Soup 44

9 Eldaafer 48

10 Tinners Way 53

11 Genuine Reward 56

12 Bonapaw 63

13 Little Mike 68

14 King Congie 70

15 Thornfield 74

16 Geldings and Mares 77

17 Gone but Not Forgotten: Main Farm 86

18 Old Friends at Cabin Creek 104

19 Gone but Not Forgotten: Cabin Greek 115

20 Old Friends at Kentucky Downs 120

21 People of Old Friends 125

22 Out of the Ashes 136

23 Catching Up with Little Silver Charm 141

Epilogue. The Future Is Bright for Old Friends 143

Notes 145

Index 155

About the Author 159

Editorial Reviews

"I imagine that this book would serve well as a companion volume to bring home after a tour, helping to illustrate and remind the reader about the horses he or she met in person. Even without a farm tour, however, this book is a lovely reminder of the good work that Old Friends is doing for all Thoroughbreds, not only by offering retirement for the horses calling it home but raising awareness for all.Accompanied by black and white as well as color photographs, Celebrating Old Friends should be a winner for any horse racing fan or Thoroughbred enthusiast." Horse Nation

From the Publisher