I started my Winner’s Circle column this season with a story about Patrick Mansfield, the mailman for the several blocks around the racetrack. Just days into the meet Patrick took a bad step on an uneven sidewalk and severely sprained his ankle.
Our “forever fan” had to take six weeks off from work and spent most of August with his foot either elevated or on ice. I called him this morning. He was on his way home from therapy and added these comments.
“I did poorly betting on the computer, you see, I like to look at the horses and pick ones who look good and besides I didn’t get any tips this year.”
In the second week, I wrote about an up-and-coming not-for-profit organization called ACTT Naturally, founded by Valerie Buck. They were readying for their first fundraiser. I attended this event and found it refreshingly different. It was held primarily out of doors and aided by a spectacularly beautiful summer night.
We talk a lot about the diversity in racing and this event displayed it perfectly. What a lot of fun it was to be there with everyone supporting new futures for off-the-track Thoroughbreds. One of those horses actually attended the event. Budder (aka Three Lions) was the star as he is everywhere he goes.
During August, Valerie furnished Graham Motion a stable pony and moved a recently retired horse into her herd from Phil Serpe’s barn. She has another horse from Rick Violette’s barn repurposed and ready to move on to a new home. He’s a handsome gray, quiet-natured, a good mover and doing well over jumps. If you need a horse…
Week three brought out the story about Rebekah Hammond, a Darley rider on the mend from a broken pelvis. The resiliency of youth has Rebekah back at work and about to start galloping again.
Week four got me in trouble of sorts. I wrote about Buddy, the horse that meets everyone from the backside tram tours.
His owner and spokesperson is a teacher and her Connecticut school is back in session. Until Lisa returns for the closing weekend, I’m covering her job. I’m having a ball speaking to up to six groups of interested fans every day. I’ll soon be forgotten, but Buddy—they’ll remember him. He is a special horse and what a thrill it is to see so many kids have an opportunity to touch a noble horse for the first time.
An article on The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame Ball was next. This year’s event will long be remembered for bringing out a table of rising stars.
The closing days of the meet find this group spread from Ireland to universities all around the country. Learn well all of you, and please do bring your gifts back to racing.
Dale Romans’ daughter, Bailey, was one of the 13 young people to attend the ball. I received a quote from her too late for the article, but it’s worth including now: “I was excited to see so many young people at such a prestigious event. It shows the sport that the younger generation really cares about the horse racing industry. I do not know where my career path will go after I graduate college, but I hope that as I get older I will be able to give back to this sport that has given me so many exciting experiences.”
This was the spirit of the entire group. Many of them are carving out careers in the industry and nothing could provide more hope for racing than to see this kind of energy, education and experience bringing new ideas to this sport.
Last week, I scratched the surface of a subject close to my heart—the thrill of winning and how the pain of loss tempers it.
This week, Valerie Buck introduced me to Paul Saylor, a man who knows more than anyone deserves about the pain of loss. Paul’s daughter Olivia was killed in a house fire in Charleston, South Carolina on January 1, 2011. She was 21 years old at the time of her death, an avid animal lover. Thoroughbreds were her passion.
Paul was in Saratoga for the Hall of Fame ceremony and stayed for the races through last week. He was part owner of two-time Eclipse Award winning Ashado. She was inducted into the Hall of Fame on August 8. Olivia had named the filly.
Ashado excelled at the highest levels, winning 11 graded stakes and two divisional Eclipse Awards. Owned by a Starlight Racing partnership headed by Louisville businessman Jack Wolf, Ashado is the first horse trained by future Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Wolf’s partners in Ashado were Paul Saylor and Johns Martin. Ashado retired with a career mark of 21-12-4-3 and earnings of $3,931,440.
Last Sunday, a race was run to honor Fleet Indian, the 2006 champion older female. Paul Saylor owned her, Todd Pletcher trained her and Valerie Buck galloped her. Fleet Indian won all six of her races that year—all stakes—before pulling up with a suspensory injury as the favorite in the Emirates Airline Breeders’ Cup Distaff. Her triumphs included two Grade 1 victories, the Beldame Stakes and Personal Ensign Stakes.
Fleet Indian, who had begun her racing career for Stan E. Fulton, was retired with 13 wins from 19 races and earnings of $1,704,513. The New York-bred Eclipse champion died at Summer Wind Farm in Georgetown, Kentucky from complications of colic on October 1, 2011.
From 2007 through 2010, a four-year college scholarship was awarded in Fleet Indian’s name through The Race for Education to a child of workers in the Thoroughbred industry. The annual scholarship presentation has been made in Saratoga after the Fleet Indian Stakes.
The scholarship and the race were renamed Olivia M. Saylor/Fleet Indian to honor both in 2011.
“The Olivia M. Saylor/Fleet Indian scholarship and race will be continued annually. Both are gone but will not be forgotten,” said Paul Saylor, who raced Fleet Indian.
I spoke with Paul about Olivia after the race named for Fleet Indian.
“She was the youngest of my five children and my most passionate race fan. This race, the Hall of Fame, it all helps to keep her memory alive.”
Paul Saylor is a saint for allowing all of us to remember his beautiful daughter. There are a lot of horses living out their lives because this man honors life and does not let death steal precious memories.
Paul helps to fund horses in the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation (TRF). “Olivia’s Herd” includes the TRF’s horses that are most in need of special care.
“Olivia would have wanted to care for the horses most in need,” said Paul.
