In the Winners Circle~

Watching the filly win the Preakness stakes brought back some memories for me. This memory took me all the way to 1973, yes it was a very long time ago, in a place far from here that I found myself in the winners circle holding the bridal of a winning filly!..Her name was Tropical Heat and she won handily with Eddie Maple onboard and I was her groom! What a great horse she was-- and my boss (standing to the left of me) one of the only female trainers of that time was so proud of her accomplishments...its an old memory but a good one...Here is a poor snapshot of a very old winners circle photo, its sun faded and yep she blocked my face, (thats me in the yellow shirt behind her face holding her bridal) I'll tell ya I was SMILING very big!





I was dismayed when next the boss ran her in a claimer, she didnt win and we lost her~ I walked back to the barn alone carrying her halter, and bridal in my hand. I sure missed her she was the sweetest of my group of 4 horses that I "rubbed". They gave me a tough Stallion who's name I have forgotten-- to replace her in my string-- to keep it even in the shedrow...he ran in a stakes race, broke down (bowed a tendon) on the backside and had to be retired...he came back here to Camden was put out to pasture...after weeks of my care on both front legs. He had good breeding and was a stallion otherwise he would have been put down...thats why I was happy to get out of racing, horses are treated merely as an investment, not as the beautiful creatures they are.
I'll be waiting to see if the filly Rachael Alex. runs in the Belmont Stakes if she recovers from this race well I think she will...if she does I hope she has a good race!