Carson City Kid
From AlexBrownRacing
This is a story about one OTTB rescue; it is also the story of all OTTB rescues.
This is a story of one adopter who found her special horse; it is also the story of all adopters who find their special horse.
Contents |
Carson's Story
Carson City Kid has racing heroes in his bloodline: Native Dancer, Mr. Prospector, and Carson City, who also sired Barbaro’s dam. Carson is truly a racing warrior having started 119 times at 16 different tracks in 10 states, including Hollywood Park, Keeneland, Churchill Downs, and Arlington Park, and earning a lifetime $310,105. He was claimed 9 times, sold privately numerous times, and had 13 different trainers....and was still racing at age 13. His last owner/trainer had purchased him for $2000 in 2005, and was racing him in North Dakota for claiming tags of only $1500. On September 1, 2007,Carson City Kid ran his last race.
David Vance
After having given so much of his life to racing, Carson deserved a dignified retirement with a new and permanent home. It was at just this time that Carson was brought to the attention of the Exceller Fund. The owner would not donate Carson, so a purchase price of $800 was negotiated. This arrangement became tentative when an offer of $1000 was made by a chuck wagon racer, but Carson’s owner considered that Exceller Fund would give him a better chance at a new life, and held to his agreement with the horse rescue organization.
Exceller Fund reached out to the Alex Brown forum and the Fans of Barbaro for help raising the money needed for Carson’s purchase and transport (thread 14648). The FOBs bumped, the FOBs worked to find transport, and the FOBs came through with enough money to purchase and move Carson. Donations came from many directions, even one of Carson’s former trainers, David Vance, came forward and made a contribution to help him on his way.
But where was Carson to go? Friends of Ferdinand offered Exceller Fund a place for Carson in a foster home in northern Indiana with acres and acres of rolling grassy hills and a small herd to befriend him. Twelve days after Carson’s story was presented to the FOBs, he was picked up, thin and weary, from a cattle farm in Minnesota. Carson’s long trip to Indiana and a new life off the track had begun.
Foster home
And then, along came Jane. Jane had suddenly lost her horse in the summer of 2007, after only a few months of owning him. She didn’t look for a new horse right away, but in October, as Carson was busy recovering and transitioning, Jane started to consider that she would like to adopt a rescue horse needing a new home. A Friends of Ferdinand volunteer suggested Carson, but Jane didn’t think that this was her special horse. As she “interviewed” several horses, Carson’s story began to unfold further. He was gentle and quiet. Unflappable, in fact. As school children swarmed him on an outing to the foster home he never paused but just kept eating. He was filling out, and he was magnificent. When a video of Carson Video playing with the young daughter of the foster home was released, the Friends of Ferdinand volunteer suggested that Jane give him a second look, and sent her the video. Jane drove 3 hours that weekend with her husband and knew that she had found her special horse. Carson was adopted by Jane in November, two months after his final race.
along came Jane...
Through the care, effort, and contributions of The Exceller Fund, the collaboration between Friends of Ferdinand, Fans of Barbaro, and the many people who cared, Carson City Kid has found his final home in Zionsville, Indiana, and a permanent place in my heart. Jane Patton
The story continues...
Since adopting Carson 6 months ago, Jane has been working with Carson in a "Train me, train my horse" program with two horsewomen.
This weekend, July 5, 2008, Carson and Jane won first place in a walk-trot event at a horse show at Canterbury Manor in Zionsville, Indiana.
The winners with their trainer, Vicki.
This story is submitted on behalf of Jane and Dan Patton and with appreciation to The Exceller Fund, Friends of Ferdinand, the Fans of Barbaro, and David Vance.
Carson’s story is a remarkable tale of cooperation and good will.
Carson's Breeding
105 For Carson City Kid 1994 On 21-Jun-08 (c) Copyright 2008 Bloodstock Research Information Services, Inc.
All Rights Reserved.
Polynesian 42
Native Dancer 50
Raise A Native 61 Geisha 43
Case Ace 34
Raise You 46
Mr. Prospector 70 Lady Glory 34
*Nasrullah 40
Nashua 52
Gold Digger 62 Segula 42
Count Fleet 40
Sequence 46
Carson City Miss Dogwood 39
(1987) *Nasrullah 40
Red God 54
Blushing Groom (Fr) 74 Spring Run 48
=Wild Risk (Fr) 40
Runaway Bride (Gb) 62
Blushing Promise 82 =Aimee (Gb) 57
Northern Dancer 61
Nijinsky 2nd 67
Summertime Promise 72 Flaming Page 59
Crozier 58
Carson City Kid, B, C Prides Promise 66
Foaled March 06, 1994 Hillbrook 57
In Kentucky =Rabelais (Gb) 00
=Rialto (Fr) 23
=Wild Risk (Fr) 40 =La Grelee (Fr) 18
=Blandford (Gb) 19
=Wild Violet (Fr) 35
*Le Fabuleux 61 =Wood Violet (Fr) 28
=Pinceau (Fr) 25
=Verso 2nd (Fr) 40
=Anguar (Fr) 50 =Variete (Fr) 24
*Easton 31
La Rochelle 45
Classy And Quick *Sans Tares 39
(1980) Roman 37
Hasty Road 51
Run For Nurse 57 Traffic Court 38
Count Fleet 40
Juliets Nurse 48
You Cant Tell 65 Nursemaid 28
*Heliopolis 36
Olympia 46
Comely Doll 60 Miss Dolphin 34
*Bull Dog 27
Camelina 41
Princess Camelia 29
Carson's Race Record
Comments
Congratulations on the win as OTTB of the Week - and on such a spectacular horse! GreyDot (Fugue's mom)
What a good sport you are, Fugue's mom!! Fugue fought a great "battle" :) swedishkat
