When the racing is over
Eastover Faith was a champion on the Maryland circuit, winning nine races, until an arthritic hock ended his career.
Infinite Crescendo once soared through New Jersey’s claiming ranks, earning more than $350,000 until he fractured an ankle.
Now, they spend their days grazing and lolling about on a pasture at Lumberjack Farm. They are the lucky ones: Former pro athletes enjoying their retirements.
But that is not always the case. Some race horse owners view their winning colts as nothing more than commodities that lose all value when they’re no longer winners. Many owners have no interest in feeding a 1,200-pound pet for 20 years or more after their competitive careers are over.
“I don’t think people — when they think about the glory of owning a race horse — they don’t realize that the horse lives long after the career is over in racing,” said Laurie Lane, the New Jersey chapter president of ReRun, a Lexington, Ky.-based organization that pays farms to rehabilitate race horses.
Source: AbcNews