Party On with Caribbean Blues in Lexington

AHP members who stayed after the AHP Student Award Party on Friday night were treated to some great music by Ben Brown and Caribbean Blues. AHP member, Jean Abernethy, joined the band with her mandolin.

The audience danced and sang the night away.

Tracy Gantz captured the music on the following two videos to give you a sample of the great fun all who attended had that night.

Jean Abernethy jams with Caribbean Blues

Caribbean Blues at AHP Lexington Seminar

Party On!

Road Trip Adventures of Kim Fisher, Trot Magazine, and her New Horse, Lex

Is there really any explanation required here? Kim Fisher of Trot Magazine, acquired a Breyer model horse in Lexington, Kentucky, during the AHP awards banquet. She named him Lex (obviously). And then, with his help, documented their very long and rather amusing trip home to Canada from winning tons of awards at the 2010 American Horse Publications Conference. Enjoy :)

http://kfisher.smugmug.com/Travel/Adventures-of-Lex/

Karen Shares Video About AHP's 40th

While Karen Tappenden of Holistic Horse was waiting for her interview on Friday morning, she spoke to her engineer about AHP and he put this short video together that she wanted to share with AHP members.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpWkpHFrk84

WEG Warm Up Tour

Horse Part City -- Lexington, KY. From June June 17 to 19 many of the fun-loving members of American Horse Publications, gathered to share ideas and experience some of the delights that the Bluegrass offers its visitors. Here is a video sneak preview of our tour to some of the highlights of the area.

Thanks for the Memories

WOW! I can't believe how fast the week went by. We were all so busy, we didn't have time to blog. From the jam-packed tour on Thursday until the announcement of the awards winners on Saturday night, we were all kept busy running from session to session and event to event.

From my viewpoint, I saw a lot of smiling faces and a lot of interaction. The atmosphere was positive, motivating and happy. All good signs for the future.

We hope everyone had a safe journey home.

Chris and Judy

What to do downtown

Looking for a few things to do while you're in downtown Lexington? For those short breaks or evening festivities, here's a quick note about some places close to AHP Seminar headquarters:

Central Bank Thursday Night Live Concert: Every Thursday night, downtown becomes a live music venue. From 4:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., everyone can gather for drinks and food from local restaurants and free live music at Cheapside Park. The band for June 17 is Kenny Owens & Fun With Jello. For more details, check out the Thursday Night Live website.

Triangle Park & Fountain/Lexington Center: Seen from the Hilton, this is always a crowd pleaser for the refreshing rushing waters and photo opportunities. The Lexington Center is home to Rupp Arena and a unique shops like Artique (where you can support local artists) and Old Kentucky Chocolates.

Horse Drawn Carriage Tours: What's the heart of Horse Country without a carriage tour? These are available 8 - 11 p.m. Thursday and 8 p.m. - 1 a.m. Friday and Saturday. Seats up to four people. $35 for a half-hour

For more information on what to do in downtown Lexington, check out VistLex.com.

Safe travels and we'll see you in Lexington!

Last Minutes Hotel Notes

Complimentary airport shuttle to hotel guests. Dial 07 at the Hotel Phone Wall in baggage claim.

Hotel parking is complimentary to overnight guests. Prepaid daily parking passes are available for $4 each at AHP registration desk.

Wireless internet service is complimentary in AHP meeting space using iBAHN Conference code. Internet access in guest rooms is complimentary to AHP seminar attendees and will be credited at checkout.

What to Expect Weather-wise

Hello Fellow AHP Seminar Attendees: Good news! The weather in Lexington is slated to be sunny and spectacular during your visit though I warn you, if you're coming from a more northern clime the predicted low 90's highs might have you digging through that box of tank tops and flip flops. So even though it's just June and not even officially summer yet, it sure feels like the dog days have set upon the bluegrass a bit early this year. Pack accordingly for any outdoor activities.

Headed to Lexington

I'm packed and ready for Lexington.

Lots still to be done, but tomorrow I will have two fantastic assistants, Judy Lincoln and Ellen Kiser, to help me with putting the finishing touches on this very special anniversary seminar.

The seminar program is posted to the AHP web site at:
www.americanhorsepubs.org/programs/seminars/index.asp.

I look forward to seeing everyone.

Smile!

Chris

Old Friends is an Oasis for Horses and Horse Lovers Alike

If you love horses, and if you love horse racing, the one place you will definitely want to add to your "must see" list of places to see while you are in Lexington for the AHP Seminar is Old Friends.

Old Friends, which is located in Georgetown, Ky., just a short drive north of Lexington, is a retirement farm for thoroughbred horses, champions and non-champions alike. What makes Old Friends different is that it takes in stallions. In fact, to date, Old Friends is the only thoroughbred retirement farm that takes in stallions in the United States.

The farm was started by Michael Blowen, a former Boston Globe movie critic who learned the ropes of the horse racing business at Suffolk Downs near Boston. Along with his wife, Diane, another former Boston Globe columnist, they moved to Lexington when Blowen accepted a job with the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation.

While working there, he noticed that the thoroughbred stallions were not getting the same retirement chances as geldings and mares, and after the news about 1986 Kentucky Derby winner Ferdinand's death in Japan, he decided to try and do something about it.

In the same article that he read about Ferdinand's demise, he also spotted the names of another horse in Japan, Sunshine Forever, which also happened to be one of his favorite all-time horses, as well as Criminal Type. He decided to work on bringing those two horses home from Japan.

After a lot of hard work, and the help of many people, he got the agreement from the folks in Japan to bring them home. Unfortunately, Criminal Type died before he could make the trip home. In his place came Creator, another great champion race horse.

In late 2004, the two of them arrived at Old Friends to become the first two thoroughbred champions to be returned home to the United States from Japan.

At the time, Old Friends was located at Afton Farms in Midway, Ky. Soon after, they moved to Hurstland Farm, also in Midway, before moving to their current permanent location at Dream Chase Farm in Georgetown.

Originally, just 52 acres, today Old Friends consists of 92 acres, and has an annex next door with another 40+ acres. In addition, Blowen also houses a few horses on three other farms in the Central Kentucky area and, on July 22, 2010, the farm will host a grand opening of a new satellite farm in New York near Saratoga Race Track. It is called Old Friends at Cabin Creek: The Bobby Frankel Division, in honor of the former trainer who passed away last year and who was a big supporter of Old Friends. There are already 10 horses retired on that farm, including one former horse of Frankel's, New Export.

In total, Old Friends is home to 100 thoroughbred horses. This includes over 40 stallions and five former Eclipse award winners: Sunshine Forever (middle photo), Gulch, Hidden Lake, Black Tie Affair (top photo) and The Wicked North.

There are also a few rescues, including Clever Allemont, a favorite for the 1985 Kentucky Derby who got injured and somehow ended up on a kill farm in Kansas where he was rescued two Christmas' Eve ago by Kristin Chambers of Winding Road Equine Rescue & Retirement in Waverly, Kan.; Williamstown, a son of Seattle Slew, who was almost euthanized because he had reached the end of his stud career, but was saved by a call to Blowen three Thanksgiving's ago; and EscapedfromNewYork, one of the horses that was rescued off of the Ernie Paragello farm in New York two summers ago.

In addition, there is a mix of other great champions and not-so-great champions, all of them beautiful and happy to be enjoying their retirement munching on the sweet bluegrass of Kentucky. Some are champions, like Awad, winner of, among other races, the 1995 Arlington Million, and Kiri's Clown, winner of, among other races, the 1995 Sword Dance Handicap at Saratoga, where he set the Saratoga track record for the 1 1/2 mile race. According to the Old Friends website, "One of the many exciting highlights of Kiri's career was his rivalry with Old Friends fellow resident, Awad. Today, there are times that visitors can see these two former on-track rivals race each other along their fence line, as they share adjoining paddocks.

Some of the horse at Old Friends are just regular race horses, like Swan's Way, a sweetheart of a stallion who won eight times in his 81 races, and Academy Award, a son of Secretariat, who won five times in 19 starts and is the spitting image of his great sire, just a lot smaller.

There's a movie star in Popcorn Deelites, one of the horses that played Seabiscuit in the 2003 movie based on the book by Laura Hillenbrand and starring Tobey Maguire and Jeff Bridges, while another thinks he is the star of the farm, a mini named Little Silver Charm. Of course, getting his photo published in People magazine two years ago did not help reduce his ego any.

Those are just a few of the wonderful horses you will get to see when you come to Old Friends.

Tours of the farm are given three times a day, seven days a week at 10 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. While a tour guide takes visitors around and tells the story of each of the horses, visitors – if they want – will also get the chance to feed the horses carrots and pet them.

Note: Old Friends has just added a twilight tour for the summer. The tour begins at 7 p.m. for those folks that cannot make it during the day.

All of this is why, if you love horses, this is the one place you will want to visit while you are in Lexington for the AHP seminar.

For info, call 502-863-1775. Tours are free, however, the farm is a 501(c)3 and is run almost entirely by volunteers, so donations are accepted to help in the care and feeding of the horses.

For more information, go to: www.oldfriendsequine.org

Photos by Rick Capone

Countdown to Lexington!

Lexington is right around corner and departure day for me is June 14.

To assist you with your final plans and to make sure I'm prepared for your arrival, here are a few answers to some of the questions you may have.

Ship

Shipping publications or auction items to the hotel:

PLEASE SHIP PACKAGES, not to arrive any earlier than Monday, June 14, 2010, to:
Attn: Brad Barbour, Conventions Services Director
American Horse Publications, Chris Brune
Hilton Lexington/Downtown
369 West Vine Street
Lexington, KY 40507
Phone: 859-281-3709


Give

Friday, June 11 is the deadline date for sending your auction donation pledge to Ellen Kiser ekiser@bloodhorse.com

Don’t Miss the Bus

Taking the 40 Ideas on Tour? You must be in the hotel lobby at 7:30 a.m. on Thursday so we can board the buses at 7:45 a.m. Coffee will be available.

Network

The seminar will offer lots of opportunities to network and share ideas with fellow equine professionals.

• Networking Luncheon
• Sharing Ideas Forum
• Speed-Dating for Freelancers
• Wednesday’s Night’s Meet and Greet at the hotel between 6 and 8 p.m. (location to be announced.)

New to AHP or Your First Seminar

First Time Attendees and New Members are invited to drop by on Friday morning between 10:30 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. to ask questions about member benefits, AHP history, seminar activities or anything AHP. Long-time AHP members, Chris Brune and Tracy Gantz, will be on hand to make you feel welcome and answer your questions. Stay for a little while, stay the entire time. We’re here to help you make the most of your seminar experience and membership.

Random Stuff

• Make sure I have your completed registration forms
• Dress comfortably
• Support students at the World Games on Friday night
• Bring notepads, cameras, business cards, media kits
• Discounted parking passes will be available to local attendees at registration desk
• In-room wireless will be complimentary for AHP hotel guests so make sure you are not charged at check-out.
• Be sure you completed the Saturday meals selection survey which was e-mailed to attendees

Need more

www.americanhorsepubs.org/programs/seminars/index.asp

Celebrate 40 Years

Christine W. Brune
Executive Director
American Horse Publications
http://www.americanhorsepubs.org/
Phone: 386-760-7743
Fax: 386-760-7728
E-mail: ahorsepubs@aol.com

AHP LEXINGTON SEMINAR - JUNE 17-19, 2010

Darley America is Rich in History and Tradition

Photos by John Reardon

For those of you coming to Lexington for the AHP seminar, there will be many things to see and do as you know. One of the more interesting and entertaining things will be the AHP’s 40 Ideas on Tour, which will take visitors to Keeneland Race Track, Woodford Reserve and the Kentucky Horse Park.

According to the itinerary, the first stop of the tour will be Darley America, one of the areas great farms, which is currently owned by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, one of the leading thoroughbred owners in the world.

However, Darley America wasn't the original name of the farm. The original name was Jonabell Farm, and it has a long and rich history.


Well known breeder, John A. Bell III, and Jessica Bell, founded Jonabell Farm in 1954. Over the years, many horses were born, raised or stood at stud on the farm, with some of them very famous.

Since you will get to hear much more about the farm and its history during the tour, this blog entry will focus on three of the most well known horses associated with Jonabell Farm: Damascus, Affirmed and Holy Bull.

Damascus was born and raised on Jonabell Farm, until he was purchased by Mrs. Thomas Bancroft. Damascus would go on to become the No. 16th ranked horse in Blood-Horse's "Top 100 Racehorses of the 20th Century."

Damascus raced 32 times in his career, winning 21 times and capturing $1,176,781 in prize money. Some of his top wins included the Preakness Stakes, Belmont Sakes, Jockey Club Gold Cup, Wood Memorial, Woodward Stakes and Travers Stakes to name just a few. He would be named Horse of the Year, Champion Handicap Horse and Champion 3-Year Old Colt in 1967. He would also be elected to the Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame in 1974.

Damascus would stand his entire stud career at Claiborne Farm, where he passed away on August 8, 1995. He is buried on that farm in Paris, Ky.

Affirmed is famous for his thrilling victories over Alydar in the 1978 Triple Crown races. Their side-by-side duel down the stretch in the Belmont Stakes is still considered one of the great races of all time.

In 1991, Affirmed, who is also the last Triple Crown winner, was moved from Calumet Farm to Jonabell Farm, where he stood at stud for the 1992 season. He would stay on the farm for the final 10 years of his life.

Affirmed, a winner of 22 of his 29 starts and $2,393,818 in prize money, won Eclipse awards multiple years. He was 1977 Champion 2-Year-Old Colt and 1978 Champion 3-Year-Old Male Horse, as well as Horse of the Year in 1978 and 1979. He was also a Champion Sire during his stud career.

Affirmed was ranked No. 12 in Blood-Horse's "Top 100 Racehorses of the 20th Century" and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1980.

On Jan. 12, 2001, Affirmed was euthanized and buried on Jonabell farm.

Holy Bull, the 1994 Horse of the Year and Champion 3-Year-Old Male Horse, came to Jonabell Farm to stand at stud in 1995. Jimmy Croll, Holy Bull's owner and trainer sold a 25 percent interest in the thoroughbred champion to Jonabell Farm earlier that year.

Holy Bull won 13 times in 16 career starts and took home $2,481,760 in prize money. His career ended during the running of the Donn Handicap at Gulfstream Park in Feb. 1995, when he injured a tendon in his leg.

Ranked No. 24 in the "Top 100 Racehorses of the 20th Century" and elected to the Hall of Fame in 2001, Holy Bull recovered from his injury and was sent to Jonabell Farm, where he stood one paddock over from Affirmed. Holy Bull still stands at the farm today.

In 2001, Bell sold the farm to Sheikh Mohammed. According to an article on ESPN.com, on Aug. 22, 2001, Bell sold the farm to the Sheikh because he did not want to burden his children with financial problems that the farm might cause them in the future. Bell passed away on Feb. 1, 2007 at 88.

Today, Sheikh Mohammed continues the winning traditions of Jonabell Farm under its new name, Darley America. The horses standing at stud on the farm today are a virtual who's who of current great sires in the thoroughbred industry, including Any Given Saturday, Discreet Cat (shown being walked on the farm in photo at top of article), Elusive Quality, Henny Hughes, Medaglia d'Oro (photo above), Quiet American, Street Boss, Street Sense, Berardini, E Dubai, hard Spun, Holy Bull, Offlee Wild, Rockport Harbor and Street Cry.

Sheikh Mohammed loves his horses. He also loves the history of thoroughbred racing, and understands the rich tradition of the farm he now owns in Lexington. It is a tradition he will continue to add to in the years to come.

Note: While all of the horses listed stand at stud at Darley America today, there is no guarantee which ones you might get to see on the tour. That will depend on which ones are available on the farm that day and are brought out by your tour guide.

For more information, go to the Darley America website.