Redemption - By Joe Hickey

re: Redemption - By Joe Hickey

Zia — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 10:19:30 GMT

Ah,I love these stories! Bravo! I have been wondering if they will enlarge the gates for the monsters that are being bred. I think that it was Secretariat that got everyone thinking about SIZE

those 31'strides!!

re: Redemption - By Joe Hickey

mz — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 15:27:20 GMT

PA Breeder: Excellent!

re: Redemption - By Joe Hickey

Larry Ensor — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 16:10:09 GMT

Joe, wish more owners,buyers had your understanding of the process. We took a beautiful Tapit colt to book 3, clean vet, great walker, out of graded stakes placed winning mare with a good family behind her. Everyone who looked at him said nice colt, but too small. He stood a little over 15 hands and was a late April foal. Everything out of the mare has finished off at 16 hands or over. We had to sell him for $12,500!

Joe, always enjoyed coming by the farm with clients to see Northern Dancer and visit with you. I have a great picture in my living room with me and ND from the middle 80's. People always ask me who the horse is. When informed I get the same comment over and over, I can't believe how small he was!

I used to carry a smaller version in my wallet and when ever a client would say the horse we were inspecting is too small I would pull it out. Enjoy reading your articles. All the best.

re: Redemption - By Joe Hickey

PA Breeder — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 00:33:49 GMT

In these whacky days of breeding thoroughbreds strictly for the market which is unable to support expectations, I find it incumbent upon The Blood-Horse and other trade publications to go to the well as often as possible to the likes of Joe Hickey and his other contemporaries to recall what this game is really about. Not a quick buck with over-stated commissions, counting on the discretionary income of buyers, and the crap-sghoot of income over expenses. They bring a testimony of experience in the real world, and this may be enough to get us all through the hard times of now.

re: Redemption - By Joe Hickey

Mary Ann W in Louisville — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 17:31:11 GMT

This just goes to show that size doesn't matter. Every horse is a blessed gift in their own way. It is just discovering what it is. God made them beautiful for a reason. We humans just need to take the TIME to discover that. Thank you for a beautiful and enlightening story!

re: Redemption - By Joe Hickey

Richie — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 16:18:49 GMT

Thanks for sharing. A wonderful story of a tiny little filly that didn't get lost in the shuffle.

re: Redemption - By Joe Hickey

MHaegele — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 16:18:58 GMT

I wonder how many of those that got lost in the shuffle would make our hearts swell with pride? Just one of the reasons I love this business!

re: Redemption - By Joe Hickey

Ann in Lexington — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 17:13:02 GMT

I have yet to understand why the markets like behemoths. Bigger doesn't mean better; bigger often means foot and ankle problems from all that weight pounding on them. Over 16 h used to be big; now that's considered the smallest acceptable size. How much of the low expectations for Birdstone as a stallion were from his staying ability and how much was from his smaller size?

re: Redemption - By Joe Hickey

da3hoss — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 14:59:19 GMT

what a great story!

re: Redemption - By Joe Hickey

Bill Daly — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 13:18:00 GMT

What a great operation Windfields was! The gold standard, if you will. Love that line about the Orioles "relentless pursuit of ignominy." Never have I seen a better description of this sorry franchise.

re: Redemption - By Joe Hickey

John T. — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 02:08:18 GMT

I think the most ironic thing about Northern Dancer is that he lost the American Triple Crown in

the Belmont Stakes over 12 furlongs

and yet so many of his offspring went on to perform well at that distance especially in the Epsom Derby.

Great story about the filly.

re: Redemption - By Joe Hickey

Dreamer's Mom — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 23:25:19 GMT

Time is indeed a wonderful thing. My own 2yr old filly, a tiny little thing to be sure, did all the right things this year, including getting her gate o.k., and then went home to grow up. I can only hope she will one day have the same success as Pacificus, although I would like to win more than a couple of races!

re: Redemption - By Joe Hickey

CRob87 — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 21:39:04 GMT

Nice story.

Just proves to me that "Time" itself is the one thing that Americans aren't willing to invest in these days.

re: Redemption - By Joe Hickey

mz — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 21:15:10 GMT

The Greatest Canadian of the 20th Century threw good little horses.

re: Redemption - By Joe Hickey

LAZMANNICK — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 19:46:20 GMT

It's a great trubute that you wrote about Windfields breeding operation. For years the farm, under the guidance of E.P. Taylor and the many knowledgeable people under his employee produced countless foals that would in many ways impact the racing world......It is with much regret that the operation is now folded and just recently Windfields Farm in Oshawa Ontario was sold off for development purposes.....This is where many greats including the legendary Northern Dancer and his equally legendary son Nijinsky were foaled......your story brings back many precious memories.

re: Redemption - By Joe Hickey

cah — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 19:46:11 GMT

This story is cool as it brought back some very good memories for me!

In 1991, I participated in the Stud Farm Management course at The National Stud in Newmarket. Towards the end of the course (June)every year, Jimmy McNaught would come to the farm and interview for two positions at Hesmonds Stud, for yearling preparation that season. I was lucky enough to get one of those places. I will never forget that year, the people or the horses. I was nineteen and working with some of the best bloodstock in the world. It ignited a passion for thoroughbreds that continues to burn brightly even in these down times.

re: Redemption - By Joe Hickey

Brownie — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 18:48:06 GMT

Beautiful story !