Remembering a Great Champion

re: Remembering a Great Champion

future foal — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 08:11:00 GMT

watching genuine risk closing best of all in the wood before she was impeded made her my 1980 Derby pick. my wife and employees heard me talk of her for the next three weeks. she joined Canonero II, Alysheba (six months before), Funny Cide, Strike the Gold, and a Slew of other Derby picks. She remains among my favorites. She would have been the first filly to win The Triple Crown if she hadn't been mugged in the Preakness. She lived up to her name, Genuine!

re: Remembering a Great Champion

Bellwether — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 07:27:03 GMT

ZENYATTA WOULD HAVE HER HOOF$ FULL WITH THIS GIRL HEAR...#1 FEE MALE TC RUNNER OF ALL TIME BABY!!!...ty...

re: Remembering a Great Champion

ABZ — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 00:41:34 GMT

Genuine Risk was the female version of Affirmed. She was wonderfully talented and courageous and will be missed.

re: Remembering a Great Champion

judylovesjohnhenry — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 17:30:12 GMT

I wasn't into horseracing. However, I recently started to watch.

I've seen videos of Genuine Risk. What an AMAZING horse! She was not only beautiful, but a champion through and through. I bought her Legends book, too.

Rest in peace beautiful girl! What a classy horse!!

re: Remembering a Great Champion

lovetheTB — Wed, 20 May 2009 04:58:41 GMT

What a grand lady she was. To win the Derby, finish 2nd in the Preakness and Belmont was incredible! It is hard for any horse to do and she did it with guts and style. People I work with could not understand my sadness the day she passed on, but I know all here understand. May her memory never leave us.

re: Remembering a Great Champion

hobodog — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 01:17:18 GMT

First derby,or for that matter,first horse I ever bet on.Thanks for the thrill I got that day,and for the many thrills I've got since in this great game that you helped introduce me to.May you rest in peace.You will always be my first.

re: Remembering a Great Champion

Miranda Wimberley — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 15:53:17 GMT

I was fortunate enough to have worked in the broodmare division at Three Chimneys when Genny was there, she was fantastic, and we became buddies (well, she tolerated me) because I brought her peppermints everyday. I cried when I saw that she had passed on when I got my Blood Horse that week. She really was one of a kind, and you could tell she was special just in the way she carried herself and in the way she behaved...she was swaybacked and had an awful looking knee at that time, but she was always the queen and she knew it. Always the alpha mare, and poor Jeanne Jones or Summer Sketches took the brunt of it most of the time. I'll never forget that time in my life and will always remember the time I spent with her. I'm comforted to know that she went her way, peacefully and with dignity, the way she deserved to.

re: Remembering a Great Champion

Audra — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 00:25:52 GMT

Genuine Risk, you will be remembered forever. As a 9 year old girl, I sat on the corner edge of our coffee table during your history-making Derby run. You were one gutsy filly and a champion for the record books. Love & prayers for you, your loving owners, and everyone who cared for you. Run in Peace, beautiful girl.

re: Remembering a Great Champion

Carol — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 00:09:34 GMT

Genuine Risk was a true champion. I followed her career and loved her so much. I have a large framed poster of her with her first living colt then less than a week old (it was on the cover of Blood Horse magazine). The look in her eyes tells me she was a kind and loving mother. My condolences go to the Firestones and her groom who cared for her so tenderly all these years.

re: Remembering a Great Champion

NYFalcon — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 13:47:15 GMT

okay I was 15 and was watching the wood memorial. genuine risk came in 3 ed . at that very moment I knew she was the derby winner , after the derby I was horse with screaming her on to the win, she was my hero !!

my dad looked at me and never douted my handycaping talents.

she made me look good!!

thank you

bye

ny falcon

re: Remembering a Great Champion

teejay — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 14:47:19 GMT

I can remember that Kentucky Derby like it was yesterday. I was just a little girl, but was old enough to know that I had to root for the filly. My parents had this awfully ugly brown sofa with huge pillows. I always pretended that one of those big pillows was my horse and we were racing to win the Derby. Atop my make-believe steed, we nestled in as close to the tv as possible. I was bouncing up and down, pretending to be there riding Genuine Risk to victory. My parents sold that old sofa years later in a garage sale, the cushions squished and deformed from all those races passionately won right there in the family room!

re: Remembering a Great Champion

Susan — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 17:05:38 GMT

What a magnificent mare! Truly a classy girl. You'll be so missed by all, especially Buck. I was lucky enough to breed my mare to Genuine Reward, and to get a beautiful, chestnut filly, not a racehorse, as she was 1/2 Percheron. I loved and cherished her until she had to be euthanized this past June 30th because of EPM-her name was Genuinely Sweet. So, hopefully Genni is running around somewhere with her famous grandma!

re: Remembering a Great Champion

Janet — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 14:01:53 GMT

Your's was the first Derby I took a special interest in. An interest that has led to 28 more seats in front of a TV the first Saturday in May. You were my first champion. My first love of horse-racing. You are the filly we judge all future fillies to. Rest In Peace sweet champion. Enjoy your time now in the Lord's Fields of Green.

re: Remembering a Great Champion

Amee — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 08:10:21 GMT

You're such a beautiful lady

Genuine Risk.You have proven the

girls can be champions in any situation.Your grace and beauty will always be remembered.

re: Remembering a Great Champion

margies — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 20:39:33 GMT

i loved you big girl you really should have been made winner of the preakness i know that now you are in heaven with eight bells running and playing and free from pain

re: Remembering a Great Champion

Steve Leving — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 11:45:39 GMT

I was in Las Vegas at the now defunct Harry Gordon's Race & Sports Book accompanied by a friend. Genuine Risk was 200-1 in their Kentucky Derby future book line. I remember thinking that she had defeated Smart Angle at two, and was unbeaten. Yet she was denied the Eclipse Award for Juvenile Fillies unfairly. I had $22 cash left, and we had to return to Costa Mesa, California. I bet $2 on Genuine Risk, and spent the other $20 on gasoline. I remember watching the Wood Memorial on network television in Wheaton, Illinois. When Genuine Risk got beat Jim McKay immediately sought out Leroy Jolley and asked if he still intended on starting her in the Kentucky Derby. He never hesitated, and flat said, no.

Clearly the Firestones had a say in policy. And we all know what followed.

re: Remembering a Great Champion

jenni price — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 01:08:28 GMT

I remember watching the derby,preakness and belmont. I was holloring for her in all three race's. I waited for the long arrival of her first foal by secretariat and those afterward's too. she was a great filly, one who will never be forgotten like winning color's and eight belles. they don't breed or train them like those great's anymore. but, now she's up there running with all the great's that have left us during the year's. who, know's she might be out running all of them. rest in peace genuine risk your name like many other great's will not be forgotten. good-bye to the "the queen of heart's" may she forever rest in peace.

re: Remembering a Great Champion

Gayle — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 18:57:59 GMT

does anyone have a farm name, address and/or phone number of the farm in wyoming that Genuine Reward is at? I have wanted to get in touch with them in reguards to breeding to him. my email is LadyAurla@AOL.com

re: Remembering a Great Champion

trueblue — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 05:31:19 GMT

Genuine Risk was unbelievable. I can close my eyes and see her run. she may be gone from this world, but will never be forgotten by those who saw her win the Derby. We need to find solace in the fact that she lived a very long life and was well taken care of by her owners. May all horses get at least half of what she did care wise.

re: Remembering a Great Champion

CJCtheslew — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 07:27:44 GMT

I was a huge fan of Genuine Risk, especially since I was only 15 and very into the whole ERA thing.

Coming out of the 70s w/ my fave Slew, then Affirmed and the Bid, I was more than delighted to have a filly come along to beat the boys.

I can clearly recall how my Grandpa and I felt that Codex and Codero bugged her in the Preakness, but she hung tough.

I was such a fan that when my 9th grade class took our graduating trip (in the days of jr. high 7, 8, and 9) to Magic Mtn. I had my little transistor radio to hear the call of the Belmont. My good friend and fellow horse lover were glued to the radio to hear the call of the Belmont. We were bummed that she didn't win, but felt vindicated to have Codex finish behing her.

In the 80s we waited anxiously for her to have a foal, but cried when the Secretariat colt was stillborn. I guess it was not meant to be, a great broodmare career, but she will live forever in my heart.

Been following her, esp. in recent years and was glad she lived so long. The fact that she didn't have to be "put to sleep" seemed the right way to go.

--- CJ "The Genuine Spectacular Affirmed Slew" as I called myself in those days.

re: Remembering a Great Champion

Matthew W — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 06:25:53 GMT

I was coming home from a three man basketball tournament with my brother and friend and we listened to the Derby on our car radio...I can still remember Dave Johnson's historic "And Genuine Risk is genuine".....Cordero mugged her with Codex in Preakness but she just wasn't as good as Codex....the thing about her nobody remembers is while she was hangin' with the boys in the Classics, another filly named Bold'N'Determined was winning everything else in sight, and they finally met, noses on the wire, probably the greatest 3yo Filly tandem in The Sport's history! I'm sure Bold'N'Determined lost the Eclipse but--How? hey shouldda split the vote---but Leroy Jolly, such a class act, he had Foolish Pleasure and Honest Pleasure but his Genuine Risk is part of Racing Lore....deservedly so, she was genuine!

re: Remembering a Great Champion

Kris — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 23:55:05 GMT

Hats off for Genuine Risk. She will be missed.

re: Remembering a Great Champion

Rhonda from Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 15:45:32 GMT

Genuine Risk was most certainly a filly for the ages when she ran the Kentucky Derby and won.

I remember her elegance, poise and maturity which she retained throughout her long life.

She was respected, admired and loved by many and she gave as good as she got.

Genuine Risk, you will always be remembered and held dear in the hearts of all who had the honour to see and know you over the years.

Rest In Peace, beautiful lady.

Free At Last!

re: Remembering a Great Champion

Susan SM — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 02:43:28 GMT

My pray are with the Firestones & "Jenny". Thank you LeRoy Jolly for good job with Genuine Risk. She worked hard to gallop in the triple crown. She's so brilliant chestnut coat with white blaze that I love her very much. Too bad that she didn't produce very well but glad she has her only two sons.

Wish to have DVD about "Genuine Risk's Story".

God bless gorgeous girl.

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A Witness to the 1980 Derby — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 00:35:33 GMT

So many people have said so many marvellous things about this grand mare whom the racing world has just lost. My thanks to the Firestones for being such great caregivers and for sharing their beautiful girl with all of us. She may be gone, but she will never, ever be forgotten. Rest in peace, gentle lady.