8/31/10

An Appreciation of Fly to the Wire

As Del Mar winds down we appreciate another of our past stars, Fly to the Wire, who placed in the 2003 running of the El Cajon Stakes early in his stellar career. This sturdy son of Birdonthewire raced a total of 28 times with 11 wins, 9 places, 2 shows, and total earnings of $318,000. Fly to the Wire was rarely out of the money, and he culminated his fabulous career as a six-year-old running at Del Mar for his sixth straight victory when he bowed his tendon and was retired from racing.
Photo by Anthony Andrews

Since 2007 Tranquility Farm has been Fly to the Wire's home, and he loves to socialize with everyone, human and equine. Although he is a massive horse and as tough as they come on the racetrack, he has never met a stranger.

8/26/10

Celebrating Full Moon Madness

As luck would have it the day we picked to honor another of our Del Mar stars, Full Moon Madness, coincides with the full moon! And like "Moonie", tonight's moon is extrodinary as Mars will be so near to earth as to almost appear to be a second moon. What better day to celebrate our fabulous retiree who ran third in the Gr. 2 Pat O'Brien Breeders Cup Handicap at Del Mar in 2003, on his way to earning more than a million dollars over a nine-year, seventy-two race career.


But Moonie is yet another horse who arrived at Tranquility Farm with nothing from that great big bag of money that he won. And so tonight I'll be wishing on that star for Moonie and asking his friends and fans to HELP KEEP MOONIE HAPPY!

8/21/10

Two more stars of Del Mar

Today we honor our retirees Stormin Away, who won the Harry F. Brubaker Stakes in 2006, and Geronimo, winner of the Green Flash Handicap in 2004. Both of these horses contributed stellar performances to past Del Mar meets, and thanks to Del Mar Thoroughbred Club and our many supporters, they are now living the good life at Tranquility Farm. Our retirees rely on each and every one of us for their future. Please HELP! The horses THANK YOU!

8/18/10

Against all odds

We have another wonderful adoption to celebrate, Brighter Stars and Winston, two young geldings who survived rejection by the commercial breeding industry and were raised at Tranquility Farm, have found a loving home. Every year the sales for young Thoroughbreds get worse, and every year there are more and more fabulous young horses looking for homes outside of racing. Right now opportunity is everywhere to adopt horses like Brighter Stars and Winston, seen here in their first evening at their new home. It seems like they are having a soulful talk about leaving Tranquility Farm and finding their very own family. It seems like they are saying, "We can't believe our luck."

8/13/10

Honoring Marvin's Faith

This Sunday Del Mar will run the Grade 3 La Jolla Handicap, a race that was won by Tranquility Farm retiree Marvin's Faith in 1994. Bred in Ireland, Marvin raced 29 times in North America with six wins including the Gr.2 Elkhorn Stakes at Keeneland, where he set a new course record for a mile and an eighth on the turf, and the Gr. 3 Bay Meadows Derby.


At age 19 Marvin is still a fit, happy horse, living the good life with his friends in Tranquility Farm's pastures. We call their run-in shed "millionair's row", but like most of our retired stars, Marvin didn't arrive here with a bag of all that money he made racing. For Marvin, and for all his many friends, we ask for your SUPPORT.

8/9/10

Fire Lookout Adopted!

Gorgeous Fire Lookout has found a super home in Arizona as a dressage and pleasure horse, destined ultimately for the show ring. A son of the champion mare Riboletta, Fire Lookout was bred and raced by Aaron and Marie Jones, and won three of his six starts. Tranquility Farm thanks Mr. and Mrs. Jones for sending us this extordinary horse for adoption.

8/5/10

Celebrating new adoptions!

Today we celebrate finding a great home for Yourway Highway! This lovely granddaughter of Secretariat raced eleven times with a record of 1-1-2, and earned $23,000. In 2008 she was rescued from the Euclid Livestock auction. She was starved, neglected, and she had nearly died from foaling. In the two years that she has been with us Yourway Highway has become healthy and beautiful, and she has always been sweet-tempered and kind.

Yourway Highway left us today to become the treasured pet and pleasure horse of Lara in Bakersfield. She is one of the lucky ones, and wonderful horses like her are the reason horse rescuers struggle all over this country to give as many as possible a second chance. We hope her story will inspire people to rescue and adopt. There are so many like her out there right now, simply victims of circumstance who wound up in the wrong hands. Please give them a chance.