Posts Tagged ‘horses’

Seattle Slew died on May 7, 2002 at the age of 28. One of only 11 winners of horse racing’s prestigious ‘Triple Crown’ he is by default considered among the all time greats in thoroughbred racing. Of the eleven horses to win the Triple Crown, he is the only one to do so with an undefeated record. He was also notable due to his humble beginnings, and is the only Triple Crown winner to have been purchased at public auction. He retired to stud in 1978 and sired over 100 stakes race winners including 1984 Kentucky Derby champion, Swale. Slew’s offspring have earned a combined $76 million dollars at the race track. Slew wasn’t the most majestic looking creature by the lofty standards of race horses, but was possessed with the heart, toughness and courage of a professional prizefighter.

The Seattle Slew story began very modestly at a public auction in Lexington, Kentucky. The Keeneland Summer Yearling sale wasn’t supposed to be the marketplace of champions, and the idea that this particular horse would ever amount to anything other than a farmhand was downright laughable. Slew looked clumsy, due primarily to a right forefoot that splayed outward and resulting in a shuffling gait at a trot. He also wasn’t a majestic beast like his predecessor by a few years, Secretariat. Slew was borderline ugly. So ungainly a creature was he that he was given the less than inspiring nickname “Baby Huey” by the Keeneland staff. He was purchased by two couples (Karen and Mickey Taylor and Jim and Sally Hill) for $17,500. What wasn’t apparent at the yearling sale was the intangibles that make up a championship thoroughbred–poise under pressure, love of competition, toughness, heart and desire. The Taylor’s and Hill’s had stumbled onto an equine Tiger Woods or Michael Jordan who’s competitive fire quickly became apparent to the trainers that worked with him and the jockeys that rode him. His first race came at Belmont in 1976, and the three races he entered–and won–as a 2 year old gave a hint of what was to come.

Slew became the Kentucky Derby favorite by winning his three prep races as a three year old, including prestigious Wood Memorial. In the Derby, Slew got off to a terrible start as he stumbled from the gate much like War Emblem did in the 2002 Belmont. Unlike 2002’s Triple Crown contender, however, Slew was able to recover from that miscue and basically force his way through a pack of other horses to position himself at the front of the field at the quarter mile pole. Slew would win the Derby by a length and 3 quarters. He took another tough victory at the Preakness before clinching the Triple Crown with a 4 length victory in the Belmont Stakes.

Slew ran in a few races as a 4 year old but in the pre-Breeders’ Cup days there wasn’t as many opportunities for an older horse. He retired to stud in 1978, where he sired champions such as the aforementioned Swale and 1992 Belmont Champ AP Indy.

Slew was in someways overshadowed during his prime by his predecessor–and arguably the greatest thoroughbred race horse in history–1973 Triple Crown winner Secretariat. In hindsight, however, it has finally been noted what an exceptional horse he really was. Jockey Angel Cordero, who rode Slew during the twilight of his career noted “If I had a chance to take any horse in the world, if someone said your life is depending on riding one horse to win, I would take (Slew). I rode 44,000 horses, but he was special, he was different. He was muscled, like a wrestler. He ran different than any other horse. It was like he came from another planet.”

After his death in 2002, Slew was buried at Hill ‘n’ Dale Farm in Lexington, Kentucky under a statue in his image.

Ross Everett is a staff handicapper for a number of offshore sports books and an authority on horse race betting . He’s a well known and widely published expert sports handicapping theory, as well as stock market investing. He contributes to a number of online media outlets providing insight on how to bet on NFL football, MMA and boxing.

The word “vacation” may stir up thoughts of beach resorts and tropical weather in your mind. But what about thoughts on bull-wrangling, grilled steaks, and horse riding? It may not be the most conventional idea you’ve thought of, and it may not have ever crossed your mind at all. Who do you know these days that suggests you to spend your three-day weekend on a ranch instead on a beach? Only the adventurous would be telling you to steer clear of the palm trees and head for open fields, campfire songs, and horse shoe tosses. Guest ranches across the US are one of the best kept secrets in vacationing. If you are looking for a different kind of adventure, they may become your destination.

Any hesitations you may have about going to a ranch should be discarded once and for all. A weekend, week, or even longer vacation at one of these ranches can be just what a person needs to escape office pressures and the various duties of running a household. Whether for a romantic couple looking to try something new, or a family wanting to having a bonding experience, the activities at the ranch are so abundant, there’s something for everyone. At dude ranches, a child that grew up watching cowboy and horse riding on the television can finally see it all in real life. It can be wildly entertaining for children needing more exposure to the great outdoors. And the activities like horse riding and exploring the fields, it can add a little spice to a couple’s relationship. The whole trip is meant to give visitors a taste of the old west back when cowboys still rode and mail was delivered by wagon. With such broad hospitality and a wide variety of energizing activities, a trip to one of these off the road ranches can do wonders.

Tracking down a ranch to visit is the least of the trouble you have to go through. Locations sprout up all over the US, everywhere from wide plains in California to the big sky of  Montana. Each ranch takes pride in offering genuine activities of the Old West. Don’t be put off by the worries stranding yourself in the middle of no where with a half-hearted host. The authenticity of the ranches, right down to the howdy accents, shows how dedicated the staff really is, which makes the experience all the more rewarding.

So the next time you have a weekend that is actually free, consider spending it at a dude ranch. You may find out that it was just what you needed.