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Old Friends news   Retired TBs -Past and Present

Started 7/21/15 by gerchgo; 154842 views.
Msg 119 of 543 to gerchgogerchgo 
In reply toRe: msg 116
Amy (1pony)
Staff

From: Amy (1pony)

2/24/16

I am so happy reading this I think he will be much happier 

 
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Msg 120 of 543 to gerchgogerchgo 
In reply toRe: msg 116
Derby132

From: Derby132

2/24/16

Shocked to read that War Emblem was gelded at his age but so very glad he came through the surgery well and is now healed.  And that they got such a well qualified team of vets to do the surgery.   I hope he is a much happier horse now and settles into a quiet and contented life in Kentucky.
 

 
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Msg 121 of 543 to Derby132Derby132 
In reply toRe: msg 120
Amy (1pony)
Staff

From: Amy (1pony)

2/24/16

This is a great article about him, he is tough as nails!!

Thoroughbredracing

Thoroughbred Racing Commentary

The odd saga of War Emblem's stunted stallion career took a rather dramatic and final turn about three weeks ago, when the champion was gelded to meet United States quarantine laws. "We did it because of the regulations of the United States Department of Agriculture," said Michael Blowen, the founder and president of Old Friends in Georgetown, Kentucky.

Read more from Thoroughbredracing


 

 
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Msg 122 of 543 to Amy (1pony)1pony 
In reply toRe: msg 121
cigarello

From: cigarello

2/24/16

  What an informative article regarding WEs unique personality-- he really is smart 

 
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Msg 123 of 543 to Amy (1pony)1pony 
In reply toRe: msg 121
Derby132

From: Derby132

2/24/16

Very interesting read!

 
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Msg 124 of 543 to Amy (1pony)1pony 
In reply toRe: msg 121
gerchgo

From: gerchgo

2/24/16

I'm sure now that he is gelded, and him getting older, will mellow him a bit. But his personality is what makes him who he is, just glad his connections sent him to Old Friends where he will be loved and cared for! Go War Emblem!!!

 
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Msg 125 of 543 to gerchgogerchgo 
In reply toRe: msg 124
Amy (1pony)
Staff

From: Amy (1pony)

3/12/16

Note new folder

 
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Msg 126 of 543 to Amy (1pony)1pony 
In reply toRe: msg 125
gerchgo

From: gerchgo

4/8/16

http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/98930/old-friends-hosts-war-emblem-meet-and-greet

Looking to the future, Blowen spoke of retiring Charismatic to Old Friends, as well as Came Home and I'll Have Another  , younger stallions that he thinks eventually he will have. As well as those three who are all currently in Japan, he also has Sun King, Ide, Stephen Got Even   and several others on the waiting list to be Old Friends residents. With the option to expand on the existing land that already houses retirees, that should become a reality.

 
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Msg 127 of 543 to gerchgogerchgo 
In reply toRe: msg 126
cigarello

From: cigarello

4/8/16

 it is heartwarming to know that these horses will have a place to go when they are no longer needed as stallions---- Love that War Emblem is home and can just be a horse ( like he always wanted to be)

 
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Msg 128 of 543 to Amy (1pony)1pony 
In reply toRe: msg 127
gerchgo

From: gerchgo

6/22/16

I didn't know Jill Baffert worked as a tv journalist in Louisville, where she met Bob? She's now a board member for Old Friends:

Old Friends Names New Members to its Board of Directors
  
  
 
  
GEORGETOWN, KY - June 22, 2016 -  
Old Friends, the Thoroughbred Retirement Facility in Georgetown, KY, has elected three new members to its Board of Directors.
 
At a meeting held in December of 2015, current members voted to add Jeffrey Burch, Senior VP of NTRA Advantage, to the board. In a meeting held June 15, 2016, the board added two additional members: Mark Simon, Editorial Director of Daily Racing Form, and Jill Baffert, former journalist and now prominent racing-industry figure.
 
Old Friends President and founder Michael Blowen announced the appointments today.
 
Jeff Burch assumed the post of Senior VP of NTRA Advantage, the National Thoroughbred Racing Association's group-purchasing arm, in June of 2015 after 10 years as VP of Advertising at Daily Racing Form. Throughout his career he has held various VP-level leadership roles in advertising, sales, and marketing at such companies as Time Inc. and the Hearst Corporation. 
 
Mark Simon launched his career as a racing journalist at The Thoroughbred Record in the late 1970s. He worked his way to the role of Editor at the Thoroughbred Times, a position he held for 27 years. Simon joined DRF in October, 2012 to lead its newest business venture "DRF Breeding". He was appointed Editorial Director in March of 2013. 
 
Jill Baffert is a former broadcast journalist, having served as both a TV news reporter in Hopkinsville, KY and later as a news anchor at WLKY-TV, the CBS affiliate in Louisville, KY.  As host of a morning show broadcast from Churchill Downs in 1998, Jill met Hall of Fame and now Triple Crown winning-trainer Bob Baffert. The couple married in 2002 and together they have a son, Bode. She has owned several notable horses, including graded-stakes winners Misremembered and Contested. Four of the Bafferts' former trainees now reside at Old Friends: Kentucky Derby-Preakness winners Silver Charm and War Emblem, three-time Santa Anita Handicap winner Game On Dude, and graded-stakes winner Danthebluegrassman.
 
"Thoroughbred Aftercare is of great importance to me, and being asked to serve Old Friends is an honor," said Burch. "Their standards for our retired champions are high, and helping to maintain those goals is a challenge I look forward to."
 
"It is an honor to be able to serve on the board of Old Friends, one of the premier aftercare facilities in the world," said Simon. "It has been at the forefront of care for horses that have retired from the breeding shed or the racetrack for a decade now, and it's a shining example of the great work being done to give these horses a retirement life they so richly deserve. I look forward to helping Old Friends expand its reach to help more horses and to touch more people."

"Bob and I have been big fans of Old Friends for a long time, and I'm honored to join their board," said Baffert. "All of us in racing share an obligation to do what we can to provide life-long care for these most noble, willing, and loyal animals.  I'm excited to work alongside some of the true pioneers in aftercare to get the word out about all of the great things Old Friends is doing for the horses and for our industry."
 
In addition to the new members, several officer appointments were made. Cynthia Grisolia was elected Chairman of the Board, while Mark Otto was elected Treasurer.
 
"We're so excited to be working with Jeff, Mark, and Jill," said Blowen. "Each is truly dedicated to the mission of Old Friends and to Thoroughbred aftercare. Their varied talents will be a terrific asset to us as we expand into the future."
 
For more information contact the main office at (502) 863-1775.
 
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  • Edited June 22, 2016 5:13 pm  by  gerchgo
 
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