| NEWS BLOG STORE |
| The Exceller
Fund has a celebrity! 9-year-old gelding, Rich in Dallas, can be seen
in the movie Seabiscuit starring Tobey Maguire, Chris Cooper and Jeff
Bridges. Dallas' most notable scene comes when Red Pollard (Maguire) asks
trainer Tom Smith (Cooper) how far he should run the horse. Smith replies
"Till he stops," and you then see horse and rider run through the woods,
over a bridge and across a field. On March 25, 2004, Rich in Dallas, one of the seven horses who played the stakes winner Seabiscuit in the movie of the same name, arrived in Lexington, Kentucky at the Blue Grass Airport. Dallas' journey was made possible by a grassroots effort to retire the movie star racehorse. On March 20, 2004, an anonymous donor stepped up to claim Rich In Dallas and donated him to The Exceller Fund. At that point, The Exceller Fund, working together with the newly formed Thoroughbred retirement organization Old Friends and the established Thoroughbred adoption program ReRun, made arrangements to secure a home and a future for this 9 year-old gelded son of Hurricane Ed. While several multi-million dollar stakes horses were also being unloaded off the plane in Kentucky, all eyes were on Rich in Dallas. Even though he had just finished second in a $2,500 claiming race at California's Los Alamitos Racetrack 5 days earlier - and had been traveling since 3 am - the bay gelding was surprisingly fresh and alert, with his ears pricked forward, ready to meet and pose for the cheering crowd. To get Rich in Dallas from California to Kentucky involved extensive, and much appreciated, efforts from several companies and individuals, including Hallie McEvoy, Tony Soto, Cathy Riccio, Greg Otteson and Tex Sutton Horse Transport, Sallee Vans, Dan Porter Transportation, Fran Fitzgerald, Joan Ciampi, and many donors from throughout North America and all over the world. "At The Exceller Fund, we feel each group has a place in the mosaic of rescue, rehabilitation, adoption, and retirement needs," says Bonnie Mizrahi, President of The Exceller Fund. "An open dialogue with the racing and breeding industry along with a workable plan for reasonable support can spell the end of the nightmare of betrayal for the Thoroughbred." Adds Lori Neagle, co-founder of ReRun, "We did this only because we care about [Rich In Dallas] the horse. It's incredible what horse retirement groups working together can accomplish in such a short period of time." After his airport reception, Rich in Dallas headed to his interim home at Afton Farm in Midway, Kentucky (the original home of Old Friends), in preparation for its open house on April 17. According to Michael Blowen, founder of Old Friends, "He settled right inÉhe looked astonished, like he won the Pick Six. There were TV cameras and people all around wanting to get near him, but he handled it like a real pro. In many ways, Rich in Dallas is a symbol of what we're all trying to achieve, and he seems to sense this and is up for the responsibility." After the crowds left, Michael helped take off the gelding's racing shoes and stayed with him another few hours. Michael recalls "It was the perfect Kentucky day, 72 degrees and sunny. After about twenty minutes, Rich in Dallas took a deep breath and rolled around on the ground." On April 17, 2004 Dallas welcomed the guests to the Open House for Old Friends. He was the toast of the evening as several hundred people came out to support the new organization and to get a glimpse of the famous movie star! With Dallas' help, Old Friends was able to raise over $12,000 that evening. On June 5, 2004, Rich In Dallas made an appearance at ReRun's All Thoroughbred Horse Show held at Turfway Park in Kentucky. He enjoyed visiting with the fans that came out to see him. During the summer of 2004, Rich in Dallas was shipped to his new home at ReRun's Greener Pastures in Maryland, with the dual goals of possibly retraining him for a second career and educating the public on the versatility of the Thoroughbred. For his part, Dallas enjoyed romping around the large field with his buddies, rolling in mud when he could, nuzzling his new found friend, an older stakes winning mare by the name of Tall Glass O' Water, and the other simple pleasures of being a horse. Dallas made a summertime appearance at a local GaWaNi Pony Boy show. He enjoyed the attention and was a hit with the people at the show. Rich In Dallas was supposed to make another appearance at the ReRun All Thoroughbred Show in New Jersey, but his appearance was cancelled when the horse transporter had to cancel at the last minute. The original plans for the Greener Pasture facility were ambitious, but the financial support necessary for these plans did not materialize. After careful consideration of the costs and oversight that was needed, ReRun made the decision that they would no longer manage the facility. ReRun contacted The Exceller Fund with this information, and the Exceller Fund Board made the decision to have Dallas moved to the Woodridge Farm in Virginia. On March 3, 2005, Rich In Dallas was picked up from Maryland by Paul and Kelly Linn who own Woodridge Farm and have an excellent reputation for the level of care and attention they give the horses in their care. Dallas has settled in happily with his new friends, an ex-racemare nicknamed Lexi (Dallas is especially fond of Lexi!), an Exceller Fund adoptee named Sampson, ReRun adoptees Treasure and Zip, and other horses that come to Woodridge Farm for rehab and training before being adopted out. Anyone who has met the Linns knows what wonderful people, and wonderful
horse people they are. They have been so wonderful to Dallas that they
even let him write letters to the members of The Exceller Fund. The
letters will be posted on the Dallas
Blog so his fans can also read all about him.
|
|
