A Year Later...

As I continue to tell my story I can not believe it is exactly a year later. It feels like yesterday...and I wish it was.

Mr. Hunt came to visit Johnny and stayed for a few days. Mr.Hunt was Johnny's partner. Ed and I got to visit with him while he was there. Johnny invited us in and it was funny to hear them banter about the horses and whose silks were whose., there was quite an age difference between the two of them. Mr. Hunt was in his 80's, it was hard to believe he was that old, he traveled so much and was so active with his farm in Ohio. Lady Gelaine had been Mr. Hunts horse and was named after his wife who had passed away. I let him know how much I adored that horse. Johnny did not care for her at all, as she took a few years to get in foal and when she did it was with twins and he would have to have one pinched off for one to survive. Mr. Hunt was thrilled with Salinas foal and anxious about Artic's new foal, as the sire they used had been producing a lot of good horses that were doing well racing.

Johnny moved Artic Roll up to the front paddock as she neared her delivery date. As you remember from my first post she is the horse that drew me to the farm almost a year ago. I started to give her the "mother to be" treatment and she loved it. She more than any of the other horses just loved to be groomed. She would drop her head so low, almost past my knees ( I am only 5 ft.2). I could get her in a trance in a heartbeat. I had the power, she was dark chestnut and I had her gleaming. I took pride in the fact that I transformed her. My new plan was to make sure when she went on her little trip to Lexington on her foal heat that she was going to look perfect.

I had hoped she would deliver on the Derby again, but it came and went.