Old Friends

Dave Litfin, Former Handicapper for the Form, Dies at 64

Dave Litfin, the widely respected former handicapper for the Daily Racing Form, died Thursday night in Saratoga Springs after a long battle with cancer. He was 64. The news was announced by his wife of 39 years, Robin, on her Facebook page. Litfin was a call-taker with the Form and joined the New York Racing Association's publicity staff as the press box manager in 1984. He went to work for the DRF in 1990 where he wrote the "Handicapper's Corner" column. He was the author of two books, "Dave Litfin's...

[ Read More ]
Old Friends Opens Up Halter Auction to Absentee Bidding

Kentucky's Thoroughbred retirement farm Old Friends, which previously announced a Breeders' Cup celebration to be held Sunday, Nov. 6, has opened up absentee auction bidding for halters worn by Affirmed Success, Authentic, Groupie Doll, Gun Runner, Lava Man, Midnight Bisou, Paynter, War Front, and Yoshida (Jpn). Each item is accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity. Interested buyers unable to attend on Sunday can bid by emailing name, address, phone number, and highest bid to: horses@oldfriendsequine.org. For more information on the event, click here. Bidding deadline is Saturday, Nov. 5, at...

[ Read More ]
Old Friends Hosting Breeders' Cup Celebration

Old Friends, the Thoroughbred Retirement Farm in Georgetown, Ky., will host a special Breeders' Cup Celebration Sunday Nov. 6 from 12:00-4 p.m. Tickets are $40 for the general public and $20 for Old Friends Clubhouse members. Children under 12 are free. Reservations can be made online by visiting the Old Friends website (www.oldfriendsequine.org), or by calling the farm at (502) 863-1775. Guests will enjoy a barbeque buffet by Proud Mary's, live Bluegrass music from Steve Norman and Friends, and both live and silent auctions of racing memorabilia, collectible stallion halters,...

[ Read More ]
Mom's Command's MGSW Son Jonesboro to Old Friends

Jonesboro (Sefapiano--Mom's Command, by Top Command) has been pensioned from stallion duties and retired to Old Friends near Georgetown, Ky. The hard-knocking millionaire, who won 10 black-type events, including the GII Prairie Meadows Cornhusker H. and three other graded stakes, has stood since 2011 at Lake Hamilton Equine in Royal, Ark. His nine small crops of racing age include three stakes winners. Jonesboro is a son of Mom's Command, the 1985 Eclipse champion 3-year-old filly whose five Grade I wins included the Filly Triple Crown. Bred by Peter Fuller, who...

[ Read More ]
Swain and Dumaani Euthanized at Old Friends

Old Friends, the Thoroughbred Retirement Facility in Georgetown, Ky., lost two retirees Wednesday--multiple graded stakes winner Dumaani (Danzig--Desirable {Ire}, by Lord Gayle), who was 31, and European champion and GI Breeders' Cup Classic third-place finisher Swain (Ire) (Nashwan--Love Smitten, by Key to the Mint), who was 30. Both were humanely euthanized due to the infirmities of old age. The stallions stood most recently at the Lexington-based Shadwell Farm, where they were originally pensioned. They relocated to Old Friends in the spring of this year as part of a downsizing of...

[ Read More ]
Old Friends Offers Halter Auction at Homecoming

Old Friends, the Thoroughbred retirement facility in Georgetown, will host a homecoming event May 8 beginning at noon. The event features a live and silent auction of artwork, prints, and racing memorabilia, including several premiere collectible stallion halters. Absentee bidding on the halters, which include halters worn by American Pharoah, Arrogate, Zenyatta, Cigar, Rachel's Valentina, and Authentic, is also available. To bid, email name, address, phone number and highest bid to horses@oldfriendsequine.org. The deadline to receive bids is May 7 at 9 p.m. The Old Friends Homecoming will also include...

[ Read More ]
Medina Spirit To Be Buried At Old Friends

Old Friends, the Thoroughbred Retirement facility in Georgetown, KY., will inter the ashes of multiple graded stakes winner Medina Spirit on Tuesday, April 5. Medina Spirit will be laid to rest in Old Friends's Nikki Bacharach Memorial Garden alongside such champions as Kentucky Derby Winners Charismatic (1999) and War Emblem (2002), as well as Eclipse Winner Hidden Lake and Breeders' Cup Classic Winner Alphabet Soup. Old Friends will host an open house Tuesday, April 5, 2022 from 12:30pm to 2:30pm to offer fans an opportunity to visit the grave site...

[ Read More ]
Shadwell Donates Six Pensioned Stallions to Old Friends

Six pensioned stallions from Shadwell Farm have been donated to Old Friends Thoroughbred Retirement in Georgetown, Ky. Albertus Maximus, Kayrawan, Intidab, Mustanfar, Dumaani, and Swain were relocated in recent weeks from Shadwell's Nashwan Stud complex to the non-profit organization's farm, joining its 143 other residents, including 1997 Kentucky Derby and Preakness S. winner Silver Charm and Belmont S. winners Birdstone, Touch Gold and Sarava. "We are so honored that Michael Blowen and his dedicated staff have elected to bring our retired stallions to Old Friends where they join an array...

[ Read More ]
Medina Spirit to be Interred at Old Friends

Zedan Racing's Medina Spirit (Protonico), first across the wire in the 2021 GI Kentucky Derby but officially disqualified this week, will be laid to rest at Old Friends, the Thoroughbred retirement farm near Georgetown, Kentucky. Old Friends made the announcement Friday morning. An open house, which will be open to the public, will be held Tuesday, Apr. 5, from 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Medina Spirit died Dec. 6 after a workout at Santa Anita. His ashes will be interred in Old Friends's Nikki Bacharach Memorial Garden. "The Zedan Racing...

[ Read More ]
Affirmed Success Euthanized at Old Friends

Affirmed Success (Affirmed--Towering Succes, by Irish Tower), a three-time Grade I winner at seven and eight furlongs and back-to-back winner of the GIII Poker H. on the turf, was euthanized Feb. 16 at Old Friends in Georgetown, Kentucky. He was 28 years old and according to attending veterinarians, was suffering from chronic hoof infections. A homebred for Al Fried, Jr. and trained throughout by Rich Schosberg, Affirmed Success won the first three starts of his career and was third to Awesome Again in the 1997 GII Jim Dandy S., but...

[ Read More ]
Breeders' Cup Classic Winner Alphabet Soup Dies

Alphabet Soup (Cozzene--Illiterate, by Arts and Letters), who won a memorable renewal of the GI Breeders' Cup Classic at Woodbine in 1996, died Jan. 28 at Old Friends Thoroughbred Retirement Farm in Georgetown, Kentucky, due to chronic kidney disease. The oldest living Classic winner, the gray was 31 years old and had been pensioned at the farm since 2015. Bred in Pennsylvania by Southeast Associates, Alphabet Soup was trained by David Hofmans for Georgia B. Ridder and came to hand at four in 1995, winning the GII Del Mar Budweiser...

[ Read More ]
'Seabiscuit' Star Popcorn Deelites Dies

Popcorn Deelites, one of several Thoroughbreds used to portray the legendary Seabiscuit in the 2003 Oscar-nominated film, passed away from complications of colic at the age of 24 at Old Friends Retirement Farm in Georgetown, Kentucky. The son of Afternoon Deelites had a modest racing career, mostly in claiming contests, and had resided alongside his sire at Old Friends since 2005. 'Pops', who bore a strong resemblance to Seabiscuit, appeared in several scenes in the film, including the match race against Triple Crown winner War Admiral. He returned to training...

[ Read More ]
X

Never miss another story from the TDN

Click Here to sign up for a free subscription.