Mr. Cowboy at Old Friends Cabin Creek Farm

MR. COWBOY

Mr. Cowboy is mine, or at least part mine. He is the only colt in a new partnership called "Team Cowboy." Most of us, including JoAnn and Mark Pepper, the managing partners have never owned a thoroughbred race horse and  even though he hasn't raced yet, the journey has been exciting.

I met Mr. Cowboy when he was an 8 month old weanling. He could hardly see over the fence of his pen and  he didn't know how to eat a carrot from your hand. I was on my first visit to the brand new Bobby Frankel Division of Old Friends Equine Retirement, Cabin Creek Farm in Greenfield Center, NY, just a few minutes from Saratoga Race Course. Cowboy was living there. JoAnn had foaled him on March 15, 2009.  He was not breathing, but she and Mark brought him back and nursed him until he could stand on his own and run around. He went away with his mare, but several months later, he was sent back to JoAnn. In November Old Friends at Cabin Creek, the Bobby Frankel Division

was opened and the horses arrived. Mr Cowboy was living with seasoned old geldings and champion stallions.

Mr. Cowboy spent his yearling days in a paddock with a retired gelding, Moonshadow Gold.
He and Moonie loved each other. Moonie taught Cowboy many things- respect, manners, how to run in circles and even how to act around people. He raced Travers  winners Thunder Rumble and Will's Way along the paddock fences.  The farm life let Cowboy grow strong and fast and unpressured. The weekly Old Friends Cabin Creek tours spoiled him a little(lots of treats) and made him a show off.  As you can see in the picture above, he loves the camera.

Playing ball in Aiken 

When Cowboy was 2, it was time to begin training.  Bill Allyn broke him and is still his trainer.  JoAnn and Mark formed the Team Cowboy partnership and our little colt went off to Aiken, SC  to become a racehorse. Some of the partners (most of us volunteers at  Cabin Creek) came to see him off. I guess he was having as hard a time saying "good-bye" as we were, because it took him two hours to get on the van. Mark went with him and Cowboy was perfect all the way to Aiken.


He did well there. Bill trained at Palmetto Training Center which was quiet and had a great barn  and Cowboy had his very own paddock . He  could run and play and be a colt when he wasn't working. He grew big and strong. JoAnn and I went down and visited for several days. Other people loved him. One of the vets called him the nicest colt in Aiken.

His exercise rider, Ismael said. "This horse is taking us to Dubai!" Of course we were proud mothers.

Breezing at the Oklahoma track in Saratoga with Kimmee

In May, Cowboy came back to Saratoga,  and moved into barn 44 at the Oklahoma training center. He moved to another barn for track season, but now he's back in 44. He's been growing  and growing and now he's beginning to look like  a real racehorse.  He did take two tries to get his gate card. The first time he was busy flirting with a filly in the gate beside him and he forgot to run when the door opened. He only dumped his rider once. A squirrel scared him. He  was sick and on antibiotics for a while, but now he's shiny and  ripped!

He breezed today and will race soon. We think October 30 at Belmont will be his first race, so look for him in the entries  and maybe you can see him.

This is supposed to be, at least for now, blogging to the Breeder's Cup. I'm hoping that sharing my passion and that of the fans I know or meet along the way, will excite  and encourage others to follow the sport of horse racing.  The story of Mr. Cowboy is part of that for me. This sport has taken me to some wonderful places and people. I want to share that and I hope you'll help me.

After this, I'll think Breeder's Cup, except of course for October 30, Mr. Cowboy's first race.

Remember, don't be afraid to check my spelling and please contribute.

Connie