Markel’s Visit to Old Friends and Donation of One Ton of Purina Feed
~February 24, 2009~

The day John, Heidi and I went to visit Old Friends at Dream Chase Farm, it was a sunny day and a crisp 39 degrees.  We were first met by Sylvia, OF’s office manager, and Cindy Isaacs from Purina Feeds.  Old Friends President and Founder Michael Blowen came in soon after we arrived; with a bright smile and father-like pride, he began his first of many stories of the day to day happenings of his charges.  This particular story was about the previous evening which he had spent with equine photographer Matt Wooley. 

His subject was OGYGIAN, last great son of Damascus.  Michael chuckled as he showed us the final product, a quiet pose taken against a beautiful Kentucky winter sky…he explained it took over two hours for the patient artist to get his shot!
 
After a brief photo shoot of our own, we were led by our tour guide Charlie Brown out to the stallion paddocks.  Already aware that we were armed with a bucket of carrots, CREATOR was the first resident to greet us as he charged up to the fence eager with expectation of his reward.   Charlie offered a detailed account of this European star’s racing career and subsequent retirement to stand at Japan’s Nitta Farm, the same farm  where Ferdinand had stood.  As I fed CREATOR his carrot, this proud strong specimen of equine, a wave of appreciation came over me.

And so our tour continued from paddock to paddock, each subject getting his due for his contribution to our sport as well as a handful of carrots.  We met SWAN’S WAY, aka “SWANNIE”, perhaps the most deserving retiree on the farm.  The hardest of hard knockers, he managed 8 wins, 16 places and 15 shows in 81 lifetime starts.  The last of these was when he was 15 years old.  We also met the smallest of the Old Friends stallions, LITTLE SILVER CHARM, the miniature horse pulled off a truck for which he only had a one-way ticket.  With the attitude and mane of a rock star, this mighty mini serves as an equine rescue spokeshorse and children’s liaison.  Although LITTLE SILVER appears to think he is the only superstar on the farm, he actually shares residence with a real movie star, POPCORN DEELITES of Seabiscuit fame.  Probably not the most accomplished racehorse on the farm, he did play one in the movies!  POPCORN himself earned 11 wins in 58 lifetime starts before he made a career change as the gate breaking specialist in Seabiscuit.  Not letting the glam of Hollywood life go to his head, he is enjoying a quiet life in the country out of the spotlight.

One resident who appeared quite comfortable in the spotlight, however, was SUNSHINE FOREVER.  Clearly a favorite, SUNSHINE enjoys providing entertainment to Old Friends’ visitors, including the likes of Katie Couric when the CBS Evening News came to the farm. He particularly likes having a certain “conversation” with Michael Blowen as seen in this video.

SUNSHINE FOREVER Video.AVI 
Michael asks SUNSHINE FOREVER, “Are you the greatest horse ever?”
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Periodically throughout our tour, Mr. Blowen caught up with us to add his personal experiences with a particular retiree, adding true color to this cast of characters.  As he told his stories with animation and obvious affection for his residents, I could see that the founding of Old Friends was no accident - it’s Michael’s calling.

After nearly two hours outside, we at last conceded that more time could be spent meeting our beneficiaries once the cold weather broke.  While our faces and hands were numb from cold, we left our new Old Friends feeling warm and satisfied…thankful to be able to give back to the equine heroes we love…thankful for meeting others in our industry like Cindy Isaacs and the folks from Purina who, like us, want to make a difference…and of course thankful for the tireless hours put in by Michael Blowen and his entire Old Friends team.  I have heard the combined earnings of 63 past and current residents at Old Friends top $38,000,000.00.  I think they have earned their retirement! 

The Markel Lexington Team looks forward to developing a long relationship with Old Friends, and will be exploring more ways to support this outstanding thoroughbred retirement facility.  I encourage everyone to visit the Old Friends website at www.oldfriendsequine.org.