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The Racehorse
TAKEAVICTORYLAP was a phenomonal racehorse. As with all foals, we had dreams that he would win the triple crown, and every other race a thoroughbred breeder dreams of every night. But we (of course) started him off slow. He went in to win his first two races, and took a second in a G3 Stakes. He was doing so good though that we took a chance. Before the Dubia World Cup Juvinille we had decided that this was his chance to show us if he was going to be running in the bigger races. He went into the race the underderdog, never having won a stakes before and won against some of the finest two year olds in the world. And that was just his start. Twelve of his sixteen lifetime starts were G1 Races. Of those he won eight: The Dubia World Cup Juvinille, the Breeders Cup Juvinille, the Dubia World Cup, the Florida Derby, the Preakness Stakes, the Belmont, the Jockeys Club Gold Cup, and his famous win in the Breeders Cup Classic. He started good, he ran good too. He stayed near the front the whole race, biding his time and energy so that he could make his way to win. Turning the second bend in the track he stumbled, breaking his cannon bone. His jockey attempted to hold him up when he did not feel as she thought he normally did. But this was just taking more energy, hurting him worse, and causing him greater stress. Finally when his temper with her broke, he took the bit and she was just a passenger. He had fallen to the back of the pack, but he had heart and talent. We had discovered before that when he was at the back, it only gave him more fight to win. He drove on, passing horse after horse, fighting them, struggling for the win his heart ached for. And he took it by a nose. After the race, Takeavictorylap was a mess. While before he had broken his cannon bone, the use he had put upon the inured leg had shattered it and torn a ligament. The track vet told us that we should put him down, that the chance of recovery was impossible.
Recovery
Recovery was a long, slow, tedious, and very hard journey for TAKEAVICTORYLAP and for us. First he had to undergo an eight hour long surgery. We had hired the best vet we could find to come stay at our veterinary clinic, and to upgrade it to what we would need to heal our beloved animal. Every month for six months he had to have a surgery. He had to spend time in a hammock in his stall, drugged with heavy tranquilizers and pain killers. We had to pump the food he needed into him with a tube. Finally when he no longer had to have surgerys he spent time in his stall with his hammock, then down to a heavy cast and the tranquilizers in his stall. When he finally could walk around in his stall with his sedatives, we steadily moved him out to a pasture. Of course, the veterinary world was astonished... he had made the most amazing recovery that many had seen, and while he would not race he could walk and move and live. But he was not healed yet... his recovery was not done he was not ready to stand stud. We kept lowering the protection of the cast, down to keenland wraps until he was in the pasture by himself, without any protective leg gear. But we were seriously considering having him put down. He had once been a mighty and noble horse, with fire and passion, energy in every bone of his noble body. And now he had the life of an old plow horse, the spark had died in his once raging eyes. When he would have fought out at the confiments of his stall, requiring that someone watch over him and feed him in his pasture, he now walked into the box with ease. But we asked for a cast to be put on him again, and that we lower the tranquilizers. And we made another downgrade path. We lowered the doses of sedatives, and kept the cast strong down until he had no sedatives. He was alive again, but once more he had a road to go. Once more we lowered the casts until he was running and playing and jumping and bucking and kicking in his field. After a year of time, two million dollars, and a lot of heartbreak and hope he was ready to breed.
His Sire
TAKEAVICTORYLAP is a wonderful example of his sire's talents at stud. IMPERIO was never a racehorse, he was injured before he got the chance. IMPERIO was a gorgeous animal, with what was thought unlimited talent and potential to be a racehorse. But he could not become one due to his injury as a young foal. He was sold from owner to owner, as many thought that he would not be any use due to his lack of racing potential. But, his breeding was unmatched, and wonderful thus we bid and bought him at the auction. His first foal was not raced, due to the passion we just did not have for it at the time. But her foals have begun to win and dominate races on the racetrack, and she shows that she would have been one hell of a racer herself. Imperio's get have won over 2million (excluding TAKEAVICTORYLAP's earnings). One of his finest foals is Bold Lillian, a half sister to TAKEAVICTORYLAP. Imperio sired amazing animals, with heart to win and the body to win.
His Dam
SEATTLE DOWN was a great racer herself, by Seattle Slew. She was a great horse, winning the Santa Anita Derby, the Kentucky Derby, and the filly Triple Crown, as well as the Breeders Cup Distaff. She had heart and body and mind. SEATTLE DOWN was retired as a three year old, bred at four and foaled at five. She showed a lot of promise as a broodmare, as she had as a racehorse. As a six year old, she had complications foaling a full sister to TAKEAVICTORYLAP. SEATTLE DOWN was buried in the farm cemetary, and her filly followed just a week later. SEATTLE DOWN's filly, who we named TAKEAROSE had perfect conformation. We have no doubt.. just from looking at her, and from the fire she showed in her first few days that she would have been as great as her brother.
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