Reluctantly, we said our goodbyes to
the stallions, after getting permission to come down and visit them
later if we wanted, we made our way back to our car. This is when my
heart started to pound and my mind started to race. Would I connect
with her as much as I had thought I would? Would she like me? How was
this going to turn out, was it going to turn out like I had
envisioned? Well by the time I had pulled myself out of my thoughts
we had made it to TaylorMade farms.
We were greeted by Hunter Houlihan,
one of the first people we had been in contact with and who helped
make the whole trip possible. Only arriving a few minutes after us he
had brought lunch for my mom, him, and I to share and have a good
conversation over. Entering the main office we were brought into a
room to settle down and eat lunch in, and already set up at the table
were gift bags for my mom and me.
As we ate we were introduced to
several great people who worked at TaylorMade, all of whom were the
nicest and made most open people I'd ever met. I was treated as if I
were a normal human being, something that doesn't always happen with
people I just met. But the bond over horses and Princess made the
perfect conversational piece. I was able to share a bit how I got
into the sport and why I had latched on so closely to the Princess.
And that's one thing I'm not shy sharing about with anyone.
After we had finished it was time to
head to the stables to meet my girl. By now my stomach was full of
butterflies and I was pretty quiet the whole ride up to there,
something my mom would say is a rare sight. The front area of the
yearling barn, where they were keeping the mares that were going to
sell at the Fasig Tipton sale in November, had some pretty important
people standing in front of it. An photographer from Bloodhorse
magazine, the two people who run a photography company called
Equisports, and John Hall, the yearling manager. As they prepared to
bring Princess out Mr. Hall and I were able to talk a bit about my
trip so far but the only thing I could really think was, “Wow....is
this is really happening!”. And then THERE SHE WAS!
Princess's groom led her out of the
barn in all her glory and had her stand center stage, just where she
likes to be, for our meeting. Tall, regal, and glimmering she stood
inspecting the audience in front of her with great curiosity. The
camera's snapped pictures and she held her neck even higher and
turned her face so that they could get her best side. While she posed
and soaked in all the media's attention I stood in silence taking in
the beautiful horse in front of me with open mouth. Mr. Hall smiled
at me and led me up to where she was standing, my legs were shaking,
and I was glad to be wearing my leg braces. I slowly held out my hand
for Princess of Sylmar to sniff before placing the other gently on
the side of her withers. We both stood there a moment looking at each
other, her big brown eyes looking at me with a gentle curiosity and
me looking at her with awe. Gently I began a soft stroking of the
Princess's copper coat, my eyes never leaving her face even after her
face had turned away from me to look at the rest of the press. But as
soon as my hand reached into my pocket for a peppermint I had all her
attention. Though she didn't quite care for the peppermints, spitting
them onto the gravel, she did eat all the carrots I had brought as
back up in case the mints didn't live up to her approval. That's when
I remember leaning into her and giving her a gentle hug, my head
rested on her side. It was something I had wanted to do for a quite a
long time.
Just when I thought it couldn't get
any better, Hunter had called Ed Stanco for me, and for the first
time we talked over the phone. I'm not sure if I said very much
because my jaw was on the floor as I tried to process what was going
on around me. But I do remember what he said to me and I don't think
I'll ever forget. It was a special moment for me indeed. And though
I'd like to share his words, for now they are for just me and my mom
to know. That conversation is something I treasure greatly.
Once I had returned the phone to
Hunter all of us walked into the barn where I was allowed to co-lead
Princess up and down the walk-way. As we did so I was in silence
watching her long legs move gracefully and the rhythmic sway of her
body and head. And one could tell that she wasn't something just
thrown together in an accident, every part of her was shaped and
molded perfectly to create a masterpiece.
We returned Princess to her stall to
brush her off and give her some more attention, that's when I got a
one on one lesson on how to groom a horse and how to find a horse's
soft spot from Mr. Hall himself. And then all too soon the visit with
the Princess was over. After seeing a couple other horses who were
stabled there, My Miss Sophia and Egg Drop being two of them, it was
time to leave for the day. But Mr. Hall insured us that we were
welcome to come back any time that week to feed the Princess some
more carrots and give her some more attention. We would return the
in the morning before we left Kentucky to say goodbye.
But our day wasn't over as we had been
invited by Winstar to come and see some of the stallions that were
there. Inside we were greeted and given a tour by Giulia Mattarello,
bloodstock assistant and Stablemates coordinator at the farm. She
took us around the farm to see some of the horses that were in
training and then led us to see some of the great stallions that
resided there. Unfortunately many of them were out in pasture but
some were close enough that we could see them a little ways off.
After getting snubbed by the mighty Tiznow and feeding a peppermint
to Speightstown we returned to the main office to say our goodbyes
and thank yous.
Once back at the guest house at
Ashford my mom and I finally sat down to catch our breath and it was
then that it registered that I had finally met Princess of Sylmar. I
was all smiles as I flipped through the pictures that my mom had
taken of me with the Princess. Only when she asked me to come into
the dining room did I look away. While we had been out we had
received flowers from Ed and his wife Ina. And they were the most
beautiful flowers I had ever seen. It was then my mother said what we
had been saying all day long: How incredibly blessed are we! That
night I had a hard time falling asleep because I was so wired with
memories and excitement from all of that day's activities. Like a
movie I kept rewinding everything in my mind, replaying the most
magical moments. Eventually I fell asleep.
The next day was going to be another
busy day in Kentucky as we were going to Keeneland for a day at the
track. I had never been to a race track before and I honestly
couldn't believe that the first track I would be going to was
Keeneland. I had only heard stories about how beautiful it was and I
couldn't wait to see it in person. Adrian and his wife arrived with
our tickets and a special pass that would allow us to sit in
Ashford's corporate box. Grinning I glanced from the tickets to my
mom and then back to Adrian and thanked him 100 times over again. He
would meet us there, he said, and so my mom and I set off for our day
at Keeneland. It was overcast that morning, casting a gray shadow
over everything but the moods of the people walking through the gates
charged the air with energy. My mom and I followed the crowd of
people and after asking for directions my mom began to push my
wheelchair towards the elevator to the box where we would be sitting.
As she pushed I took in my surroundings with wide eyes and a racing
heart (excuse my pun). It was a busy day as the Queen Elizabeth
Challenge Cup was going to be run that day along with another major
race. And the buzz from the growing crowd sent a rumbling through the
ground and filled the air. I turned to look at my mom who had been
watching my reaction and she smiled at me.
We got settled in the corporate box
and I immediately went to sit by the window to watch the post parade
for the second race on that day's card. I looked through the program
to pick out the horses that I thought may win in each race. I read
over each card looking at each horse when I noticed that two of my
favorite jockeys would be racing that day. I smiled to myself and
told my mom that I wanted to meet some of the jockeys before the day
was over. Just as I finished picking out a few horses from the first
four race they had all been loaded into the gate and were just about
to break. My heart was pounding as I watched them break and take off
down the track. It's one thing to watch race after race on television
but to see the horses running in person was something else
completely.
Then Adrian arrived and sat down to
help me handicap the races and even took me to place my first bet.
Though we didn't end up winning that one it was just the excitement
that made me happy. Together we watched the races and waited for the
Challenge Cup, a race that Ashford had a horse running in. Then as
race 8 ended and Queen Elizabeth Challenge Cup preparations began
Adrian presented my mom and I with two paddock passes. I hadn't
expected to get that close to the horses and I fought the urge to
jump up and down.
We walked down to the paddock to watch
their horse, Minorette, get ready for her race. She's a gorgeous
filly and well mannered. I began to inspect the other horses that
were there and noticed one filly that looked very familiar. She was a
tall filly with a darker coat but there was something there that had
me thinking I had seen her before. So I glanced down at the card and
finally put two and two together. It was Crown Queen, half sister to
Royal Delta, a horse that had been amazing on the track. One that my
Princess had raced and won against. That was the icing on the cake, I
thought, as we followed the horse down the tunnel and then stood in
the winner's circle waiting for the horses to be loaded.
I was as close to the rail as I
possibly could be, my arms resting on it and my attention focused on
the gate. And just like that the race had began. The crowd got louder
as the horses came down the stretch and pretty soon I was urging the
horses under my breath. Crown Queen won it under John Velazquez. I
now knew why so many people loved coming to the track. The thrill of
watching the horses cross the wire in person surely beat watching it
through a screen. The crowd's energy and the sounds of the hooves
thundering on the track added to the excitement and the atmosphere to
create something truly special.
As soon as we decided to stay by the
rail it began to rain and like the unprepared tourists we were my mom
and I had forgotten an umbrella. Luckily we were saved by one of the
workers who had a spare and he and I began talking about our trip and
the races. Though I can't remember his name he was one of the
sweetest people I had met on my trip. He had such a warm smile and
great heart. We spoke about the up-coming race and what horses I had
picked to come in 1st, 2nd and 3rd.
Just after we shared our picks the
race began and as the horses crossed the wire we all laughed. Of
course the race I hadn't bet in, I ended up having a perfect
trifecta. By the end of the day I had been able to meet both Irad
Ortiz Jr. and John Valezquez, two of my all time favorite jockeys,
and gotten a picture and autograph.
The day at Keeneland came to an end
just as the rain began to start. Saying goodbye to Adrian and to the
rest of the Ashford team that had sat with us in the box, my mom and
I drove out for dinner and returned to the guest house for our last
night. That night the exhaustion took over, but not before I dreaded
the next day when we would have to leave. Once again I fell asleep
thinking about all the blessings that had taken place that day.
We had packed and were pulling out of
Ashford around 10:00 am the next morning and took the familiar route
back to TaylorMade to say goodbye to my Princess, the horse that had
made my whole trip possible.
This time as she was brought out the
air was still and the only sounds were that of the other horses out
in the pasture playing around. There was a moment between Princess
and I that I won't forget. It was a quiet and peaceful meeting this
time. I was able to just stroke her and thank her for everything
that she had done for me and gotten me through the previous year. She
ate a couple more carrots and I gave her one last hug and kissed her
nose before she was returned to her stall.
It was a bittersweet goodbye. Sweet in
knowing that my dream had come true and that I had been able to thank
her for everything, that I had been able to see the horse that had
changed my life so drastically. But bitter because I knew she would
be sold the next month and I knew that I probably wouldn't see her
again.
As my mom and I began our long drive
back home I kept thinking about what people had been saying to me:
Once you visit Kentucky you'll never want to leave. And I can say
that's one hundred percent true. I'm counting down the days until I
can come back.
We learned that the TaylorMade team
had put together a collection to help offset the cost of our trip,
resulting in $640 dollars for us, much more then we spent on our
trip. That money will be used to help fund my next Kentucky trip so I
can attend the Breeder's Cup that will be held at Keeneland next
year.
Following the Princess and the world
of horse racing has changed my life so much. Not just in the
opportunities it's given me, but in the way it's changed who I am as
a person. I want to pursue a career in horse racing and I know that I
want to be as involved in the sport as I possibly can. For now that's
going to be running my Princess of Sylmar fan page on Facebook and
updating the fans on Princess's new life at Shadai farms in Japan and
bringing them the latest news of what's going on in the sport.
The flowers from King of Prussia stables
Keeneland
Horse heading towards the track
At Keeneland!
Me saying goodbye to the Princess
My Paddock Access
Me with Johnny V! He was really sweet!
Me with Irad Ortiz Jr! He's amazing
The legendary Speightstown
Winstar
Me and the Princess
Me and the Princess (Equisport photo)
Me and the Princess (Equisport photo)
Talking on the phone with Ed (Equisport photo)
Me and the Princess (Equisport photo)
