Jockeys attend opening of facility for retired racehorses

Hundreds of people turned out for ceremonies at the facility, officially called Old Friends at Cabin Creek: the Bobby Frankel Division — named after the late Hall of Fame trainer who passed away last year. His family members were among those present.

Activities continue today as the farm helps celebrate the opening of the Saratoga Race Course season, followed by an open house on Saturday.

Old Friends founder and president Michael Blowen spent several minutes sharing memories of Hall of Fame trainer Bobby Frankel, for whom the farm was named in honor. Frankel, who died in November 2009 following a long illness, stipulated in his will that his trophies be donated to Old Friends and also left money to the organization.

“This will be his living legacy,” Blowen said of Cabin Creek.

In addition to Blowen, several others who were close to Frankel spoke, including some family members and his farrier.

In addition to the jockeys who attended the mini golf tournament in the morning (including reigning Eclipse Award winner Julien Leparoux, who hit the links with The Saratogian’s Sam Hollingsworth), several noted racing personalities made an appearance during the celebration at the farm, including Hall of Fame riders Edgar Prado and Angel Cordero Jr; Richie Migliore, a New York favorite who recently retired from the saddle; Kentucky Derby winning trainer Rick Dutrow Jr, a close friend of Frankel’s; and local trainer H. James Bond.

Several trophies won by Frankel's horses over the years, including some from major races at Saratoga, were on display during the event.

The 40-acre farm, owned by JoAnn and Mark Pepper, has 10 retired thoroughbreds including Thunder Rumble and Will’s Way, winners of the 1992 and 1996 Travers Stakes, respectively. The Peppers have had horses for several years. Previously, they just boarded them until JoAnn fulfilled a long-time goal by developing a partnership with Old Friends — a Kentucky-based, non-profit organization that cares for more than 100 retired racehorses.

“I always wanted to do this,” JoAnn Pepper said. “It just took time.”

Cabin Creek is Old Friends’ first satellite farm. Because it accepts stallions, Old Friends has a higher percentage of “name” horses than some retirement groups, hoping this will raise awareness about the need for such programs.

Pepper also liked Old Friends’ policy of letting the public visit farms, giving people a chance to see horses up close. During the racing season, Cabin Creek plans to host tours at 7 p.m. each Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

“We’ve got some great volunteers,” she said. “I couldn’t do it without them.”

The Saratoga racing community has embraced the project. On Thursday, jockeys such as Jean Cruguet, Kent Desormeaux and Robbie Davis helped raise money by taking part in the inaugural Little Silver Charm Miniature Golf Tournament at Murphy’s Driving Range on Route 9.

On Saturday, in addition to an open house, Cabin Creek will host a benefit cocktail party and silent auction at The Washington Inn, 111 South Broadway. Tickets are $50.

“We’ve gotten a lot of great donations, a Nantucket vacation house for a week, a trip to Las Vegas and some really nice pictures,” Pepper said.

One of the more unique items will be an original “Moneigh,” a painting done by one of the farm’s horses – 13-year-old gelding Cool N Collective. Using non-toxic children’s paint, horses brush paint on a poster with their chins. It comes out looking like modern art, but when matted and framed the paintings are quite handsome, complete with a gold or brass plaque verifying the “artist’s” authenticity.

At present, the farm has 12 stalls so it’s almost full to capacity.

“I wish I could save every one of them,” Pepper said. “We have more land. Hopefully we can expand. So many horses need homes. We’ll see where it takes us.”

The true value of thoroughbreds isn’t just the money they make, but the appreciation, attention and understanding for horses they develop in the public at large, she said.

“People still love them and like spending time with them,” she said. “That’s the importance to people who love horses.”

For more information about Old Friends see the website: www.oldfriendsequine.org