Farewell, Ms. Lane

Tabby and I right after her retirement in 2012

Tabby has officially left us.  We certainly wish her new owner the best of luck, especially with her foal to be since we will be the breeders' of record. I hope she has a long and prosperous life full of love.  There is little doubt that we will keep an eye on her going forward.  She was a special horse for us and will continue to be so.

Of the many things I learn about this game, the most recent lesson is: unless you're independently wealthy, you cannot do everything.  I enjoy racing.  Raising babies is fun and watching George grow and develop into a Minnesota Derby winner will be a hoot - okay, just a winner would be great - but to keep a broodmare and then 2 foals was just going to be too expensive.  Now we can focus on raising George and claiming horses to race.  And lesson #2 could come into play there, too.

If you recall, lesson #1 is never fall in love with a horse.  Lesson #2 is: take the money when you can get it - it may not come around again.  Someone shows up and takes a shine to our weanling/yearling and offers us money we can't refuse...we won't.

In any case, Tabby provided us 6 of her 10 lifetime wins but her sweet demeanor will missed more than anything.  She took everything in stride and, as you can see above, she loved her people nearly as much as we loved her.  We're fortunate that she's staying right where she is in terms of boarding and foaling out, so we'll be able to see her from time to time, but the dynamic has necessarily changed.

Now we'll focus on developing George, getting Ellie ready for a much better season 2, getting Canterbury Racing Club 2015 going and one, perhaps two, more claiming groups. No matter how far we get in this game, though, Tabby will always be the one that stole my heart.

Good luck, girl.  Love you always.