Whose One Lucky Horse?!

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Dec 19th, 2014

Many of you may remember Shipping News, the horse who's claim to fame was taking a dip in the infield pond at Tampa Bay Downs after a race.  If you're not familiar with his story, please scroll down to see his OTTB profile that the Paulick Report did on him last year.  We are so happy to announce that Shipping News has found an amazing new forever home, where he is adored and spoiled and pampered.  We could not ask for a better home for this big guy.  He is currently being schooled in dressage and we hope to see him at a Run for the Ribbons Horse Show in the future.  

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www.paulickreport.com

by Jen Roytz

Some horses earn popularity for their exploits on the track, others for what they sell for in the auction ring. Based on some low-level, highly unscientific research via Google, it is safe to say that there is only one horse that has earned his fame swimming in the infield pond at Tampa Bay Downs.

Meet Shipping News.

Shipping News wasn’t bred to be a swimmer. By Horse of the Year Point Given, he was born in New York and sold as a yearling for $15,000 to Roy Lerman’s Lambholm Stable. He was a late foal, born toward the end of June, 2007. Wanting to make sure the gelding had enough time to properly grow and mature, owner/trainer Lerman opted not to enter the horse for his first start until the beginning of his three-year-old year.

Shipping News was able to bring home a few checks with second and third place efforts in New York and Florida, but it was after his final race that he went from forgettable to infamous.

Shipping News was making the seventh start of his career in a maiden special weight on the turf at Tampa Bay Downs. At around the six furlong mark of the 1 3/8-mile race, the gelding brushed the inside rail, was pulled up, and collapsed on the turf course from apparent heat exhaustion. After being hosed down and treated, the horse got back up on his feet and all seemed to be relieved.

During the ordeal, however, his bridle had come off and once on his feet, the colt escaped his handlers. Evading capture at a lumbering pace, he crashed once again through the inner turf rail. He then propped and turned and came crashing back through the inner rail and back onto the turf course. Then, in an effort to escape the growing throng of people trying to corral him, he plowed back through the inner turf rail for a third time and trotted right into the infield pond, surprising himself and everyone else.

“He just walked through the rail like a blind elephant and he fell into the pond, essentially,” said Lerman. “I didn’t know how we were going to get him since he didn’t have a halter on…I took my clothes off and I stepped into the water, and the muck was up to my knees.”

Lerman gently got the halter on Shipping News’s head and, with help from members of the gate and pony crews, coaxed the exhausted horse out of the water. After the horse was on land, the team loaded him onto a van, which transported him to Peterson and Smith Equine Hospital.

“Roy spent quite a bit of money trying to save his life,” said Angela Palacios, Director of Bloodstock Services and Client Relations for Lambholm South, the farm Roy owns and the banner under which he trains.

Shipping News is now in training and awaiting placement in the TROT program

Shipping News is now in training with TROT and awaiting placement

Shipping News scraped up his ankle in the ordeal, and after submerging the open wound in dirty pond water, it became infected and difficult to treat.

“A few times they were less than optimistic about his recovery, but thankfully he did recover and came back to Lambholm for rehab,” said Palacios. “After he recovered, we turned him out in a field with a donkey and another OTTB for quite some time.”

Eventually, Lambholm contacted TROT (Thoroughbred Retirement of Tampa, the official retirement and rehoming program for Tampa Bay Downs), and Shipping News was accepted into the program and placed at Summer Thurber’s farm for training and placement, where he currently resides.

“He’s just a big 17.2-hand puppy dog; you can’t help but love him,” says Summer, vice president of TROT. “He’s not strong-willed, not fresh, not mean. He’s like a Great Dane. He’s a big, sweet, handsome guy.”

Summer said Shipping News’ foray into the infield caused injury to his ankle, resulting in occasional stiffness in the joint.

Shipping News isn't a jumper these days, but he's still a nice mover

Shipping News isn’t a jumper these days, but he’s still a nice mover

“He’s a pretty mover and a quiet ride and would be perfect for someone looking for a recreational riding horse,” explained Summer. “He loves kids and loves dogs and is just so easy and enjoyable to be around. Because of his injury, he probably shouldn’t jump, but he’d be such a fun horse to take on the trails or just have fun riding or even doing low level dressage with. While he does have that jumping limitation, with that kind of personality and build, there is really so much he could do with the right person or family.”

Shipping News is available for adoption for a $500 fee, but between now and the end of the year, TROT is offering a 50% discount on its adoption fees (which means Shipping News is currently available for $250). For anyone interested in learning more about Shipping News or any of the other TROT horses, go to www.tampatrot.org.

THE DEETS:
Name: Shipping News
Born: June 24, 2007
Color: Bay
Sire: Point Given
Dam: Bay
Height: 17.2 hands
Sale History: Sold as a yearling at the FTMOCT Sale for $15,000
Race Record: 7-0-1-2
Race Earnings: $12,021

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