How cool is it that not just one but two(!) off-track Thoroughbreds are getting on a plane to Rio today under the Team USA banner?
Traveling reserve Lynn Symansky’s mount Donner (racing name: Smart Gorky, Gorky Park – Smart Jane, by Smarten) had six lackluster starts before his connections called it a day. For more on Donner’s secret history, check out an extensive analysis of his pedigree and racing background on EN here.
Like Donner, Boyd Martin’s Olympic mount Blackfoot Mystery didn’t last too long on the track. The Kentucky-bred Thoroughbred (Out of Place – True Mystery, by Proud Truth) had three starts at Hollywood Park in the summer of 2007, none of them anything to write home about. He finished dead last in his first two races, then sixth out of nine in his final attempt.
This video of the second race, a maiden claimer, popped up on Boyd’s blog today, with the note: “We’ve managed to dig up footage of Blackfoot Mystery in action — at the racetrack! He’s #10 (purple silks), and his odds were 40-1. Who would have bet that he’d be heading to the 2016 Olympic Games!”
You can view notes from the race here.
Clearly, his job performance has since improved!
Safe travels, Team USA! Go Eventing.
