Recently in Videos Category
In today's Thoroughbred business (as with many in today's world), it is all-too-common to "buy" into the winner's circle. IEAH bought Big Brown as a racing three-year-old, Jess Jackson bought Curlin and Rachel Alexandra also after they started. It is standard practice to buy horses as yearlings, or at two-year-old sales, as racing prospects. But Overbrook was different. With a few exceptions, their racehorses were homebreds. Overbrook purchased mares; bred those mares; and raced the best offspring. When those racing fillies (Train Robbery, Seaside Attraction, Flanders, etc) retired, they joined the broodmare band and produced another crop of champions (Cat Thief, Cape Town, Surfside, etc). And so Overbrook created a dynasty spanning several generations, something that has become almost rare in today's breed-and-sell, buy-to-race market. Their bloodlines were cherished, as evident by the $30M their stock brought at Keeneland this fall (in a poor market, no less). It was sad to see these grand old mares split up and sold off, but most of them stayed in Lexington and will certainly be well-cared for.
OK, enough with the sappy talk. Let's celebrate the amazing performances of Overbrook's extraordinary athletes. You may not recognize all these names, but I found many of them familiar. Enjoy the heart and courage displayed by these horses-- it's what horse racing should be. :)
Note: this is a 4-part series, about 25 minutes long. If you're pressed for time, watch the first 5 minutes of Part 1, and skip Part 2. Part 3 is my favorite-- I have a soft spot for Flanders and Surfside (both were SO CLASSY when I met them at Keeneland, real queens and they knew it). Part 4 is also great, one super stakes winner after another, culminating in Cat Thief's Breeder's Cup.
At last, the moment you've all been waiting for. The remaining 3 videos are revealed!
The Top 10 Best Videos: HORSES IN SPORT
3. 2008 WEG Dressage Freestyle: Blu Hors Matine. I know EVERYONE has seen this video (it's been viewed a combined 10 million times), but it is worth watching again. And again. I still get goosebumps when I see it, for the 100th time. The mare literally dances to the music; her suspension and flexibility is extraordinary. I don't care if you hate dressage more than picking frozen poop from the pasture, or if you can't tell a half-pass from a piaffe, watching this video makes you appreciate dressage and WISH you could do ride a horse like that. Simply magical.
2. My Favorite Eventing Video. Forward horses, forward riding, this is what xc is all about! It's awesome, it's guts, it's just hanging on with a smile. Horses doing extraordinary things, understanding their job and having fun. Horses and riders in sync, in rhythm, doing what they do best. I love it!!!
1. 1973 Belmont Stakes. Wait, you mean that great eventing video isn't #1?! Yeah, 'cuz this one's better. How something so simple as a running horse can create such an emotional impact, I cannot explain. If this video doesn't give you chills and fill you with inspiration, there's no hope for you. Secretariat was perhaps the single greatest equine athlete to ever walk the earth. He had no competition... he was racing history. And I don't know if anyone will ever catch up. Bookmark this one, and watch it again... it never loses it's magic.
The countdown continues...
The Top 10 Best Videos: HORSES IN SPORT
6. Horse Agility? Why not?
5. A stunning CLEAR ROUND at the 1988 Hickstead Derby. A phenominal performance by Nick Skelton and Apollo. Awesome horse, I think I wouldn't mind galloping him around Rolex with a jump like that! Hickstead is one of my favorite courses to watch, a really unique show jumping event.
4. Metropolitan Mounted Police at Olympia. Jumping in unison? Seen it before. Near-collisions at high speed? Typical drill-team maneuver. Jumping through hoops of fire? Come on, who hasn't. Jumping in unison, through flaming hoops, avoiding near-collisions at high speed, while remaining in sync? Now that's worth watching. And I still can't figure out how they unsaddle, while mounted, continuing to canter in formation. They'z got mad skillz!
Agree or disagree with your favorites in the comment section. Stay tuned for the Top 3!
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=8c2b6876-284a-4bdf-8b76-ab0a74f1245c)