DREAMS REALLY CAN COME TRUE!! MORE PICS ADDED

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BabsR
Platinum Member

England

2790 Posts

Posted - 28 Mar 2009 : 1:01:36 PM

Hi A/L`s The following is a true story about a very close friend of ours. Make yourself comfy as it is a bit lengthy, but think you will enjoy this tear jerker !!

First met Gillian when I was a Nursing Assistant and Gill was a bank Charge Nurse, on the ward. We got talking horses, and the night shift flew by. During the conversation Gill had said her lifelong ambition was to breed a TB racehorse......out of the question as we were both just ordinary working lasses, with no rich relatives. Sunray stud had been established some twenty years by then, through our own hard work.

Never saw Gill again until a telephone call two years later...Gill saying could she come and see our horses. She fell in love with a six week Anglo colt Sunray Solstice (William) and purchased him there and then. She still owns Will (BNC Ridden Anglo)to this date and whilst Gill does not ride, she has a rider for him. He is out this year in Veterans.

We had a thoroughbred AHS Premium mare, Clares Delight (winner of two races) who had bred us several top class Anglos. Gill really liked her and we decided to let her buy Clare, who was a Northern Dancer grand daughter. A TB stallion was chosen and so Clares Delight was to be the hopeful realisation of Gill`s lifelong dream..........A Thoroughbred Racehorse!!!

It was at this time that Gill met her partner, Robert,who was then able to help finance her project. A beautiful dark bay TB filly was born to Clares Delight and Gill was beside herself with joy!!! Thirteen hours later a distraught phone call from Robert saying that Clares Delight had just dropped dead in the stable (the vet had been called out earlier, after the birth to check all was OK.....Yes!!)

We rushed over to console Gill and got the foal "Miss Flim" drinking her milk out of a basin quite happily. She was such a precious filly and grew really well with all Gills TLC.

Miss Flim and Gill....Photos taken when Flim was 10 weeks old

Miss Flim aged 4 months, before her accident

Shortly after, Gill purchased another TB mare from an advert we had seen in H & H with six TB mares with foals at foot for sale. Gill chose a mare Sunley Stars with a chestnut filly foal, who was by Fraam. However, when she brought the pics, I noticed the foal had three malformed limbs and pointed this out to Gill. Regardless, Gill insisted on still buying....and offered a lower than asking price which was �1250...and purchased mare(17 years) and foal for the princely sum of �750. Arrangements went ahead to find a husband for Stars, and Compton Place was chosen

Footsie is the Fraam filly who was a foal at foot when Gill purchased Sunley Stars

Sunley Stars with her first Compton Place foal bred by Gill

Four and half months later.....tragedy struck. Gill was on her way over to visit her parents......frantic phone call from Robert, asking her to rush to Newmarket Vet Hospital as her little orphan foal, Miss Flim had been badly injured. She had apparently been playing with the other foal and galloped through a gate which was opened into an adjoining paddock. Somehow Flim must have brushed against the bolt at speed and it had torn all the flesh completely off, right along her side!! Gill didn`t care how badly scarred she would have been if they could save her....Sadly the battle was lost ten days later...and Flim had to be PTS to save any further suffering, as there was no chance of her surviving the horrific injury.

Can you just imagine how devastated Gill was, first losing the mare shortly after the birth, and then her treasured filly also. I did not think Gill would ever get over the pain of these two tragic losses,...her first attempt at breeding!! We encouraged Gill to get a special Trophy in remembrance of her adored foal and so the "Miss Flim Fabeaux Trophy" was ordered and is presented annually at our BNFOY Show, and Gill (our Show Chairlady) presents the Trophy, to the filly foal she best likes in the Hack Foal Class. So.. Flim`s memory lives on

Gills second attempt at breeding a racehorse, resulted in a chestnut filly by Compton Place. That year a full blood sibling colt "If Paradise" came out as a two year old....and promptly won a �140.000 race in great style.

Above full blood sibling to Gill`s three Compton Place fillies. If Paradise was not bred by Gill. He was foaled the year before Gill purchased Sunley Stars.

Following If Paradise`s good win, Gill`s phone never stopped ringing with offers to buy her Sunley Stars, who was again tested back in foal to Compton Place. Gills filly went to the yearling sales....and to her delight sold for �37.000...and her subsequent filly also sold well. Her 2007 colt, was purchased by the owner of If Paradise. Sunley Stars produced her last foal 2008,

another filly and sibling to her previous three foals, since Gill owned her.

Unbelievable, tragedy struck again!! the filly was four months old and grazing with her dam in the paddock (all post and railed) Gill was busy in the stables....when she heard an almighty crash. Rushing round she found the fence rails smashed and the filly on the floor flat out and struggling to get up. There was no obvious wound, but the foal could not get to her feet. The vet was called, the filly sedated where she lay and laid onto a strong sheet and literally dragged up the trailer ramp off to Newmarket Vet Hospital
She was in intensive care and critically ill for several weeks, before she was again able to stand unassisted but wobbly. She finally returned home. Whilst several expert opinions could not clearly offer a prognosis, eight months on since the accident, she is managing to get about OK. She may never fully recover....Time will tell, she is young and has that fact in her favour. So, no racing career for her, and she will never leave Gills paddocks.
Her Dam is now 24years and retired from breeding after fourteen foals.

During passing time, Footsie, the deformed (2002)filly has grown into a fine young mare and despite only having one perfect leg under her she is an amazing mover. Gill was advised by Vets and other TB Breeders, never to breed with her, she should never have reared her and had her PTS as she was valueless. Gill loves her dearly. I had checked and Sunley Stars had never produced a foal with deformed limbs before. IMO, I advised have a foal from her (let me choose the TB stallion who had a low stud fee) If the mare threw a deformed limbed foal.....put it to sleep at birth and do not breed from the mare again...she would then just remain as a paddock ornament, as Gill would never sell her.

The stallion I chose, and Gill and I both liked, was the elderly Makbul. "Footsy" got in foal straight away........and produced a jet black colt, with a white star and good limbs, Very pleased with the choice of stallion..this colt, "Joe" had a real "power engine" backend. Joe grew well but is not a big colt. Gill`s dream was nearing reality as it was decided to send Joe into training with Mr Eustace in Newmarket. He trained well and as a two year old..........seven races.......winning three, second twice and a third.

This story is really what dreams are made of.....A �750 mare with deformed foal at foot, which would have been shot, if Gill hadn`t bought them. The doomed filly, given her chance to breed a foal and produced a good race winner, sired by an "economy" stud fee Stallion

Joe Caster shortly after going into training, aged 20 months, with trainer Mr Eustace of Newmarket

Joe Caster`s Dam Oedipus Regina (Footsie)

Joe Caster`s Sire Makbul

"Joe Caster" is the yard favourite at Newmarket, as he loves the racing game and his successes......have realised Gills Dreams, beyond her greatest expectations, to own a winning racehorse...but to have also BRED him

The joy Joe has given all his connections on "Race Days" ....and the wins....have brought out the handkerchiefs
Oh, what celebrations there were on those memorable days

The above is Joe Caster winning the ladbrokespoker.com Nursery Stakes
25.10.08 his second successive win

We all love you Joe Caster

Gill has promised Joe he can cover a few ladies, before she castrates him as there is no way she could cope with a stallion. So if there is anyone out there who would like to stand Joe at stud....please PM
us