General Quarters…My 2009 Kentucky Derby Pick

I am taking a break from my show posts because this Saturday is the first Saturday in May! One of my favorite events of the year is this weekend! I know that it surprises a lot of people to know that I love the Kentucky Derby. You would think that since both my ponies are by products of the bad parts of the racing industry I would hate it. But I don’t. I am SUPER excited this year also because I have a horse that I really want to win! Can you guess why?

His name is General Quarters!!

Obviously I was first drawn to him by the name. Since my own boy is an off the track Thoroughbred with the name General I had to pick him. The more I learned the more I fell in love with this horses story. Even better is the fact that General Quarter’s isn’t just a “feel good” story, he really has a good shot of winning the derby!

General Quarters is owner AND trained by Thomas McCarthy. That is a rarity these days! I have watched video of Mr. McCarthy grooming General Quarters and it brought tears to my eyes because you can tell how well they know each other. General Quarters made a grumpy face and Mr. McCarthy just told him to knock it off. Most racing stables that make it to the derby have many grooms running around, trainers often just do the care shots for TV. You can clearly tell this was NOT an act. It can’t be because Mr. McCarthy IS the groom! When asked about being a trainer his response will make you smile! He says, “I’m in it for the dream of being in the Derby, I think, more than anything else,”. This weekend his dream is coming true!

And I also love the story of how he got General Quarters! According to KentuckyDerby.com “McCarthy first crossed paths with the colt at the 2007 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. Believing that his pedigree was promising, McCarthy bid on the colt, but bowed out once the bidding reached $20,000. In late May 2008, he noticed that the very colt, now named General Quarters, was entered in a $20,000 maiden claiming race at Churchill Downs. McCarthy duly claimed the colt that he had liked so much eight months before, and the rest is history. McCarthy devotes his full attention to his charge, even performing the role of groom.” I think it is wonderful that he wanted the colt, couldn’t afford him at auction, and then was able to put a claim on him less then a year later!

So many of the issues in horse racing today are because it is all about the money. Look at my Texas who was taken away from his mom at 4 days old to become a purse because his mother was sent to nurse a race horse baby who was considered to valuable to be moved. And my General who has breathing issues to this day, 14 years later after his time on the track, because he was pushed a little to hard to win. Thomas McCarthy is clearly not in horse racing just for the money though…he earned more purse money when General Quarters won the Blue Grass than he had earned in the previous 18 years combined!!

And while I am sure that regardless of the outcome of this with over $500,000 in winnings General Quarters will be sent off to stand stud at some point I would happily make the offer to take him myself someday to have and love. One horse person to another. Because I can tell that horse is LOVED. And as one good horse owner to the other it is always good to know there are other people out there in the world that care. And no, for the record my horse is not directly related to this other General (well at least no more than any other Thoroughbred is).

So good luck General Quarters and Thomas McCarthy! I hope they win it all! And if they don’t, I guess I don’t really care. I am just so happy to know that there are people out there in the racing world who just love horses.

And who do you all want to win? Or are any of you very anti-racing?

Advertisement