I think he is still around, but not in the horse business. We did try to track him down for the book, as well as descendents of Calumet’s original owners.
[QUOTE=ravenclaw;7863783]
Just curious…is JT Lundy still alive? I googled him and saw he finished his prison sentence but not if he is still alive or not. If he is alive, is he involved in the horse business at all?[/QUOTE]
I see him periodically at the various Keeneland sales, so if he isn’t involved in the horse business I would guess that he wants to be.
I remember one hilarious quote in Wild Ride, quoting a local columnist Don Edwards.
“On a morning in early spring, the mist is rising from a horse pasture. Suddenly an apparition appears in the mist. It floats above a green hill, then descends slowly to the ground. Hundreds of people, their empty hands outstretched, are waiting for it. Many have been waiting ages for its return.”
“Good grief,” says Barbara Jean, “who is it? Can you see the face? Is it some great spiritual leader?”
“Actually, no, darling. I think it might be J. T. Lundy.”
Lundy died recently, within the past few months. I expect BH or one of the KY papers would have an acknowledgement.
I don’t think we will ever know what happened to Alydar. If there was foul play, I believe that those involved will take the story to their graves.
I do find myself wondering why Dixon needed to write his story right now.
I’ve enjoyed this thread. I read “Wild Ride” when it first came out, I remember thinking back then that something was amiss with the facts.
Can’t help but think of the subtext of one the posters to COTH which I paraphrase - “we spend 11 months making sure that a foal arrives nursing, standing, and healthy and it proceeds to spend the rest of its life trying to find a way to kill itself.”
What kills me about this story, as I understand it, is that Calumet was under the total control of a man, JT Lundy, whose professional experience and successes in the industry was “zilch.”
John Veitch would make an interesting story. Capable trainer making his way up in the industry almost to point of conditioning a TC winner and then disappears to the stewards office in KY.
I think John Veitch trained for as long as he wanted. From my conversations with him, I’d say he wasn’t very happy with how the racing world has changed since the days of Affirmed and Alydar.
[QUOTE=SportArab;7870093]
I think John Veitch trained for as long as he wanted. From my conversations with him, I’d say he wasn’t very happy with how the racing world has changed since the days of Affirmed and Alydar.[/QUOTE]
I was recently reading a research article “over-conditioning” and I thought to myself that the term probably applied as much to the trainers as it did to the horses.
I certainly didn’t mean anything disparaging. We always imagine people like John Veitch as always reaching for the stars and when they disappear we think something is amiss. We forget that one man’s “stars” is another man’s good book and recliner.
I find racing history facinating. I just finished the book “BATTLESHIP” by Dorothy Ours and was fascinated not only by story about a teenage English rider on the back of an 11 year old runt of a stallion, by Man O’War, winning the Grand National at Aintree, but also the entangled subplots of the rich and famous.
Just started Carole Case’s “The Right Blood” and at the end of the first chapter, I’m already disappointed in the whole lot of “robber barons” that organized the JC. They make JT Lundy look like a choir boy that was erroneously found guilty for murder because he sang off key. LOL.
Wasn’t Vietch fired as a steward? What’s he doing now? Hope he hasn’t left the industry.
There was some sort of kerkuffle. Last time I spoke with him he was doing something with Keeneland.
[QUOTE=SportArab;7861936]
I was not implying that Alydar had a puppy dog disposition - he was rather at the opposite end of the spectrum. As JV put it “all horse.”
But that is a separate issue from the horse doing things in the stall that would be a danger to himself. I never had the sense he was that kind of horse: opinionated and strong willed, but not stupid and self destructive.
Alydar also had a rather antagonistic relationship with Lundy, apparently taking a chunk out of his arm when in reach.
And with respect to who might have injured the horse (if indeed that is what happened) it wouldn’t have needed to be Lundy or the night watchman. At the time there were well known horse hitmen who would take out a horse so the owners could collect insurance. As has been mentioned before in this thread, the “Sandman,” who was caught and testified in court, admitted to breaking the leg of a horse whose insurance policy stipulated that there would be no payout for death due to colic.[/QUOTE]
When I reply with or without quotes I try and cover a lot of “bases” not necessarily as much to the OP and or comments of another so as to give a view of the “big picture” and or other ways of looking at things to the many people that read the tread. So, my apologies if my comments come off “directed”.
[I] “[I]But that is a separate issue from the horse doing things in the stall that would be a danger to himself. I never had the sense he was that kind of horse: opinionated and strong willed, but not stupid and self-destructive”.
[/I]IMO having only been in the stallion barn on the odd occasions I totally agree. He was definitely “all horse” and even more so as a stallion. Like most are IME.
As to the “hit man”, I would agree in years past. But insurance companies use very “sophisticated” forensic methodology then and even more so now to prevent fraud. Contrary to what Mr. Dixon wrote it was well known “on the street” that Calumet was in financial stress. He was just an insurance adjuster not a “player”. No disrespect intended.
No one wanted to see Calumet go down, but those in the “know” knew what others didn’t, the majority of the “cash cow” was not going in Calumet’s bank account. Because of the numerous breeding rights sold. So IMO if there was a nefarious creditor who thought if the “knocked off” Alydar they would get their money they weren’t very well informed. And it wouldn’t have taken much to have know.
If the horse was “knocked” IMO it would have been for “revenge” not the money. In the same “vain” of Shergar. And not the IRA subplot that has been much written about. Which also makes for a better story.
[QUOTE=SportArab;7869026]
I don’t think we will ever know what happened to Alydar. If there was foul play, I believe that those involved will take the story to their graves.
I do find myself wondering why Dixon needed to write his story right now.[/QUOTE]
I thought the same thing
[QUOTE=SportArab;7870357]
There was some sort of kerkuffle. Last time I spoke with him he was doing something with Keeneland.[/QUOTE]
Kerfuffle that’s’ being kind, and a cool new word for me. IMO he was rail roaded, scape goated over the Life At Ten diabolical in the BC. A f**king travesty and an insult to a man that IMO personifies the definition of a trainer let alone a steward of the turf. I am sure he would have done things differently in retrospect but that is easy to say with hind sight. I hope he doesn’t take a back position to the to the butt head Rogers Beasley Keeneland’s racing secretary.
John may not be everybody’s cup of tea, he can be a bit pompous. I didn’t always agree with his view of things but I have the upmost respect for the man. I got to know him and spend time after Alydar and his other accolades.
I was fortunate to be a “fly on the wall” and to grow up with and around the best of the best. A lot of which I admire and respect and some that were total *****. John’s the real deal in my book.
“I’d say he wasn’t very happy with how the racing world has changed since the days of Affirmed and Alydar”
He, me and a lot of others also. I was so fortunate to have been part of the “golden age” of Rock and Roll and the end of the golden age of racing. I just wish I knew it at the time.
I look forward to reading your book.
[QUOTE=SportArab;7860830]
And btw, I’d be a lot less suspicious if Alydar hadn’t had a brush with death before the broken leg. He survived that time only because an astute vet recognized the symptoms of lead poisoning.[/QUOTE]
Calumet has/had been around for along time. Been painted many, many times. Lead paint wasn’t banned until the late 70’s. And we all know horse like to chew things in their stall. Unlike most barns at Calumet things didn’t go un painted for very long.
Just saying…
You mentioned “sandman.” It is interesting how horse world is so entangled in the high speed off color world of politics, finance, and industry. And we all thought that only Bunny Mellon’s reputation was disparaged as Presidential candidate John Edwards became involved with Reille Hunter, but there are other interesting connections.
Don’t know if you’ve seen this.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/janet-turley/rielle-hunter-and-the-mur_b_504203.html
[QUOTE=Shammy Davis;7870084]
I’ve enjoyed this thread. I read “Wild Ride” when it first came out, I remember thinking back then that something was amiss with the facts.
Can’t help but think of the subtext of one the posters to COTH which I paraphrase - “we spend 11 months making sure that a foal arrives nursing, standing, and healthy and it proceeds to spend the rest of its life trying to find a way to kill itself.”
What kills me about this story, as I understand it, is that Calumet was under the total control of a man, JT Lundy, whose professional experience and successes in the industry was “zilch.”
John Veitch would make an interesting story. Capable trainer making his way up in the industry almost to point of conditioning a TC winner and then disappears to the stewards office in KY.[/QUOTE]
JT was a lot smarter than most people give him credit for. Sophisticated perhaps not but not dumb nor “zilch”. He almost “pulled it off”.
When I starting going to Lexington on a regular bases in the early 80’s before moving there Calumet is pretty much directly across from the airport. I like anybody in the business, we knew the “name” Calumet, the “Grand Dame”. It was looking pretty “tired” when driving by on the way to downtown Lex. A bit of a disappointment.
Contrary to what Wikipedia states JT had far more to do with its “resurrection” than Henryk de Kwiatkowski did after purchasing while in bankruptcy. He maintained it but did nothing more. Mr.“V” who I knew IMO bought it much more for the the reason he could than what he could do for/with it.
The present owner has a much “grander plan” IMO. And the means.
I remember always appreciating John Veitch as a co-commentator on some of the past Breeders’ Cup broadcasts. Knowledgeable, but he could communicate it well, too.
[QUOTE=gumtree;7870457]
Calumet has/had been around for along time. Been painted many, many times. Lead paint wasn’t banned until the late 70’s. And we all know horse like to chew things in their stall. Unlike most barns at Calumet things didn’t go un painted for very long.
Just saying…[/QUOTE]
Maybe so, but Alydar’s the only horse I’ve ever heard of getting deathly ill because of lead poisoning. The whole thing reads like a Dick Francis mystery.
1 Like
“I remember always appreciating John Veitch as a co-commentator on some of the past Breeders’ Cup broadcasts. Knowledgeable, but he could communicate it well, too.”
He’s very articulate and his heart is truly in the right place.
[QUOTE=gumtree;7870447]
Kerfuffle that’s’ being kind, and a cool new word for me. IMO he was rail roaded, scape goated over the Life At Ten diabolical in the BC. A f**king travesty and an insult to a man that IMO personifies the definition of a trainer let alone a steward of the turf. I am sure he would have done things differently in retrospect but that is easy to say with hind sight. I hope he doesn’t take a back position to the to the butt head Rogers Beasley Keeneland’s racing secretary.
John may not be everybody’s cup of tea, he can be a bit pompous. I didn’t always agree with his view of things but I have the upmost respect for the man. I got to know him and spend time after Alydar and his other accolades.
I was fortunate to be a “fly on the wall” and to grow up with and around the best of the best. A lot of which I admire and respect and some that were total *****. John’s the real deal in my book.
“I’d say he wasn’t very happy with how the racing world has changed since the days of Affirmed and Alydar”
He, me and a lot of others also. I was so fortunate to have been part of the “golden age” of Rock and Roll and the end of the golden age of racing. I just wish I knew it at the time.
I look forward to reading your book.[/QUOTE]
Pompous isn’t the word I would have chosen. But I do think when he had a horse he believed in he let everyone know. He’s a passionate kinda guy.
Didn’t want to get into the whole Steward controversy, but, would say that after getting to know John Veitch I would never suspect him of doing anything shady.
Hope you enjoy the book. 
[QUOTE=Shammy Davis;7870475]
You mentioned “sandman.” It is interesting how horse world is so entangled in the high speed off color world of politics, finance, and industry. And we all thought that only Bunny Mellon’s reputation was disparaged as Presidential candidate John Edwards became involved with Reille Hunter, but there are other interesting connections.
Don’t know if you’ve seen this.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/janet-turley/rielle-hunter-and-the-mur_b_504203.html[/QUOTE]
There was a book that chronicled the tale of how the murder of a candy heiress led to the exposure of a horse murder for hire ring. Title escapes me at the moment. Will post later.
