Count Fleet, John Henry, and Cigar

[dressagetraks]

Some neat pictures racing related from my WEG trip.

Sunrise at Count Fleet’s grave. This was the symbolic kickoff to intensive research, as I am going to write a book on him and will probably be knee deep in research the next year or two. IMHO, the best of the Triple Crown winners. :yes: Very glad to see that the grave site is maintained well. Sunrise refracting through the cleft in the oak tree is probably my favorite shot of the whole trip. Also got stones on Reigh Count, Quickly, and Nevele Pride. Did a lot of fun CF research in Lex, including the Keeneland Library, met two old grooms who actually knew and handled CF, and have a lead on a third person who knew him well but haven’t connected on that one yet. Anybody with neat memories or stories of CF, John Hertz, Johnny Longden, or Don Cameron, please PM me. By the way, neat quote from one of the grooms. “Oh, he’d (CF) nibble sometimes, but all studs do that. Cept for Nevele Pride. He wouldn’t bother to nibble; he’d just bite you.”

http://s276.photobucket.com/albums/kk8/dressagetraks/WEG%20Count%20Fleet/

A much-loved picture from my previous KHP trip in 1987, when I was on my Kentucky Derby graduation gift trip. Me petting John Henry. John wasn’t that impressed, but I was.

The shot I had especially wanted to get on this trip to be a companion shot to the above. Me with Cigar. Cigar wasn’t that impressed, either. I still was. :yes:

[greenleaf]

Where is the book??? He is my favorite TC Winner as well, by far. I’m lost for information on him. Only found a book about John Hertz wife. I need a book!!

How was getting into the grave site? I mean did you have to jump through many hoops? I see the local B&B (Treehouse)mentioned you’d have to make an appointment to visit the farm/location. Probably too many folks wandering around there, taking pictures at sunrise (??)

[Shammy_Davis]

Your book sounds like great project. Horse Racing was at the height of its popularity. The book and movie about SEABISCUIT were very enjoyable and informative. Maybe you can do the same for CF.

[dressagetraks]

The book is still in research. Unfortunately time and family issues have given less time than I’d like for it, and I refuse to do a skimpy job. It deserves more. But it WILL come.

I was the only sightseer there that morning (Oct 1, 2010). I wasn’t staying at the local B&B, but the owner of it, who was quite nice, met me at the courthouse in Paris, drove me out to the farm through the gates, and introduced me to the farm manager there, so he’d know I wasn’t a hobo. Farm manager mentioned me to the two workers who had known CF, and they came by the cemetery while I was there.

It’s a gorgeous, peaceful site, very well maintained, but you do have to watch out for gopher (I think) holes, especially in the dawn’s early light.

[danceronice]

@dressagetraks;5163804

Me petting John Henry. John wasn’t that impressed, but I was.

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk8/dressagetraks/JohnHenryandMe.jpg

I had a friend whose grandmother-in-law was very much into racing and knew John Henry’s people before he went to the KHP. Going by her experience, he was clearly impressed with you because he didn’t bite off your arm and chase you out of the barn with it! (When she met him, his groom said “He likes you!” because when she lingered by his stall John didn’t pin his ears and turn away.)

[Shammy_Davis]

[QUOTE=dressagetraks;7798165]
The book is still in research. Unfortunately time and family issues have given less time than I’d like for it, and I refuse to do a skimpy job. It deserves more. But it WILL come.

I was the only sightseer there that morning (Oct 1, 2010). I wasn’t staying at the local B&B, but the owner of it, who was quite nice, met me at the courthouse in Paris, drove me out to the farm through the gates, and introduced me to the farm manager there, so he’d know I wasn’t a hobo. Farm manager mentioned me to the two workers who had known CF, and they came by the cemetery while I was there.

It’s a gorgeous, peaceful site, very well maintained, but you do have to watch out for gopher (I think) holes, especially in the dawn’s early light.[/QUOTE]

Now that you told everyone about the project you have to complete it and publish. Some of us will annoy you until you do. Lol.

[dressagetraks]

Believe me, it won’t be forgotten. This is my baby, my favorite. And I’m not in the least a “dabble in ideas and then drop them” person. But family does take priority in life when it must, and the last several years, it must. Things are ironically starting to get better by getting worse (Mom getting to the point where she’s not quite as volatile because she often can’t hold a thought anymore long enough to flip out on it). I’m looking forward to getting back into real research and also resuming the publication chase on the things I have done, might even be able to afford to self publish my children’s book next year if it hasn’t been snapped up yet. I’ll go with it first because of the things complete, I think it is the most viable in today’s market.

The CF project still has at least a year or two of good research in it, starting from when I’m really able to devote that into it. Then it will be written. Though I have the prologue written.

By the way, anybody with back Blood Horses, I do have an article published by them, and Count Fleet figures in that. It was a study of the full siblings of the TC winners. Not online but in the print copy. April 28, 2007. That wasn’t my first sale, but in terms of audience reached, it has been my largest.

Trust me, I’m dead serious about my writing.

P.S. I do have a PDF proof on the Blood Horse article, but I cannot scan and post that. Obviously, it is copyrighted by them.