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Belmont 2022

Rich Strike

Can Rich Strike do it again? Or is it We the People – political favorite! Or Mo Donagal?
You gotta watch to see the action – c’mon you can spare the two minutes!
Post time Saturday June 11  – 6:45 NBC – TV coverage starts at #

Here’s the line up;

1. We the People (2-1)
Trainer: Rodolphe Brisset
Jockey: Flavien Pratt
2. Skippylongstocking (20-1)
Trainer: Saffie Joseph Jr.
Jockey: Manuel Franco
3. Nest (8-1)
Trainer: Todd Pletcher
Jockey: Jose Ortiz
4. Rich Strike (7-2)
Trainer: Eric Reed
Jockey: Sonny Leon
5. Creative Minster (6-1)
Trainer: Kenny McPeek
Jockey: Brian Hernandez Jr.
6. Mo Donegal (5-2)
Trainer: Todd Pletcher
Jockey: Irad Ortiz Jr.
7. Golden Glider (20-1)
Trainer: Tim Yakteen
Jockey: Dylan Davis
8. Barber Road (10-1)
Trainer: John Ortiz
Jockey: Joel Rosario
Need some luck? No problem … pick up a lucky charm at the shop! 
Bucephalus Silver Pendant
Bucephalus Silver Pendant

Cass Ole’ is a classic among stallions!

Sheila Cone is a knowledgeable equestrian with a particular affinity to Cass Ole’ who played the Black in the 1979 film. We thought it was time to gift her writing to all the Stallion fans! You can write her and check out her extensive collection of interesting Black Stallion facts and photos on her facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/fansofcassole/?ref=share

Cass Ole

By

Sheila R. Cone

Cass Ole.  Photo courtesy Carol Darling.

As far back as I can remember I have always loved horses.  I saw The Black Stallion for the first time in the early 90’s when my dad brought home a vhs copy.  I remember watching that magnificent black horse on screen and was utterly mesmerized.  I had to know who he was and what breed of horse.  My search birthed a deep love of research and I have devoted the past thirty years to finding photos and info about Cass Ole, speaking to people who knew him or bred their mares to him, and I am just as ardent a fan of Cass Ole as when I first saw his iconic performance as The Black. 

Cass Ole was bred by Gerald Donoghue of Donoghue Arabian Farm in Goliad, Texas.  Born in 1969, he had a cute little star and four white socks and was the first black foal Gerald bred.  Unfamiliar with the mousey coat color, he at first thought Cass Ole to be a liver chestnut.  On the farm he was affectionately called ‘Mickey Mouse’.  Three full siblings were born before Cass Ole, all were bay.  He was sold as a two-year-old to the Cuello’s of San Antonio, Texas where he would forge a deep bond with Francesca that would later help her heal and recover from a devastating accident.

La Bahia with Cass Ole as a foal.  Photo courtesy Carol Darling.

La Bahia with her filly Cassa Viva, full sister of Cass Ole.

 Photo courtesy Charlotte Donoghue.

The Donoghue Farm was known for producing Arabian horses that were family horses first, show horses second.  Cass Ole was no exception.  He had such a clam disposition that his owner, Francesca Cuello, would have to really push him at times to get him to move beyond a walk.  His quiet disposition allowed him to excel in western pleasure.  In 1975 he won the U.S. National Championship in AOTR with Francesca.  During his seven-year show career, Cass Ole had accumulated over 400 ribbons and trophies competing in English Pleasure, Side Saddle, Native Costume, Formal Driving, Halter, Most Classic as well as winning the AHSA Horse of the Year award in 1975 and 1976.  He was also awarded the King Saud Cup trophy twice.  Cass Ole’s fans would often shout “Ole! Ole! Ole!” from the stands, fulfilling a vision Gerald Donoghue had for the horse and the reason he named him Cass Ole.   

After a nationwide search, Cass Ole was chosen to perform the main role of the Black.  His presence in the show ring translated beautifully on film, captivating the hearts of many horse-crazy kids—and adults—across the nation (including mine!).  His intelligence made him stand out on set as well.  His trainer, Corky Randall, commented that the horse seemed to know he was acting and even enjoyed it.   

Back home Cass Ole’s popularity escalated.  A fan club was created for his faithful followers with special items of memorabilia such as pins, postcards, t-shirts, stickers, etc.  His fame also extended to the breeding shed.  Cass Ole sired 135 registered foals, fifty of which were black.  The Cuello family put on many presentations at the farm where thousands gathered throughout the stallion’s life to see him with their own eyes. 

Cass Ole at San Antonio Arabians in 1984. Photo courtesy Carol Darling.

In 1993 Cass Ole suffered from a severe case of colic and had to be euthanized.  He was buried in the arena at San Antonio Arabians, but his memory is forever immortalized on film.  And there are two stallions available to the public for breeding.  A black grandson named Cass Ole’s Stahr lives with his owners in Arkansas and has four foals due for 2022.  Bronze Starfire is a chestnut great grandson living with his owner in Nevada.  These two are the last known stallions carrying Cass Ole’s line into the future.

Cass Ole as the Black

Be sure to join Sheila’s fan club and meet new friends!!

Don’t forget to watch the Kentucky Derby tomorrow 6:45 pm NBC sports.

And pick up a little Black Stallion luck at the shop!

FREE TRIP TO THE DERBY!

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Here’s a contest just announced by AOL;
VIP trip to the `Kentucky `Dreby;
Have you ever dreamed of attending the Kentucky Derby? Now you can!

Enter the #HomeStretchSweeps for a chance to win 2 VIP tickets to the 2016 Kentucky Derby, a $3,000 travel voucher for your Derby weekend stay, and a feature on AOL.com!

This exciting opportunity is provided by AOL.com in partnership with Churchill Downs Racetrack LLC ©, the official home of the Kentucky Derby.

whole story and rules here;

DERBY CONTEST

The other back story;

http://www.kentuckyderby.com/news/2013/05/03/right-man-right-time-kevin-krigger-chases-derby-dream

RIDE ON!!

“Homecoming of Horses” Sunday Fun!

This Sunday, December 14, 2014 – A GREAT way to spend the day…
see you there?!! Stop at the shop on your way!al marah

 

Public Invited to Al-Marah Arabians “Homecoming of Horses”
WHAT: Welcoming ceremony and equine events to celebrate the arrival of the very best of

Al-Marah Arabians famous horses to their new Clermont home

WHEN: Sunday, December 14

TIME:  11:00 am – 4:00 pm

WHERE: Al-Marah Arabians, 11105 Autumn Lane in Clermont

BACKGROUND: Al-Marah Arabians invites the public to its Homecoming of Horses event to see the arrival of the last and very best of the farm’s famous Arabian horses as they arrive from Tucson. The day-long event is FREE and open to the public.

Highlights of the event include:

  • Riding demonstrations featuring horses that have won more than 40 National Championships
  • Tours of the 78-acre farm
  • Meet and greet with Mark Miller and the Al-Marah trainers
  • Riding demo by Greta Wrigley, trainer and winner of multiple national championships
  • Horse sales
  • Entertainment
  • Food

The highlight of the event will be the arrival of the broodmares at 2:00 pm as they take their first steps on the lush green pastures of their new home.

The Al-Marah Arabians are the oldest, privately-owned, continuously-bred band of horses in the world. Their ancestors date back to 1815 when they were first rounded up from the Egyptian desert.

Now owned by Mark Miller, who owned the Arabian Nights attraction, the horses are bred to exacting standards for beauty, athleticism, agility and a warrior-spirit; with dispositions that make them perfect companions and show horses.

For more information on Al-Marah Arabians, please visit

Happy Thanksgiving!!

TCM is broadcasting the “Black Stallion” a on Sunday. When you are tired of football get some popcorn and curl up on the couch and order your Christmas presents from the Trading Post while you watch :-)

Here’s the story;

The Black Stallion

Sunday November, 30 2014 at 08:00 PM
Saturday December, 27 2014 at 08:00 PM

by Emily L. Rice
One of the most critically acclaimed films from 1979, The Black Stallion, was based on the classic children’s tale written by Walter Farley in 1941. Despite the book’s popularity and that of its sixteen sequels, it was never adapted for the screen until Francis Ford Coppola purchased the rights. He planned to release the film as the first film in a series of classical children’s films. The second film in the series, The Secret Garden, was released in 1993. Coppola called on his former UCLA classmate, Carroll Ballard to direct the first installment, making The Black Stallion Ballard’s feature film debut. His first movie was a documentary entitled Harvest (1967) which was nominated for an Academy Award ®.

The Black Stallion is an exotic and often magical tale of a young boy and his horse. When the film opens, the boy and his father are traveling by ship when a disaster occurs. A fire breaks out and the boy finds himself adrift in the rough seas with an Arabian horse he saw on board. Both the boy and the stallion are washed ashore a deserted island where they overcome an initial mistrust to form a strong bond. Soon the two are rescued and return to the U.S. But the horse runs away and the boy eventually traces the animal to a farm owned by an ex-jockey. In time, the boy learns from the former pro how to be a first rate rider and trains the stallion for a championship race.

In his film debut, Kelly Reno plays the young, aspiring jockey; he had never acted before in any medium, and he was not even a fan of film or television. “Oh, if there’s a good movie, the family’ll take a bag of popcorn and go.” When asked what he considered a “good movie,” he responded, “I guess Star Wars (1977) — I’ve seen it twice. As for TV, I don’t watch it much, except for Soap,” he explained in the September 30, 1979 issue of The New York Times. But when Reno heard from a friend that a movie company was coming to Colorado to look for boys who could ride horses, he persuaded his parents to drive him to Denver for an audition. According to producer Tom Sternberg, “We’d considered all sorts of professional child actors. Then we began to search for boys who may not have acted, but who might be right for the role. We eventually interviewed several hundred from around the country and tested 100.” And the saddle-trained Reno was one of the lucky ones who earned a screen test in L.A..

The $4.5 million film took two years to make and involved five months of shooting in Canada, Rome, and Sardinia. For Reno, whose only trips outside Colorado were to North Dakota and L.A. for the screen test, the film became quite an adventure. His parents chaperoned him while on location, but he still admitted he got homesick. “In Rome, I’d have paid $10,000 for a McDonald’s hamburger – you never know how much you want that if after a week all you get is spaghetti. And I had me a little wine, but after a week, I started drinking cokes again.”

During the first week of shooting, Reno enjoyed the work, but he kept glancing at the camera in the middle of scenes. He recalled that the director, Carroll Ballard, “would tell me, ‘This is the way it is…do it.’ If I didn’t get it done, we’d just have to do it all over again. Lines weren’t a problem. I had a lot of them, but they weren’t in the whole, long scenes. And I could put in other words if the meaning was the same – that was all right with Carroll.” Reno also did all his own stunt work. He had to ride bareback and on a racing saddle, take falls from a galloping horse, and swim. The only time a stunt double was used was for racetrack sequences, which required his character to race a thoroughbred at top speed. “I was too small to hold him back,” says Reno.

The most demanding scene Reno recalled was the shipwreck sequence during a turbulent storm. For this scene, Ballard used the huge water tank at Cinecitta Studios in Rome. “It was all done at night,” says Reno. “And they had wind and rain and fire and smoke. I spent a lot of time in the tank, not being able to touch the bottom, while they made these waves that came far over my head.” Ballard also used a completely realistic model ship to burn and sink headfirst while the boy and the horse struggled in the foreground.

With scenes such as the shipwreck, the horse in this film, Cass-Ole, had to perform as few other horses ever have. Cass-Ole’s trainer was one of Hollywood’s greatest animal trainers, Corky Randall. He trained “Trigger” for Roy Rogers, “Silver” for the Lone Ranger, and all the horses in the chariot-race scene in Ben-Hur (1959).

Mickey Rooney plays the horse trainer in the film, a nostalgic reminder to audiences of his role as a former jockey in National Velvet (1944). Rooney also played a jockey in both Down the Stretch (1936) and Thoroughbreds Don’t Cry (1937). He went on to receive an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in the film. Rooney recalls how he first heard about the film, “Francis Ford Coppola got on the horn to tell me he’d purchased the rights to a children’s classic called The Black Stallion. He had a part in it for me, a former jockey called out of retirement by a little boy with a beautiful black Arabian horse and a dream about winning a race. Did I think I could play a former jockey? ‘Gee,’ I said, ‘I don’t know. I never played a jockey before.’

The Black Stallion became a hit at the box-office and received great critical praise. In addition to Rooney’s nomination, the film also received an Academy nomination for Best Editing and the Oscar for Best Film Editing. A sequel, The Black Stallion Returns, was later released in 1983.

http://www.tcm.com/this-month/article/59910|0/The-Black-Stallion.html

Producer: Francis Ford Coppola, Fred Roos, Tom Sternberg
Director: Carroll Ballard
Screenplay: Melissa Mathison, Jeanne Rosenberg, William D. Wittliff, Walter Farley (novel)
Cinematography: Caleb Deschanel
Film Editing: Robert Dalva
Art Direction: Aurelio Crugnola, Earl G. Preston
Music: Carmine Coppola
Cast: Kelly Reno (Alec Ramsey), Mickey Rooney (Henry Dailey), Teri Garr (Alec’s Mother), Clarence Muse (Snoe), Hoyt Axton (Alec’s Father), Michael Higgins (Neville).
C-118m. Letterboxed. Closed captioning.