The Cumberland County Fair in Greenup, IL, has a commitment to horse racing stretching in an unbroken streak to the fair’s inception in 1888. For anyone who attends now, or envisions horse racing in a fair setting, it is intriguing to think of what it may have been like to attend their first day of racing and how it has evolved over the years. One could imagine it being a fun event for people whose way of life revolved around farming, to have a little fun and socialize, all while cheering on favorite horses.

The day’s card of Quarter Horse, Thoroughbred, mule, and pony races on August 18 was my first visit to a fair that also held racing, and it was another racing experience I was eager to have.

The gates to the fairgrounds hung open during a late morning arrival, with each half of the gate decorated with an ornate horse head design.

Outside the racing office, saddle cloths with “Cumberland Co Fair” embroidered on them were neatly folded and stacked, waiting to be placed across the backs of the day’s runners. Immediately surrounding the racing office, horses stood patiently at the end of lead ropes attached to trailers and support posts for barns, while others were stabled at a barn nearest the gap that led onto the half-mile track.

It was a beautiful sunny day, perfect for racing. The track retained a fair amount of moisture on its surface from the previous day’s rains, but the track crew worked diligently to get the track closer to being rated good or even fast.

Ascending the steps on the perimeter of the grandstand and up a narrow wooden walkway to the announcer’s booth granted my first glimpse of the entire track from a more complete vantage point. Trees along the backside formed a barrier, along with a fence, from a nearby road and also created a beautiful backdrop in their lush greenery.

As may be guessed from a fair that has held racing since 1888, there were a lot of knowledgeable and dedicated horsemen on site. It was great to have a conversation between races about grooms and their importance, and horse care and management in general, with Bill Gross, the presiding judge, and to later veer into talking pedigrees—one of my particular obsessions about racehorses.

Fair racing was on my list of racing experiences to have for its unique aspect, and as the races began, it was evident it was going to provide opportunities to add to my racing knowledge, a welcome bonus.

Races restricted to Illinois-bred horses—5 of the 9 on the card, when the mule and pony races are included—were required by the Illinois Department of Agriculture to have at least three horses with three separate owners be entered and also break from the gate to meet the criteria to receive Illinois Department of Agriculture funding.

The first race of the day was a Quarter Horse race (the only one on the card specifically for that breed) at 220 yards, won by Bid of Shine in a time of 12 2/5 seconds. Line I One captured the following race, the first Thoroughbred race of the day, covering the four-furlong distance in a time of 59 2/5 seconds.

The third race was not restricted to Illinois-breds, and was able to run with only two entrants, Lucky Song Cat and Midnight Louis. It was a maiden race at 5 furlongs, and in the parlance of fair racing, “maiden” does not mean a horse who has never won a race as one is used to its definition being at pari-mutuel tracks. “Maiden” in this context means a horse who has never won on the fair circuit.

Lucky Song Cat, a gray horse, had been a $26,000 yearling purchase and had been victorious at pari-mutuel tracks. She had a lovely way of moving at a trot that was reminiscent of a dressage horse. Her stride at a run was long and reaching and everything about her revealed class and style, and she won the race, a fair maiden no more.

Schwarzkopf captured race 4 for his jockey Mike James, a regular rider at pari-mutuel tracks, and James rode that streak into the next race aboard Pirates On Line, giving him his fourth consecutive win for the day. Pirates On Line is also a winner of multiple races at the Cumberland County Fair, and his affinity for the track was on display as he crossed the wire in an easy-looking effort, with his ears pricked.

Before the card finale, the Cumberland County Derby at a mile-and-an-eighth, the mule and pony races were held. Fred the mule was the victor over his larger opponent, covering the short distance in front of the grandstand to the wire in a time of a little over 15 seconds.

The ponies, like the mules, also started from a standing position on the track with no starting gate, and several of them showed the distinction between pleasure horses and those conditioned to race when they attempted to run through the gap at the top of the stretch to go back to the barn. No discredit to their riders—just one of those things I’ve heard pleasure horses will attempt from time to time!

The community feel of the racing was a wonderful element, as was the aspect of it drawing spectators for the love of the sport instead of also being driven by potential gambling payouts. It was a great time.

The final race of the day was split into two divisions with two runners each, with the ultimate winner being the horse who finished fastest in the two runnings. Division 1 featured Maelstrom and WW Spring Storm. Maelstrom won in a time of 1:59 4/5, setting the mark for Waz You Doing and Schiller in division 2 of the race.

Schiller, the 2017 winner, successfully defended his title in holding off Waz You Doing and covered the distance in a time of 1:59 2/5, giving him the overall victory against Maelstrom and WW Spring Storm as well, and his jockey Mike James a record six wins in one day at the fair.

With the racing over for another year on the closing day of the fair, the work began to convert the track into a setup for the evening’s Demolition Derby.

It had been a wonderful experience seeing fair racing for the first time, and I look forward to seeing more racing in similar venues in the future.

The interval between the Demolition Derby and the racing was filled with more racing talk, further highlighting how invested and sought-after horsemen from this region can be, as one gentleman shared fascinating stories of D. Wayne Lukas and working for him on the California circuit, and several people gathered were wearing Juddmonte hats, signifying professional ties to one of the most renowned farms in Kentucky.

The devotion to racing is certainly evident at every turn at the Cumberland County Fair, and it is incredible to think of it being conducted for well over a hundred years. It’s more low-key than the tracks that garner headlines on a regular basis, naturally, but no less worthwhile to attend for anyone who has racing in their blood. You’ll be among your kind and conversation about horses will flow naturally even with people you never knew before. What better way to spend a day if you love the sport?

Information about funding and conditions to be met for races to be run, as well as background details about horses entered, were provided by race announcer Kurt Becker’s commentary (drawn from his research) during the course of the race day.

Justify, recently arrived at Winstar to begin his transition to retirement, was shown on a Horse Country tour there the morning of August 16, brought in from his paddock as rain swept across central Kentucky, streaking his chestnut coat.  Still learning to stand to be shown, he is behind a barrier of ornamental horse head posts linked by chains, and each tour attendee was given the opportunity to have photos taken with him.

Seeing him for the first time in retirement, it was still as astounding as ever to take in his muscular physique, seeming to be indicative of a horse much older than he is. After about 15 or 20 minutes, he was led back out to his paddock with a pat on the neck. He seems to be adjusting well (though the standing to be shown is still a work in progress), taking all in stride, just as he did on the Triple Crown trail.

The tour then went through the barn to see the other stallions in residence.

Pioneerof the Nile

Winstar office decor

Rachel Alexandra

Stonestreet’s grand lady was feeling feisty today, romping through her field and playing a bit with her buddies, pensioned mares in their 20s. In spite of Rachel’s dominance on the track, she is not the dominant mare in the pasture.

Weanlings

Rachel Alexandra lives on Stonestreet’s nursery farm year-round, and comes in for lunch when the weanlings do, as they all reside in the same barn. While the routine they follow mostly sees them living outside, coming in for lunch gives Stonestreet staff time to check over each weanling and take a temperature to keep a daily log. The foals have been weaned since my last visit in late July, and all have calmly settled into the routine, which has not varied much from when they were with their dams. They are still with the foals they grew up with, and each stop for a bite of grain outside the pasture gate before going in to their stalls, an incentive to come to the gate instead of be spread all across the pasture.

I got acquainted with Rachel’s Valentina’s colt a bit in the barn once he finished his lunch. As described, he does have quite a calm demeanor. He is buddies in the pasture with Fiftyshadesofhay’s weanling.

Rachel’s Valentina’s colt

 

 

 

Retired jockey Joe Steiner led a new “Horseman’s Tour” at Old Friends one recent morning, telling insider stories and showcasing parts of the property not often seen on tours. Michael Blowen joined part of the tour, socializing with Silver Charm and attempting to get War Emblem to race him along the fence line.

It always feels like a privilege to see and have interactions with Silver Charm, who continues to perfectly embody all one could hope to see in a racing ambassador. His kind eye draws people in, and his nature appears nothing short of gentlemanly, as much as that seems to be a human characteristic.

War Emblem thrives at Old Friends, as well. He definitely has settled into a routine and his demeanor, while he will never be one that can have direct access to visitors, has mellowed somewhat. Steiner said he essentially decided when he was done racing when he went to the track one morning, theoretically to train, and refused to move one step that would have him joining the others that morning also getting in works. It was to eventually become the same story when he transitioned to a breeding career, famously refusing to breed mares at all, prompting his retirement from the breeding shed and opening the door to his repatriation to the United States. He seemed to want to do things his own way whenever possible, and may very well have found it reassuring that life at Old Friends doesn’t come with expectations to race or breed. He has dappled out nicely over the summer and is quite photogenic.

Afternoon Deelites stuck his head through a stall door nearby, beseeching the three visitors on the Horseman’s Tour for carrots.

Alphabet Soup was also in a stall, with his relatively new constant companion, the donkey Gorgeous George. Blowen talked about the experimental treatments that were done for his melanomas, which responded by shrinking drastically.

The tour then passed by several fields of horses off of the typical tour paths, including one that housed a horse who had sold for millions when younger.

Driving along a narrow path lined by trees that once had been a train bed, our group arrived at the home leased from Old Friends by Steiner and his wife, resident artist Dagmar and their young son. She recently completed a book of paintings honoring Old Friends residents, and had a lovely painting she created of Zenyatta hanging in the entranceway of their home. She paints in pastels, and studies the direction horses’ hair grows in to add another dimension of authenticity to her paintings. It was evident in the Zenyatta painting how meticulously she works, especially when examining the noseband on Zenyatta’s bridle, where each fiber appeared to have been painted individually and looked as realistic as a photograph.

Moving to the living room, her large painting of Silver Charm held court over the couch. It was nothing short of a masterpiece, capturing every nuance of Silver Charm, from the brown spots that dot his grey coat to the depths of his eyes and a nobility that transcended the single dimension and drew you in, much as his actual presence does. It was a painting that was difficult not to study for hours and to turn my back on (and it will be included in the forthcoming book), but to listen to Dagmar talk about a new style of painting she is trying, which primarily consists of geometric shapes and little detail, I did.

She also paints them upside down, and mentioned that it is an exercise in getting outside of her usual style, which is one of intense attention to detail. She also said that Picasso could paint in a straightforward style, where his subjects were easily recognizable, but that it can be beneficial to pick up a paintbrush and try a style outside of what might normally be used.

After the interesting visit with Dagmar, it was back through the property and along the train bed, with a stop at one of the fields that is not on the usual tours to feed carrots to the horses there.

Future plans were also discussed, like developing some recently acquired land and possibly opening up parts of the farm to guests in cabins. Blowen’s vision continues to grow, and while Steiner noted he can’t save all the horses, he’s to be commended for trying and for the impact he has made on their lives and how their stories touch the many people who visit each year and get to go home and say they’ve gotten acquainted with Game On Dude or fed a carrot to a Derby winner.

Stories of Catlaunch also abounded on the tour, with many of the Old Friends staff and volunteers stopping by to reminisce about the top Ohio-bred, since his owners were present on this Horseman’s Tour. The way a horse can touch a life, even with just a few moments of interaction, is a lot of what Old Friends is all about. Catlaunch touched many people during his time at Old Friends, with his incredibly sweet demeanor. His owner, touchingly, spoke of how he put his business name under owner instead of his own, because the glory belonged to Catlaunch.

This was an especially fitting tour for a story like that to be unfurled.