2009 Finger Lakes H.B.P.A. Awards: Mr. Windjammer Named HOY
Thursday, June 17th, 2010
MR. WINDJAMMER, is a 5 year old gelding by Regal Classic out of the Stonebridge mare Royal Relic, by Colonial Affair
FARMINGTON, N.Y. – Mr. Windjammer was named 2009 Finger Lakes “Horse of the Year” at the annual Finger Lakes Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association awards dinner on Tuesday. The chestnut gelding was the only local horse to win multiple stakes at Finger Lakes last year.
The 5-year-old New York-bred owned by Stonegate Racing Stables scored a one length victory in the $50,000 George Barker Handicap on May 25, 2009. He also took the $50,000 Leon Reed Handicap by three-quarters of a length on August 22, 2009. Jockey Gabriel Suarez guided the $241,612 earner to both wins for trainer Jonathan Buckley.
Mr. Windjammer validated the honor with a repeat victory in this year’s running of the George Barker Handicap on Memorial Day after the voting took place. He visited the Winners Circle for the eighth time after recording his fourth career stakes triumph.
WHY WE LOVE HORSES: This is an e-mail addressed to Jeffrey Tucker, owner of Struggler's Legend during his racing career.
Hi,
My name is Katie Gardner and I now own the horse Struggler's Legend---a bay gelding foaled in 2001. (Struggler x Legend's Daughter) I think he used to belong to you --that is, if I found the correct Jeffrey Tucker!
 I have watched videos of most of his races from equibase.com; it was really fun to see him as a racehorse!! He is going to be 9 in April and this past weekend went to his first show as a jumper. He is the most amazing horse I have ever known. He's brilliant, sneaky and opinionated. He is the first racehorse that I have ever owned, and the first horse I've ever trained entirely by myself. (Our family breeds hunter ponies and I've been showing and breaking ponies since I was a kid, but never an ex-racehorse!) We changed his name to Frankly My Dear ("Frank"), because he doesn't "give a damn" about anything! My original idea was to re-train him as a hunter, but once he learned to jump, he LOVED it, and he's just too bold and quick for the hunter ring, so we made the switch to jumpers. Having ridden hunters all my life, this is a new experience for me as well and we are learning together. Though he is fast and bold and "on his game" when he knows he's going to be jumping, he is also quiet enough to hack around the farm. I ride him bareback all the time. He is turned out in a huge field with 7 pony mares, and really enjoys being the king!
At the horse show this past weekend, I also put him in a model class, and he was 2nd in a group of really nice horses.
I've attached some pictures from this weekend so you can see how good he looks and how happy he is with his new job-- he is spoiled rotten and adored and has a forever home. I'm planning to show him again next month. (In the last picture, you can see that I have a peppermint in my left hand. That's how I bribed him to stand still---sneaking him candy during the class! I taught him to "set up" in his conformation "pose" when I crinkle the wrapper at him, hehe.)
I would love to know what he was like on the track. When did you get him? How was he to train? Anything to fill in the pieces of his history would be very interesting to me!
 Also, here are a couple of video links. The quality is terrible (a friend took them using my phone) but you can see him jumping:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPwcokfMbZU
and
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kydMCq-mMk
Thank you very much!!
Katie Gardner
Bedford, VA
www.otteridgefarm.com
Letter to the Editor,
Daily Racing Form,
Sunday February 14, 2010
How many hours have we spent as owners, trainers, members of track management, etc. discussing why New York racing is in decline and what can be done to resuscitate it. Various sources of pressure, particularly political, preclude some of the more progressive, radical notions from taking root. One we fantasize about is the sale of Aqueduct and Belmont, the use of some of the proceeds to construct a state of the art facility friendly to horses, backstretch staff, and owners, to be located in a more rural setting, perhaps in Sullivan or Duchess County. Graced with ample turnout space, fresh air, modern barns, and proper housing for employees, the track would offer racing over three different surfaces, dirt, turf and synthetic. Staged around the Saratoga season, the meets would be conducted from Labor Day through year end, and March 15th until the exodus to Saratoga. 3-5 years to plan and build; lots of employment. I leave to others what is to be done with the 600+ acres that is Aqueduct and Belmont.
Jeffrey Tucker
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