Rachel with white mystery pony
That was my question recently, as Rachel has not raced for a while, and I had time to examine pictures closely. Could it be Pancho, Curlin's stable pony?
Curlin with Pancho
I did some research and found out it is NOT. This white pony that is with Rachel has darker markings on the mane and tail than Pancho. Well, it turns out to be assistant trainer Scott Blasi's pony: Dakota. He is the escort for Rachel you sometimes see at her races. Why is he called a "pony"? He sure is big! Well, on a race track, a "pony" is any horse that is not a thoroughbred or racehorse who is there to serve a particular purpose (other than racing). His purpose is to calm down racehorses, especially famous ones, who have higher stress because of the excitement and pressure surrounding them such as noisey and imposing crowds, photographers, writers or fans.
Dakota's calming effect can be used in a variety of settings including on long-distance trips in a trailer:
Can you spot Dakota in the trailer that Rachel Alexandra had just left?
Well there you go! It has become crystal clear! Do not get Dakota mixed up with her previous stable pony from Hal Wiggins barn:
Rachels previous stable pony (also white!)
Dakota is actually considered a grey, and also has a darker mane:
Closeup of Dakota
So there you have it. It might be very confusing because there are 3 DIFFERENT white-ish ponies hanging out to confuse us: Curlin's pony Pancho, Rachel's former pony from her Hal Wiggins days, and Dakota.
Isn't this fun? Stay tuned to this blogsite because in my next article, I will have a description of all of Rachel Alexandra's human connections.
Isn't this fun? Stay tuned to this blogsite because in my next article, I will have a description of all of Rachel Alexandra's human connections.
Great article & pictures Pixie - a very nice change of pace. I was a huge Curlin fan too, so I could pick out Pancho just about anywhere, but not so sure I could do that with Dakota, until today.
ReplyDeleteWanted to say this is a awesome site. I've been following it for about a month and look forward to seeing Alexandra the great to get back to her dominating ways...
ReplyDeleteKeep up the good info Pixie.
BOTH pony horses are considered grey because they are grey. White horses are born that color. Greys or roans are born solid colors then white hairs begin to replace colored hairs as they get older. Even if he didn't have a dark hair left on his body, the pony would still be a grey. Here's a white horse: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDhunRGu5OA
ReplyDeleteThanks Lois!
ReplyDeleteBelieve it or not, I actually already knew (of) that but I was trying to explain it to the general public. They "look white" so I called them white, even though technically, they are grey. Roans are slightly different than greys:
http://www.grullablue.com/colors/gray_roan.htm