The Tale of Caught Heart

This is the tale of Caught Heart who was born in a backyard and then raised at bucolic Magali Farms in Santa Ynez, California. His first trainer was the award winning Doug O’Neill...his first ride was with the great Mark Guidry at venerable Santa Anita Park. His last ride was not even two years later at a quarter horse track with an unknown trainer and jockey racing in a $2,000 claiming race with suspensatory ligament injuries in both forelegs and a bowed tendon.

How was it possible that the Last Lion/Pirate’s Bounty gelding could have had a turn of fortunes so severe in such a short time? Caught Heart ran in 16 races. His record was 1 win, 3 seconds, 1 third, 6 fourths. His lifetime earnings were a meager $29,712.

I was first introduced to the friendly bay colt with the white star on his forehead shortly after his second birthday at Magali Farms. I was charmed by his spirit and thrilled that I bought into the syndicate that owned him. Caught Heart was my first foray into horse ownership and I really knew nothing about race horses, the training, the risks, and what it actually took to get a horse to the track much less into the Winner’s Circle.

Caught Heart as a weanling

Caught Heart was a late and the first foal of Caught in Thought by Pirates Bounty. He was born on April 19, 2002 and raised in the backyard of a woman who had divorced a trainer who had a lot of personal and professional problems and somehow she ended up with a number of his horses for sale that she received in the “settlement.” As she needed to sell these horses she placed an advertisement in the Thoroughbred Times that was consequently read by Milt Policzer. Milt made contact with this woman as he had decided early on after becoming involved with race horses that he wanted to breed his own horses. Milt was primarily interested in purchasing Caught Heart’s mother, Caught in Thought, as she was a Pirate’s Bounty mare but somehow he was talked into taking the weanling they called Heart as well. When Milt contacted the Jockey’s Club to register him the name Heart had already been taken so Milt settled upon Caught Heart using part of his dam’s name.

Caught Heart with Michael Baze aboard at Santa Anita

The early reports from Magali Farms were positive as Farm Manager Tom Hudson thought he looked great and he was really friendly. He was on the small side, though. Milt thought there were a couple of reasons for this. First foals tend to be smaller than later foals and he might not have gotten the best care (i.e. nutrition) in that backyard early in life. His best pal in the early days at Magali Farms was an Arabian (also a smaller horse). Later on when they got to training Heart, everyone was less enthusiastic. Caught Heart just didn’t seem very fast and particularly given the tough competition in Southern California no one was betting on him to be able to win. However, when he got down to Doug O’Neill and finally into a race, he was competitive and eventually won. His first race with Mark Guidry he came in 10th as he sat stunned in the gate when it opened. He was still only two years old at the time. His second race with Michael Baze aboard he came in second with his stable mate Awesome Sign, first. On his third try again with Michael Baze aboard he broke his maiden winning on a stormy February afternoon at Santa Anita on an extremely sloppy track. I had flown down from Northern California and was witness to a determined Caught Heart fighting through the slop. The feeling of being in the Winner’s Circle with Caught Heart was one of the best memories I have had as a horse owner. Later I went to the barn and fed him a few carrots. He was shiny and gleaming in his stall and very hungry. Doug had done his usual wonderful job and Caught Heart had really filled out and looked like the horse version of a bodybuilder, though still on the short side. That combination of good looks and his connection to Doug is what we think got him claimed for $20K in his first claiming outing shortly after breaking his maiden.

After his initial claiming he was claimed two more times in quick succession. Somewhere along the line he bowed his tendon and was out of racing from October 2005 through July 2006. Whether this injury completely healed or not is uncertain but Caught Heart eventually resumed racing at a venue in which he could compete in short races although he had to contend with sharp corners. He was already hurting by this time and knew how to corner more widely which prevented him from winning. In order to get him ready for these races he was injected with a number of medications. His last five races were run about every two weeks and he was injected with cortisone into both forelegs three days before each race so he could perform as he was suffering from suspensatory ligament conditions in both legs. He came in fourth 3 times, fifth once and seventh once.

I had visited him once in the summer while he was still at Hollywood Park. He looked thin and his coat was not the same glossy sheen I remembered. He also looked tired and worn out. He barely wanted to get up to eat a few carrots and as I left he kept looking at me imploringly as if to say “please take me with you.” This vision remained with me, almost haunting me, and I started thinking about how to get him back.

Later in the year when Caught Heart started racing again at Los Alamitos Milt Polizcer and I hatched a plan to claim him back and send up north to try the turf. If he wasn’t suitable for turf racing I planned to take him myself and retire him. We were going to place him with trainer OJ Jauregui who had assisted our regular trainer Armando Lage and recently went out on his own. Although OJ was just starting out and didn’t have too many horses to call his own he was very honest to tell us that his connections came back and said the horse was “unsound.” He didn’t elaborate on the details probably to spare us but we knew we could not claim him for racing and so that door was closed. And still, I wondered why an unsound horse was racing at all at that level and couldn’t stop thinking about it.

I watched Caught Heart get through another couple of races and then decided to call the trainer/owners and make an offer. I had previously been introduced to CERF (California Equine Retirement Foundation) in Winchester, California by my good friend and horse partner Gerri Minott McCarron. We were planning on retiring our favorite gelding Milltown Road there if we could manage it at some point as CERF is primarily a home for geldings. I called the manager of CERF, Grace Belcuore, to find out if she could take him. As it turns out she had one stall available as an In Excess horse that was supposed to leave in February left earlier than planned. It seemed that things were falling into place except I could not make contact with the owner or the trainer. The trainer was not known at Los Alamitos by the Racing Secretary. The CHRB had no contact information. The owner’s license as shown by name was expired and although I called a number of people all over California using the owner’s rather unusual name no one I contacted had Caught Heart nor any kind of horse for that matter. I was running out of leads when the CHRB called me with a phone number and I made contact with the trainer. The trainer was not willing to pull him from his last race and the owners wanted more money for him than I was willing to pay at that point. I know no one had made any money off this horse and I was their last resort but I knew that Caught Heart was of little or no value to anyone at that point. After his last race the trainer called me and said the owner was willing to sell him for the $1,000. I had originally offered. I promptly accepted the offer and a couple of days later on November 8, 2006 Caught Heart arrived at CERF “as high as a kite” according to Grace Belcuore. No wonder. Here is a list of drugs Caught Heart was injected with in his last weeks of racing:

• 9/18/06 Enzymes (for joint pain)
• 9/19/06 Magnesium Sulfate (calms nerves - aids in focus)
• 9/20/06 Bute (to mask pain - anti inflammatory)
• 9/21/06 Lasix (diuretic)
• 9/24/06 Ventipulmin (airway obstruction medication)
• 9/26/06 Equipoise (makes horses aggressive - antibolic steriod)
• 10/06/06 Bute (to mask pain - anti inflammatory)
• 10/07/06 Lasix (diuretic)
• 10/13/06 Ventipulmin (airway obstruction medication)
  Equipoise (makes horses aggressive - antibolic steriod)
• 10/19/06 Cortisone in Both Forelegs (anti inflammatory)
• 10/21/06 Bute (to mask pain - anti inflammatory)
• 10/22/06 Lasix (diuretic)
• 10/30/06 Equipoise (makes horses aggressive - antibolic steriod)
• 11/01/06 Cortisone in Both Forelegs (anti inflammatory)
• 11/03/06 Bute (to mask pain - anti inflammatory)
• 11/04/06 Lasix (diuretic)

The story has a happy ending as Caught Heart is now safely in retirement at the age of four, almost five, at CERF. For now I am willing to pay for his monthly upkeep until he is rehabilitated and can start a new career since he is still so young. He will need at least a year to recover from his injuries and learn how to be a horse again. He is not socialized and must become a member of the herd as well. It costs $300 a month to keep a horse at CERF plus any extra expenses such as vet visits, medications, etc. If anyone would like to make a donation to help Caught Heart please contact me at wagkat99@yahoo.com. Caught Heart already has an angel in Andy Kramer and although dealing with the recent painful loss of his wife Andy has contributed $300 for a month of Heart’s care.

Karin with Caught Heart at CERF

Both Andy and I visited Caught Heart at the CERF facility over the Thanksgiving Holiday and found him to be in a safe environment in a very large stall where he can watch the comings and goings of all the horses. Grace said the first day he arrived he jumped in the air on all fours and then rolled around in the dirt and shook himself off like a dog. He is very happy and beckons to Grace for horse cookies. He was in another stall at first although closer to the barn and office further away from all the horses and in his angst and confusion over being in a new place escaped and ran amuck putting a couple of deep gouges in his side but he will recover in time. The vet says he might have an ulcer as it appears most race horses come off the track with ulcers with all the worrying and stress of the track. In addition, the administration of the pain blocker known as "bute" and routinely given to all race horses is also known to have the side effect of creating ulcers. He is also anemic and being treated for that and a fever. However, time and a safe and calm routine is what he needs now more than anything else.

The question arises as to what happens to horses in Caught Heart’s situation. So many of them break down or are needlessly suffering when they should not be racing at all. They are abandoned by their owners and no one gives them much thought once they go down the spiral ladder of defeat after defeat. Is it even humane to race horses at that level and inject them with medications in the hopes of getting $500 back on a race? In the last weeks of his short career Caught Heart was injected with medications costing over $700. In each of his last two races were he placed fourth he only earned $427. for his efforts. None of the numbers add up for the owners, the trainers, the fans and particularly not for the horses. I encourage any of you that have become attached to one horse or another to follow your horse’s career and help the horse at the proper time. It is our obligation as horse owners to do so. I know there are certain horses in each of our hearts that we wish to help. A number of partners at Owner’s Stable saved Early Snow and now he has a new career and may even be marching in the Rose Bowl Parade this year.

The question of race horse medication is arising more and more. Gary Stevens in his excellent book “The Perfect Ride” feels the over medicating of horses should be stopped and is out of control. Horses do not last these days. They are pushed too hard too early and too often. The days of horses racing 50 - 100 races in a career are definitely over. If we see a champion we might get less than 10 races out of him before he is sent to the breeding barn. If we race a horse too early we may never see him again. Breeder’s Cup Juvenile champs have never become winners of the Kentucky Derby. Even our “own” spectacular Stevie Wonderboy has disappeared off the radar after his early promise.

I love this sport and have met many fine people both in the fan seats and in the backstretch and do not regret my association with horse racing in the least. However, there are many aspects of the sport that need to be addressed not only to keep the sport alive but in consideration of the equine athletes that serve us. Please contact me at wagkat99@yahoo.com if you wish to help. I look forward to hearing from you. Sometimes you feel you can never make a difference in anything you do but I know I made a difference with one horse and saving Caught Heart gave me the best Thanksgiving I have had knowing that Caught Heart was saved at least. One step at a time, one horse at a time

Karin Wagner