I went to Canterbury Park and the first horse I got to see race was "Ground Candy," a three year old owned by my uncle, Jim Murray. That is my uncle, with the big smile, leading him out for his race. Jim has been breeding and raising Thoroughbreds and Quarter Horses in Cedar, Minnesota for as long as I can remember. His race prospects come to my dad for training and they race at various tracks around the Midwest. Jim is a soft-spoken guy with a big laugh. He is an animal lover and anytime we stopped in for a visit, he was always carrying his toy poodle, "Muffin" or a barn cat was rubbing against his legs, hoping for a scratch.
Unlike most breeders in the business, his horses are family to him. His has over 40 horses right now and can't bear the thought of selling any of them. I have always loved the way Jim interacts with his horses and the calming effect he has on them. On this day Ground Candy ran a wonderful race and lost by a nose. Jim was proud of his baby and in this picture, the jockey, Keith Davis, tells Jim what a wonderful horse he has here, and Jim simply responds, "I know."
5 comments:
Oh dear. I am SO envious of you right now! I've been invited by three different trainers to see the tracks of Stockholm (Täby) and Malmö (just 2h drive from here), but with all the things going on right now, my mom and her cancer and me working as much as I do, I haven't had the time! But I'd awfully much like to go...
Someday..................!!!
:-D
My kinda guy! What a great story.
Ishtar--I have heard harness racing is a big thing in Sweden. Is that true? Take advantage of those trainers when you get some time. It is so interesting behind the scenes. When you go, take lots of pictures. I would love to hear all about it.
Not a hundred percent sure of what harness racing translates to in Swedish, but "trav" - trotting with a cart - is the real big thing, seconded by "normal" racing (simply called Gallop) and steeplechase. I'm all in for the galloping... One of my big idols is Annika Källse. She's my age but wow, what an accomplishment. Her site is at http://www.annikakallse.com/
It's in Swedish but there are some nice pictures!
good for ground candy, losing by a nose still pays! sounds like your uncle does ok in the racing business to be able to afford that many horses, that's good too.
To make money and love them, that's gotta be a special treat.
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