Featured Horse--- Topper Shopper to The Second Race

Not often in the course of the work that we do at The Second Race, do we have the pleasure of having a horse retired to us that we have spent much time with over the course of their racing career, however such is the case with our latest arrival, Topper Shopper.

Topper Shopper (Old Topper) was foaled at Tommy Town Thoroughbreds, a beautiful breeding facility in the Santa Ynez Valley, CA. Tommy Town is a respite from the world, and I have had the pleasure of being guests of Tom & Debi Stull on a few occasions. On one such visit, there was a character of a chestnut, that I grew fond of right from the beginning. Topper Shopper looked so much like his sire. I still remember the first time I saw him, he was back from the track on a vacation and this large white muzzle was peering out from under the stall webbing. I found him often in this position over the weekend, and I am certain he spent many an hour trying to figure out how to crawl out from under his stall. He was interactive and enjoyed our frequent visits to him during that stay.

Topper Shopper won early in his career at the age of two; and was a promising race horse from the start. Before starting The Second Race, I volunteered for CERF (California Equine Retirement Foundation) and especially enjoyed painting with horses (yes, the horses actually painted their own masterpieces) to benefit the ranch. Topper Shopper was also a favorite of the owners at Tommy Town Thoroughbreds and a commissioned painting was done by Topper Shopper on another visit to the ranch.



Along the way Topper Shopper was claimed and it wasn't until recently that I saw him again in Doug O'Neill's barn after an absence. Topper Shopper was sidelined in 2009 for a surgery to his leg and after healing up, was brought back into training.

His current owners were very fond of him, and hoped that he could return to his winning self, but decided that if he wasn't able to compete at the level he had left at, then it was best to not continue having him go down the claiming ranks and retired him. It was a difficult decision for them after investing in his return, but a good one to make as well.

Topper Shopper earned over $ 345,000 during his racing career, and has the distinction of being the second highest money earner for Old Topper to date, behind Top This and That (who ironically resides in retirement at CERF). When Topper Shopper arrived last Friday to our foster facility, he bounced right out off the van and showed off for anyone that wanted to look. He was just as flashy and charming as he was when I first laid eyes on him. A smile came across my face, and it is going to be a pleasure helping him find a new home.



A very young six year old gelding, Topper Shopper would do well with an experienced handler, he is playful and bright. We believe Topper Shopper will make an excellent horse for a new career and he would relish and enjoy learning.

If you would be interested in learning more about Topper Shopper or any of the other horses owned by The Second Race, contact us directly at thesecondrace@gmail.com or visit our website at www.thesecondrace.com

For The Love of a Race Horse

Most of us around race horses each day, know and understand "Don't fall in love with a race horse; especially a claimer". Race trackers are a wonderful mix of colorful and devoted people. They love their work, love the horses and most go about their jobs understanding that horses come and go.

As a fan of racing and with the pleasure of being able to spend hours in many barns, I can attest that up and down shed rows there remains many a horse waiting for a heart to become attached to it.

So was the story of Thomas Baines. Thomas didn't start out as a claimer, there were high aspirations for him and even a hint at Derby contention. He ran and placed in several races, but on Saturday found himself in for a tag. Attached to that tag, the love and devotion of my friend.

I think as a fan, you remember your first horse, the one race horse that started it all for you. And more than likely, it was a famous horse, a big horse! And most of the time you don't have the opportunity to ever, touch, see or smell that horse in "real life". Ah but when you do, it changes things.

Thomas has tons of personality, and draws you in. So he was a likely candidate for a first crush by a new fan, and first heartbreak at seeing the red tag hanging off his halter at the end of a race. That piece of jewelry is one a person never wants to see handed to a horse they love.

My first time was a horse like Thomas Baines, a horse named Will. Why he was the first to capture my heart, I won't know. Could it be because he is grey, could it be because he was delightful and stole your heart with the first glance? Could it be that he would push the opening of the pen gate towards you, as if to say come on in, and sit with me for awhile. Could it be that he would literally be willing to spend the day following you around from place to place? Could it be that the same puppy dog in the barn, was a thrill to watch on the track? Who knows, you love who you love.

Going in and out of barns you never know which horse will pop its head over and look at you with both amazement and attention, that first mutual glance...and your smitten all over again.

And you never know when that same horse will break your heart, but really would you have it any other way?





Photo of Thomas Baines by John Chun. Photo of Will from Del Mar after being claimed in 2007 from the Winners Circle.

The Cost of a "Free" Horse

At the inception of The Second Race, we wanted to be as easy a resource as possible for both the adopter and the trainer/owner asking for assistance. This included offering "free" horses to our network of potential adopters. While the idea of a free horse, is tempting, a horse is never free.

Nor is the responsibility of the adopter to ensure that the horse finds a happy and healthy home and life. The Second Race has discovered on occasion in the past 18 months, that those that received a "free" horse from us, didn't perhaps have the "buy in" needed to ensure that their new horse was a forever horse in their care. Let us explain.

When, Sharla Sanders the founder of The Second Race worked in middle management at a number one mortgage company in America, she was responsible for the broker division and managed 46 employees. The division went from having three separate managers, to just one (Sharla) in a years time. There were lots of disgruntled employees, change is hard for everyone and managing expectations was important to the success of the company. Sharla and her manager a VP determined that there had to be "buy in" from the employees in order to reach our goals. A bonus plan was re-designed whereby all members of the team had to collectively reach benchmarks, goals and exceed expectations together, for anyone to receive a bonus. At first, this was not well received, but in a very short time everyone learned they had to work together to get their increase in salary, in other words, they bought into the mission of the company and expectations. Without doing this, those that did well would expect their bonuses and those that did not, continued to do sub par performance. Its all about the buy in, you have to feel that you are invested in order to make something matter to you, its just human nature. Anything given and not earned is never appreciated in the same manner.

Taking that same thought process into consideration, The Second Race has decided that beginning this month, there will be an adoption fee for our horses. $ 500 will be required and the adopter will be responsible for the Coggins/Health Cert and transport should a horse go across state lines. The Second Race paid for the shipping of horses, and Coggins and found not only was this costly, but it was easy for someone to consider "giving back" a horse or attempting to transfer a horse to another party, because as mentioned above in our opinion, a stake in that horse was not present.




Our mission is to continue to provide an easy transition from the race track, lay up farm or breeding operation for the horsemen, but we also believe that an adopter should be more vested in the adoption of one of our horses, and so therefore the change in procedure. Please note, if a horse is not owned by The Second Race, the horse will still be offered for free, unless the current owner agrees that some type of fee should be attached to the horses adoption. These will be on a case by case basis.

One way to find out about the cost of horse ownership is to do research prior to adoption. Here is a recent book written by a life long horsewomen that clearly and easily shares her years of experience. A horse is a lifetime (a horse's life span can be as much as 25 years) commitment, and should be treated as such.

To read more about 'What A Free Horse Really Costs' or to order the book go to Diane Mollers' website http://www.freehorsecosts.com/ A portion of her book sales, will benefit a rescue organization, Habitat for Horses.