#Barn buddy game Patch#

вЂњWhen he went to get hay, Birdstone would go get hay when Sun King would get a drink of water, Birdstone got water.вЂќ

вЂњIt was like me and my own shadow, almost like a stalker,вЂќ Blowen explained. Not only did Birdstone seem mesmerized by his neighbor, Blowen said he started mimicking Sun King. Sun King (Courtesy of Old Friends/Laura Battles)Д«lowen discovered Birdstone also was quite fond of Sun King. Sun King earned more than $2.2 million in his racing career and won four graded stakes, while also finishing second in the 2005 Haskell Invitational, the 2006 Whitney Handicap and Met Mile, and the 2007 Woodward Stakes. Blowen said Sun King has always been a favorite of his because he considers him the best son of 1999 Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner Charismatic to race in the U.S. Sun King had retired to Old Friends in March 2017 after standing for eight seasons as a stallion. Then, I noticed that he wouldnвЂ™t take his eyes off Sun King,вЂќ Blowen said of another retiree in a neighboring paddock. He calmed down a little, but not a lot, in the first week. вЂњBirdstone was really nervous he was anxious and sweaty. John Hendrickson, widower of BirdstoneвЂ™s owner Marylou Whitney, played a pivotal role in the move to Old Friends, and Blowen said Hendrickson has long been an extraordinarily generous supporter of the retirement facility.Д«irdstone arrived at Old Friends in late August. вЂњI was there when Birdstone won the Travers and when he won the Belmont Stakes, so I was a big fan.вЂќД«lowen said he got the call earlier in the year from Neil Howard at Gainesway letting him know they had agreed to send Birdstone along to Old Friends. вЂњWeвЂ™d been working on trying to get Birdstone here for several years,вЂќ Blowen said. Individuals acclimate differently to a new life and some take longer than others, as was the case with Birdstone, to become comfortable with their new surroundings. вЂњEvery morning, itвЂ™s like a reunion,вЂќ Blowen said with a chuckle.Д«lowen said after racing-breeding careers, many retirees have not been consistently out in a paddock or independent, really, since they were weanlings.

#Barn buddy game Patch#

He said Stormy Liberal and Patch bonded in вЂњlike 10 seconds,вЂќ while Game On Dude and Little Mike have developed a such a strong friendship that they donвЂ™t even like to be separated in the evening. Birdstone (Courtesy of Old Friends/Laura Battles)Д«lowen rattled off a list of examples of retirees who became best buds at Old Friends.