Written by J. Drake
Ferdinand's story is one that should never be
forgotten. It all started in 1983 when the chestnut stallion was
born in Kentucky. Bred by the Keck family and sired by the great
Nijinsky, Fardinand was to become a legend of his own. As a three
year old, he went on the win the 1986 Kentucky Derby. The following
year he also went on to take the 1987 Eclipse Award for Horse of
the Year title with a dramatic win in the Breeders' Cup Classic
over the great Alysheba.
As
a racehorse, Ferdinand won eight of 29 starts and earned $3,777,978,
retiring as what was then the fifth leading money winner of all
time. His victory in the Kentucky Derby gave trainer Charlie Whittingham
his first success in that classic, and it was the final career Derby
win for his jockey, Bill Shoemaker.
Although Ferdinand's feats on the track were good
enough for the record books, it wasn't until later in his life that
Ferdinand's story really got interesting. In 1989, he was retired
to stud at Claiborne Farm. Initially, his stud fee was set at $30,000
per live foal. However, after having achieved very little success
as a stallion from his first few crops of runners, Ferdinand was
sold to Japan's JS Company in the Fall of 1994. This was during
a time when the Japanese breeding farms were trying to pursue American
and European breeding stock.
While in Japan, Ferdinand saw six years of breeding
seasons at Arrow Stud which was located on the northern island of
Hokkaido. He was, at first, quite popular with the local Thoroughbred
breeders from which he saw 77 mares in his first year standing at
stud. By the time of his final year here, Ferdinand was only seeing
just ten mares. At this point, his owners decided to get rid of
him as he was not bringing in the attention they desired.
Efforts were made by the farm to place Ferdinand
in a local riding club but these attempts failed. On February 3,
2001, Ferdinand found himself in the hands of a horse dealer named
Yoshikazu Watanabe who worked out of Monbetsu, Japan. At this point,
no effort was made to contact Ferdinand's connections in the United
States (the Keck Family or Claiborne Farm).
Mystery surrounded what had become of Ferdinand
after this exchange of hands and it wasn't until a reporter looking
for answers uncovered some chilling information that word got out
about his fate. When a member of the Keck family wanted to inquire
as to his whereabouts so as to try to bring him back home to the
United States, Reporter Barbara Bayer from The Blood-Horse attempted
to find out where he was. When Bayer was first looking for information
on Ferdinand, she was told that "he was given to a friend."
Later this was turned into "he was gelded and I think he's
at a riding club far away from here." Although they claimed
he was gelded at this point, records showed that Ferdinand was bred
to six mares in 2001 and an additional two in 2002. He was also
spotted by a former handler from Arrow Stud at Goshima Farm near
Niikappu. He was now also 19 years of age.
When Bayer told Watanabe that she wanted to see
Ferdinand in person, the story changed yet again. This time she
was told "Actually, he isn't around anymore" and that
"He was disposed of late last year." Records showed that
Ferdinand's registration in Japan had been annulled on Spetember
1, 2002.
In the article Bayer wrote for The Blood-Horse,
she stated that "In Japan, the term 'disposed of' is used to
mean slaughtered." She went on to say that "No one can
say for sure when and where Ferdinand met his end, but it would
seem clear he met it in a slaughterhouse. Unfortunately, to those
well-versed in the realities beyond the glitter and glory of the
racetrack, it comes as no surprise. Ferdinand's story is the story
of nearly every imported stallion in Japan at that point in time
when the figures no longer weigh in his favor. In a country where
racing is kept booming by the world's highest purses and astronomical
betting revenues, Ferdinand's fate is not the exception. It is the
rule."
Dell Hancock, whose family now operates Claiborne
Farm, upon hearing of Ferdinand's fate, stated that "It's so
sad, but there is nothing anyone can do now except support John
Hettinger's efforts to stop the slaughter of Thoroughbreds in this
country....to have this happen to a Derby winner is just terrible."
After news of Ferdinand's death reached the United
States, it began a chain of events. A new program named in his honor,
the Ferdinand Fee, was set up to help fund keeping old racehorses
alive in the Summer of 2006. This was an optional donation program
set up by the New York Owners and Breeders' Association, based in
Saratoga Springs, New York to raise funds for retired race horses
so that they would not be sold to slaughter. Additionally, some
owners are now also including buy-back clauses within their stallion
contracts so that the same fate that became of Ferdinand does not
happen again. It was reported that stallions such as Silver Charm
and Roses in May who were sent to Japen, had these clauses contained
within their contracts.
Sire: Nijinsky
Dam: BANJA LUKA
Colour: Chestnut
Markings: a star and socks.
29 Starts, 8 Wins, 9 Places, 6 Shows
Career Earnings: $3,777,978
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