In the past.
The life of a thoroughbred after their racing and breeding career was over often or was often bleak.
20 years ago, a man who believed they deserve better.
Open old friends farm where many of these horses are able to live out their golden years old.
Friends is a place where thoroughbred racehorse can go after their racing and breeding and secondary careers are over.
So just total retirement.
We don't adopt them.
We don't retrain when they come here.
They come here totally to retire.
We started with one horse who is one of the horses that played Seabiscuit in a movie named Rich in Dallas.
Now, we have 161 here.
We have another 42.
Down it down the road here at Winding Oaks, which is a subdivision.
And we have another 18 up here at Ashland Grove, which is a senior citizen facilities.
Back when I first started, I didn't have any idea what I was doing and I went to see Brian Jones, the former governor, Kentucky.
And when I got done explaining to them what I'm going to do, he goes, Well, let me get this straight.
You're going to get these horses.
You're going to bring the from Japan.
I said, That's correct.
But you're not going to sell them now and you're not going to breed them now and you're not going to race.
So now just what exactly are you going to do with them?
I said, Well, I'm going to put them in my yard and hope people come visit.
The biggest day that's ever happened here was December 1st, 2015, when Silver Time came home from Japan.
And we still have him.
And he's a superstar and we just got a lot of it, man.
He's a superstar.
But they're the magnets that attract people to come here.
But for every one of those horses, we try and get a horse who just needs a home.
I have a horse that I claim for 30 $500 in 1999 at Finger Lakes up in upstate New York.
And he's still with me here.
So I figured if I could do that with a 30 $500 horse, you know, we could do a better job of taking care of some of these other ones that are the backbone of this whole central Kentucky area all their lives.
They have to be told what to do.
So when they're breeding, they have to be told what to do when they're racing.
They have to be told what to do, go in the stall, come out of the stall, go for a workout, come back to the stall, get why, you know, it's humans dictating everything that they do.
And it's literally true that when they come here, they're the boss.
And our job is what they want to do.
And when they want to do it and comply, because nobody's coming here to see me, they're coming here to see these great these great athletes.
I never dreamt that this place would be this way because my dreams aren't that good.
It evolved.
And as I say, it took me along with it.
So the farm deserves credit for creating itself.
So when I look ahead 20 years, I'm hoping that there will be places for these horses to go when their breeding and racing careers are over.
And this is one way to do it.
And it's so sweet.