NYRA Honors Great Horse and Great Cause | |
| Contact: John Lee | November 29, 2008 |
New York Racing Association COO Hal Handel (right) presents NYRA’s check for $5,000 to Exceller Fund board members photographer Barbara Livingston and writer Steve Haskin while Exceller Fund founding member Joel Einhorn and his wife Jeannie look on, before the running of yesterday’s fourth race, named for Exceller, a horse best known for his victory over two Triple Crown winners, Seattle Slew and Affirmed, in the 1978 Jockey Club Gold Cup. Nineteen years after than landmark victory Exceller died tragically in an overseas slaughterhouse. In his memory, the Exceller Fund was created to “provide a future beyond the finishline” for thoroughbred racehorses. For more information on the Exceller Fund, log-on to excellerfund.org
Saturday afternoon, the New York Racing Association proudly presented a check for $5,000 to the Exceller Fund. The Exceller Fund acquires horses that might be at risk for slaughter and cares for them until an adoptive home is found or offers retirement for a few horses when sponsorship is provided. The Exceller Fund also works to facilitate the placement of Thoroughbreds with local horse rescue organizations, working with many other organizations to save as many Thoroughbreds as possible. In 1997, Daily Racing Form’s Mike Mullaney was writing a routine article for the paper’s “Where Are They Now?” Series. A lifelong racing fan, Mullaney had chosen for his topic Exceller – the only horse to defeat two Triple Crown winners. Exceller accomplished that feat on October 14, 1978 in Belmont Park’s Jockey Club Good Cup when held off the incredible rally of 1977 Triple Crown winner Seattle Slew to win by a nose. Affirmed, the 1978 Triple Crown winner, finished fifth in the slop that day when his saddle slipped. Exceller would go on to race five more times, and the son of Vaguely Noble completed his career with a record of 15-5-6-5 from 33 starts, including Grade 1 triumphs in the Jockey Club Gold Cup, the Canadian International at Woodbine, the San Juan Capistrano at Santa Anita, the Hollywood Invitational, the Hollywood Gold Cup, the Sunset Handicap and the Oak Tree Invitational, and earnings of $1,654,023. He was sent to Gainesway Farm in Kentucky in 1979, and then was sold to Sweden two years later. Unfortunately, Mullaney’s search was too late. Exceller, at age 24, had been put down on April 7, 1997, shortly after he had been nominated to the National Museum of Racing’s Hall of Fame. Further investigation revealed that the horse had become a liability to owner Gote Ostlund, who authorized that the horse be sent to slaughter when he felt Exceller was of no profitable use. The tragic details of Exceller’s death led to the formation of the Exceller Fund, after a group of racing fans, spearheaded by Barbara Kraus, began to recall their memories of the horse. They decided to sponsor Thoroughbreds at the United Pegasus Foundation in California, naming themselves in honor of Exceller, who finally was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1999. For more information, see www.excellerfund.org or write: Exceller Fund Inc., P.O. Box 33274, Granada Hills, Calif., 91394.
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