A Horse Who Loves Christmas: The Story of Clever Allemont
On December 14, 2008, Ray and Jeanne Mason of Donegal Ranch Quarter Horses became the foster family of a 26 year old Champion Thoroughbred race horse who had been discarded by his owner....his lead rope was turned over to a kill buyer in Emporia, Kansas. A very coincidental twist of fate led to him being noticed by a local equine rescuer who immidately sought donations to pay the ransom demanded by the kill buyer to save him.
As a young racer, Clever Allemont had won over $350,000 and was scheduled to run in the 1985 Kentucky Derby but did not due to a hoof injury. During his entire racing career, he was a Grade caliber horse, winning victories such as the Rebel Stakes at was called a very fast pace. He was trained by Lynn Whiting and carried jockeys such as Kent Desormeaux on his back. Years went on...he was sold as a stud and passed from one buyer to the next. His last fateful owner was an official with the Kansas Racing Commission (yes, the one who handed his lead rope to a kill broker who had already reserved Clever Allemont's place in the transport truck to Mexico.)
So, he stayed at Donegal Ranch Quarter Horses for the next 20 days. The rescuer who saved him had immidiately commenced an ernest hunt for an appropropriate permanent home for him. And he got one....did he ever! Micheal Blowen of the elite thoroughbred rescue for racing stallions in Lexington, KY accepted him without hesistation. Clever Allemont lives out the rest of life eating Kentucky blue grass with other equine champions at Old Friends Equine Retirement, Inc. This truly gallant stallion will be 28 years old on February 11, 2010.
The attached video tells this story in pictures. It is an 8 minute video (there is a music lapse in the middle of it....so don't stop watching or you will miss his life at Old Friends.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIDA2reXHDM
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