A freak accident, a grieving 11-year-old, and a thoughtful Standardbred racehorse owner have combined to produce a touching story that showcases how retired harness horses can play important roles beyond their racing days.
An article by The Plain Dealer explains that in the summer of 2018, an 11-year-old Ohio girl by the name of Lindsay Whitmore was at a riding competition with her mare when disaster struck.
The mare, Hallelujah Honey, was standing with Whitmore when a horse beside them kicked out unexpectedly. The kick shattered one of Hallelujah Honey’s legs. Hallelujah Honey had been more than just another horse to Whitmore, as the youngster had previously helped nurture the mare back to good health. The process had forged a strong bond between the two, and they had gone on to love their time together, both in the barn and out and about at competitions.
Although she had nursed ‘Honey’ back to health in the past, Whitmore was unable to help her equine friend this time around. “We had to let her go,” Whitmore, with tremendous composure for an 11-year-old, explained to The Plain Dealer. Honey was humanely euthanized at the arena later that day.
Whitmore was crushed, and understandably so. News of the incident made its way through various equine circles in the state. The news made its way to the ears of Mario Caponi, who races stock at the local Northfield Park.
The way in which the incident played out breeds compassion – how couldn’t it? That compassion was not lost on Caponi, who, as it turned out, was in a position to make a positive impact to the storyline.
Hello Carlo, one of Caponi’s veteran Standardbreds, competed in his last-ever race on October 4. The gelded son of Carry The Message had left it all on the track after 377 career starts for Caponi. The thrifty $2,900 purchase battled his way to no less than 70 wins, 157 on-the-board finishes, and $348,363 in purse earnings. The Larry Clabaugh trainee had earned his retirement.
Caponi wasn’t just going to give his battle-tested friend to anyone, though. He arranged for Whitmore to meet Hello Carlo. The proud owner wanted to see how his equine friend would hit it off with the youngster. Caponi also wanted to make sure that the youngster was the right fit for Hello Carlo, who more than deserved the right match.
“It was really like a job interview,” admitted Caponi, while in discussion with veteran racing writer Bob Roberts, who penned the touching piece for The Plain Dealer.
It’s safe to say that Whitmore ‘got the job’ so to speak, as Caponi arranged to have Hello Carlo dropped off to Larry’s Riding Stables a short time after the meeting.
If all goes according to plan, Whitmore and Hello Carlo could be strutting their stuff at a local county fair next July, right around Caponi’s birthday.
To read Roberts’ piece, click here.
(With files from The Plain Dealer)
What a touching story of a
What a touching story of a very lovely young girl. So glad that she now has another horse to take to the shows.
Touching story. Horsepeople
Touching story. Horsepeople are compassionate and caring , and this is just one example. Two thumbs up for Mario.
Never enough of these type of stories make it to the press