Two-time Truro Horse of the Year American Risk is no doubt a special horse winning 21 races over the past two seasons of harness racing and surpassing the $100,000 career earnings mark. But beyond the accolades, American Risk -- and the team behind the seven-year-old pacer -- has been a shining light during some grey days for the Teed family.
The last two years have not been kind to 77-year-old Sharon Teed with countless trips in and out of the hospital -- some serious, with a couple of very close calls. It has been an emotional rollercoaster for family and friends as well. Recently, she spent 30 days in hospital. Tough is an understatement when it comes to describing this woman.
“When she first got sick, she was in recovery for a long period of time and there were a lot of ‘grey days’ where the future didn't look very bright,” said Sharon’s daughter, Cory Teed.
After some discussion, Cory and her father, brother and sister decided to look into buying the “left ear” of a horse in hopes that it might pique Sharon’s interest a little and give her something extra to look forward to once she was feeling better.
“My dad was a big race fan and there were seldom Sundays that we weren't at Truro Raceway growing up,” explained Cory. “Dad was the part owner of a couple horses and I even got the chance to train one... and when I say train, I mean I was thrown on the cart and told ‘don’t forget to turn left!’ These are great memories that I will forever cherish. We asked my dad if he would look at some horses in the sale and see if there were any that caught his eye.”
Without pause, he stated that there was a horse named American Risk and that shares were being made available to purchase.
“There were a hundred different horses with a hundred different trainers that we could have picked. But we picked Risk… Or maybe he picked us?”
His picture was that of a handsome, big horse and his stats showed promise that his best was yet to come. And, according to Teed, one of the best things that came with him were his owners: the Rennison family.
“George, Andrea, Ryder, Albert and the supporting cast are absolutely second to none,” said Cory. “They welcomed us in with open arms and made us feel part of the barn and part of the Risky Bizz Group along with the other shareholders.
“When my father and I first went to the barn to look at ‘Risk,’ we were a little concerned at how unbelievably quiet this big horse was. Over the last two years, he continues to amaze and impress... especially my mother. They share the same attributes: tough, stubborn and they both refuse to quit no matter the circumstance. There was an immediate bond between the two, and although the pink peppermints and carrots might have swayed Risk’s favour, there’s no denying how much she loves this horse.”
Whenever they went to the barn and Ryder was there, Cory noted that he would drop what he was doing and bring out Risk so Sharon could spoil him.
“When you walk into my parents’ home, it's typical with pictures of their children and grandchildren displayed on the mantle. But what is quite different is the entire wall of pictures dedicated to this horse!”
Many times, when Sharon wasn't feeling well or having a hard time, just the mention of this horse brought a smile to her face.
During her most recent hospital stay, American Risk was awarded Horse of the Year honours for 2021 and 2022 at the Truro Harness Horse Owners Association Awards Banquet on Feb. 25.
“You could imagine that after four weeks in the hospital, again with some close calls, my mother was having a hard time keeping motivated and maintaining a positive attitude,” recalled Cory. “She was unable to attend the awards banquet to see ‘her horse Risky’ win not one, but two Horse of the Year awards, which saddened her as she wanted so very much to be there.”
But throughout this whole ordeal, the Rennisons constantly stayed in touch, offering their prayers and best wishes and going of their way to take pictures and videos, keeping an ever-positive outlook on things, even when things weren't so positive.
“I received a message from Andrea saying that her and George had talked it over and thought it would be a great idea to give mother Risk’s cooler for Horse of the Year. I have had the pleasure of knowing George and Andrea for the last two years and their selfless actions and kind words never cease to amaze me.”
After receiving the cooler, Sharon called her daughter from the hospital to tell her that she had received the best gift ever.
“It was the first time in the last while that I had heard excitement in her voice, which gave me hope that soon she would be feeling better and back home.”
During a visit with Sharon on March 9, Cory took a photo of her proud mother posing with American Risk’s new cooler.
“She wanted me to send it to Andrea and tell her how happy and grateful she was,” said Cory. “We talked about how it wouldn't be long before we would be at the track watching Risk and walking her over to the winner's circle for a picture with him. Seeing her smile like that was priceless.”
Just a few days later, Sharon was released from hospital with her health continuing to improve as she looks forward to cheering on her special horse this upcoming season at Truro.