War Emblem ‘officially’ retired at Old Friends

On a cold, blustery, sometimes rainy afternoon on Thursday, April 7, 2016, over 150 people came to Old Friends, the Thoroughbred retirement farm in Georgetown, Ky., to “officially” welcome War Emblem to the farm. 

The majority of those 150-plus people were fans of Old Friends and War Emblem who each donated $202 to help Old Friends pay the expenses to bring him home from Japan.

War Emblem is the seventh Thoroughbred to be returned to the United States from Japan by Michael Blowen, the president and founder of Old Friends. Sunshine Forever, Creator, Ogygian, Fraise, Wallenda, and most recently, Silver Charm, have also been brought home to the farm from Japan by Blowen.

"It's just an embarrassment of riches," said Blowen. "It has been mind-blowing to have one Kentucky Derby winner here (Silver Charm), and now we are just thrilled and honored to also be able to retire War Emblem. We can't thank the Yoshida family enough for entrusting us with their fabulous horse."

War Emblem, a 17-year old son of Our Emblem-Sweetest Lady, by Lord at War (Arg.), finished his race career with seven wins and $3,471,000 in 13 career starts. His wins in the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes earned him the Eclipse award as 2002 champion 3-year old colt. 

In an interesting coincidence, War Emblem was trained by Bob Baffert and ridden in the three Classic races by jockey Victor Espinoza, the same tandem that teamed up with American Pharoah last year to finally capture the first Triple Crown in 38 years.

One other fun fact: War Emblem was bred in 1999 by Charles Nuckols Jr. and Sons, who live just down the road from Old Friends in Midway and are big supporters of the farm as well.

And, in a final twist of fate, Sarava, the horse that beat War Emblem in the Belmont Stakes that denied him the Triple Crown, is also a retiree at Old Friends and is just down the paddock lane from War Emblem.

Following his race career, War Emblem went to Japan for his stud career, where he had modest success. When it was decided to retire him, War Emblem was brought back to the United States and, in one of the somewhat worst kept secrets ever, he arrived at Old Friends late last year to complete his quarantine process, which turned out to be harder than expected.

When a horse is returned to the United States, it needs to be test bred to two mares to ensure it is free of the disease Contagious Equine Metritis. 

In a press release, Blowen explained: “When a stallion is imported into the United States from any foreign country, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has various “import” regulations, including a requirement that says the stallion must submit to “test breeding.” The reason behind this is to determine if the animal is infected with, or a carrier of, the very serious disease known as Contagious Equine Metritis or CEM.

“CEM is a highly contagious bacteria-which has more or less been eradicated in the U.S.-and can be spread during live breeding, artificial insemination, or through contact with contaminated objects. CEM-positive horses that show no signs of illness (called “carriers”) can cause outbreaks at breeding facilities. It is highly contagious among horses and can be difficult to detect and control."

However, one of the reasons War Emblem was retired was because he no longer wanted to breed to any mares, which made his breeding to two test mares near impossible.

“While it is clear that War Emblem, as a retired resident of Old Friends, would never be called upon to breed, the USDA is still obligated to consider that an intact stallion carrying CEM could get loose and inadvertently breed a mare or dispel the disease via human interaction with infected semen,” explained Blowen. “If the disease should again become widespread in the United States, the horse industry could suffer considerable economic losses.

“Following his importation into the United States from Japan, War Emblem-whose reluctance in the breeding shed throughout his stud career was well documented-was placed in quarantine at Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital. There, a team of veterinary reproduction specialists diligently worked with the (then) 16-year-old stallion to help him test breed the required two mares and clear import regulations. Despite their best efforts, and with one month of attempts, War Emblem did not breed a mare during this time..

War Emblem was then sent to Old Friends late last year where he remained in quarantine, with the hope a more relaxing atmosphere might help him breed to the two test mares. However, when that did not work, a final decision was made. 

Blowen explains, “After much deliberation with the USDA, consultation with several veterinarians, and with all other options exhausted, it was decided that the stallion War Emblem be castrated to comply with Kentucky and United States Departments of Agriculture (USDA) import regulations.”

Following the procedure, Blowen said, “… War Emblem has responded like the champion he is. He is fully recovered, and we are hopeful that gelding him will allow him lead a more relaxed and peaceful life in retirement, one that he so richly deserves.”

When War Emblem first arrived at Old Friends, he was a somewhat ornery stallion. In fact, Old Friends even made a specially designed double-fenced paddock to keep both horse and visitors safe. 

Now, after the procedure, he has mellowed and, while he remains in his double-fenced paddock, he is much more relaxed and really seems to enjoy his days running around his paddock to show off to the people that stop by to visit, which was evident yesterday when the farm held a day in his honor and “officially” welcomed him to the farm.