The life and death of Agnes, and the rise of Wendy

 

In 2009, I sent a friend to the yearling sales to buy me a filly. Lovely horse, but alas AGNES DE GEROLSTEIN (named for my mother) didn't make it to a gold medal. After a crushing qually win, she managed 2 seconds, 2 thirds from 20 starts ... and I gave her away. 

Agnes headed on the line at Timaru

It was one of my 'retiring from racing' periods. AGNES found a wonderful home in North Auckland, and the new owners bred from her. Luck was not with them. The first foal died, the second qualified for Murray Edmonds, but proved to have a breathing problem .. 

But Craig and Suzy persisted and, yesterday, AGNES's third baby, filly WENDY'S SHADOW qualified on a breeze a Cambridge. Alas, AGNES didn't see it. She had been felled by the colic a year previously. Apart from WENDY (named for Wendy Williams, AGNES's trainer and carer of her pre-Northland life) she left two more orphans: filly RITORNA VINCITOR (by Vincent, and obviously named by me!) and colt GERALT (by Captain Crunch) sold at the yearling sales this year. So AGNES's family will live on ...

Here is WENDY coming in as a qualifier. I hope that rainbow portends something!

WENDY two months later .... yay! big girl .. ready for the races soon!