What a crazy weekend.  It started Friday night at 9:00PM.  Rose Dela Troienne ’20 decided it was time for her to stretch her legs.  Mama started labor and it was turning into a long labor so I started stroking her head and neck telling her she was doing great but she needed to push a little harder.  She gave me one of those looks that I recognized from when her mother, Tigress Woods, was having her babies.  You may not believe it but it’s true, it’s a look that says “you’ve got to be kidding me” but after the look and several big pushes she delivered a very leggy 128 lb. filly by Goldencents.  Within moments I was taking pictures when my phone dinged with a text message from Teresa.

Teresa: I didn’t get the all call;)   I’m in the warm house but must have had a feeling and when I turned it on there was action in the maternity ward.  I couldn’t believe I pulled it up at the exact time. 

Lyra: I had the same kind of timing.  Earlier I looked at the cameras and saw Mary in the stall, leave and then came back in to wrap Dela’s tail.  Chuck and I headed up before we got the call. 

After a good delivery giving us a great baby.  I texted her back….

 Lyra: First Shift was watching, I told her to go ahead and have her baby too.

(Side Note:  First Shift is in the stall across from Rose and was already nine days overdue and yes we do talk to our horses as if they understand.) 

Teresa: Chain reaction….Wouldn’t that be nice and before midnight preferably.

Lyra: Yes, but right now she’s eating hay.                                                     

Teresa: She will probably wait until everyone is gone and it’s quiet. 

That is exactly what happened, got to bed and a sleep when Mary called.  Everyone got there to see First Shift deliver a nice colt by Flatter at 12:05AM.  Unlike Dela, First Shift pretty much circled her stall, laid down, two pushes and…. voilà……A Beautiful colt who weighed in at 118lbs.

https://www.facebook.com/RosecrestFarm/videos/550586425810164/
First Shift and First Shift ’20

So later that morning at the B&B while I was preparing breakfast for the two very nice couples that were getting an early start on their day,  I had TVG on anxiously watching the races at Meydan in Dubai.  Most of you will remember that many of the horses here are owned by Glenn, who owned Goldencents.  Well, he had TWO homebreds in the 3rd race, Wildman Jack and Torosay both by Goldencents.  The O’Neill team drew post positions 2 & 3 for these two colts.  When the race started neither were the favorites with Torosay’s odds being 9-1 and Wildman Jack’s odds at 20-1.  It was a good break for all 14 horses and Wildman Jack shot out front with several other horses.  He was running in the lead at a very fast pace.  He held the lead and then pulled away to win by 4 lengths and in doing so sat a new track record for the Grade 3 Nad Al Shelba Sprint Turf

Wildman Jack at the wire by 4 lengths

So as you can imagine it had been a crazy night and morning for all of us at Rosecrest Farm.  I was so glad when several hours after the race our good friend Margaret Layton reminded us that this win was on the same day 10 years earlier we were delivering a colt that ended up being named Goldencents.  WOW, what a coincidence!

I realize I have not told you about another baby born at the farm out of Dance America by Alternation.  Dance America is a seven year old mare by Tapit.  This is her first year at Rosecrest but has had 2 other foals, a filly by Bodemeister in 2017 and a colt by Not This Time in 2018.  She had a very easy time delivering her colt who weighed in at 116 lbs.  As you can see in this picture, he has his moms beautiful blaze.   

We have three more to go.  Caradini is next with a due date of March 19th.  Since, we were talking about the coincidence of Wildman Jack winning on Goldencents’ actual birthday, let me remind you that last year Caradini delivered her first foal… a colt by Goldencents… on March 7th… Goldencents actual birthday. 

Can’t wait to see what happens next year on March 7th!!!!!