Years After Facing Tragic Fate at Popular Equestrian Race, Hall of Fame Racehorse Reburied in Home Soil

Rookie racehorses are currently dominating the equestrian sports industry across the world. The crop of new racehorses this year has baffled several fans with the amount of talent they’ve shown. However, the new generation is still far from the greatness of a late racehorse who set records with every race.

Ruffian was one of the most outstanding racehorses to step foot in equestrian sports. She met a very sad demise in 1975 after a racing injury. However, only 48 long years after her tragic end, she was brought back home, to a more befitting final resting place; home.

Equestrian authority brings Ruffian home

Ruffian was one of the most explosive racehorses. In fact, the Hall of Famer had a flawless record in her first ten starts. Ruffian eased the lives of her jockeys by giving them massive victories and shattering records with every race. While a victory of even three lengths is considered phenomenal today, Ruffian had once won a race by 15 lengths.

The talented racehorse won several graded stakes in her career and brought huge riches to her owner. However, misfortune struck the thoroughbred filly in July 1975, when she shattered her front right ankle in a race.

She underwent a three and a half hour operation, and the doctors placed a cast on her leg. However, when Ruffian started to come out of the anesthesia, she struggled so hard that she ended up undoing all the nails in a special shoe that was placed to keep the cast in place. This unfortunately made things worse, leading to further swelling and hemorrhaging. As doctors believed a second operation would’ve made things worse, they ultimately had to put her out of her misery. And after coming to a decision with Ruffian’s owner, she was euthanized. The tragic demise of perhaps the greatest racehorse utterly shook the equestrian world. 

The New York Racing Association paid the greatest respect to Ruffian and constructed a memorial for the racehorse. The equestrian body built the memorial at the Belmont Park racetrack where Ruffian last participated. Ruffian’s memorial played the role of a miniature shrine for several great racehorses for many years to come.

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However, the New York Racing Association noticed something. While spectators could clearly see the memorial, they couldn’t visit it. This prompted the NYRA to shift the memorial and rebury the remains of the legendary equestrian racehorse to a new place. The NYRA finally chose to bring Ruffian back to Claiborne Farm in Kentucky, where she was born and raised.

A talent that is born once in a lifetime

The late and great equestrian trainer, Frank Whiteley Jr., had first discovered Ruffian as a yearling in Kentucky. The experienced eyes of Whiteley instantly sparkled up at the sight of the future legend of equestrian sports. According to Whiteley, “she had that quality you only see once in a lifetime.” While he knew he had found a great racer in Ruffian, he was surprised by her amazing talent.

Bringing Ruffian closer to her fans, the NYRA reburied her remains at Claiborne’s Marchmont Cemetery in Kentucky. Fans can now visit the tomb of the legendary racehorse instead of seeing it from a distance. The cemetery is the final resting place of several great racehorses. The world will remember Ruffian for setting fire to the racetrack and leaving her opponents far behind in the dust.

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