?Rest in Peace?: Equestrian Community Mourns as Multiple Grade 1 Stakes Winning Horse Worth $3,968,500 Passes Away

The equestrian world is saddened by the passing of one of its Hall of Famers. According to the Kentucky Horse Park, Point Given, 2001 Horse of the Year has passed away at the age of 25. He was trained by Bob Baffert and had achieved 9 wins and 3 second-place finishes during his equestrian career. Point Given also earned $3,968,500 from his thirteen career starts with wins in the GI Preakness Stakes and GI Belmont Stakes. In total, he won 6 Grade I races and was trained for The Thoroughbred Corporation which also bred him.

Point Given was the son of Thunder Gulch and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2010. Due to his 17.1-hand height, Point Given was also known as the?Big Red Train. His last four career races were the Preakness, Belmont, Haskell, and Travers, and Point Given won them all and set a new record of becoming the first horse to win 4 consecutive $1 million races. However, his winning streak was cut short after Travers, and that resulted in a new role for the Hall of Famer.

Point Given’s retirement

Shortly after winning Travers, Point Given sustained a tendon strain that limited his career to just 13 races. He retired in September 2001 and shifted between multiple farms, which included Three Chimneys Farm in Midway, Kentucky, and Calumet Farm in Lexington, Kentucky. Point Given finally shifted to the Kentucky Horse Park and became the 5th Horse of the Year to grace the prestigious horse park. During his lifetime, the 2010 Hall of Fame inductee also sired more than thirty different stakes winners, which also includes Sealy Hill, who was named the 2007 Canadian Horse of the Year.

According to a Thoroughbred Daily News report, jockey Gary Stevens said,??I’m saddened to hear of Point Given’s passing. ?He was, to me, the greatest horse to not win the Triple Crown. It was an honor to ride such a phenomenal horse. Rest in peace, PG.? Point Given will also be remembered by countless other visitors who got to see the champion over the years across multiple horse barns. Soon after the announcement of his demise, the equestrian world took to social media to remember the late Point Given.

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Equestrian fans react to the demise of Hall of Famer horse

As news broke of Point Given’s death, his fans took to X and showered their love and support for the 2001 Horse of the Year. One fan posted a picture with the champion and voiced her love for the horse by writing,?“One of my all time favorite horses”.

https://x.com/anothroregongrl/status/1701356949743538246?s=20

Another fan remembered the champion’s glory days and commented,?“He was so much fun to watch! Rest in peace.”

Meanwhile, one user listed all of Point Given’s qualities and wrote,?“Really loved watching him run. Love replaying his races. He had so much raw power. He was such a big strong looking race horse. Looked like he could run through a brick wall.”

Another user expressed her disappointment with the current state of affairs and commented,?“I hate that we?re loosing all our retirees off the track.”

One fan hinted that Point Given might run into an old friend and wrote,?“Godspeed beautiful… I’m sure Funny Cide is there waiting to race you home.”

As Point Given goes for the eternal rest, his fans will always remember and cherish his legacy. Just like other champions before him, Point Given will be laid to rest at the Memorial Walk of Champions where he will be surrounded by the likes of Funny Cide, Go For Gin, Forego, and Bold Forbes, among others.

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