Old Friends News

Grade 1 winner. Record holder. Character. Survivor. Friend. When Kudos died we lost one of our most beloved residents and a foundation builder for Old Friends. Read more here.

GEORGETOWN, KY – Dec. 30, 2022 – A New York fan-favorite, Cool N Collective was euthanized on Thursday, Dec. 29, 2022, at Old Friends at Cabin Creek due to laminitis. He was 25. “I loved this horse so much,” said Cabin Creek owner and manager JoAnn Pepper. “He was unique. He required a lot of […]

Trainer Doug O’Neill announced Wednesday that his Hall of Fame stable pony, Lava Man, will retire from his racetrack duties following this year’s Breeders’ Cup. The 21-year-old gelding will take up residence at Old Friends in Lexington, Ky. Claimed out of his 13th start for $50,000, Lava Man (Slew City Slew) won 17 of his […]

GEORGETOWN, KY – Dec. 6, 2022 – Ruler On Ice, the 2011 Belmont Stakes winner, has been pensioned to Old Friends, the Thoroughbred Retirement Center in Georgetown, Ky. The now 14-year-old gelding arrived December 5. Ruler On Ice is the fourth Belmont Stakes (G1) winner and seventh overall Classic winner to be retired to Old […]

GEORGETOWN, KY – NOVEMBER 19, 2022– Old Friends, the Thoroughbred Retirement Farm in Georgetown, KY, will host an Open House on Saturday November 26 from 12 noon to 2pm for fans to meet new retiree Lava Man. The event is free and open to the public. Pizza and Lava Crunch Cakes will be served. The now […]

If ever there was a Hall of Fame race horse who needs no introduction, that horse arrived at Old Friends last week. That horse is Lava Man. Of living horses, he is one of the few who can genuinely lay claim to the title of superstar. Read more here.

A fixture at Del Mar for the past two decades is missing this fall. Lava Man has been retired for a second time, leaving behind an illustrious career and a giant sentimental void in the Doug O’Neill barn. Read more at Horse Racing Nation.

You probably know Laura Battles as the photographer whose knowledge of Old Friends’ horses as individuals, as much as her camera skills, make her photos so extraordinary. Read more here.

GEORGETOWN, Ky. (LEX 18) — The oldest living Kentucky Derby winner has many fans around the world, and it’s Silver Charm’s reputation as one of the great American race horses that’s helping give back to other retired thoroughbreds that need it most. The horse is living out his retirement at Old Friends in Georgetown, but that doesn’t mean […]