April 5 - Rock Hard Ten

As I tell these stories associated with horses’ birthdays, last year the stories were typically about the horses and their connections. This year, I have wandered a little bit.

That's what I'm going to do on Rock Hard Ten. This past weekend was opening day at Keeneland and one of my longtime fans / friends drove down from Wisconsin for the weekend of races. Jody is known by many of her friends as Ruffian. She has a great knowledge of horse racing history. I know she also sponsors a few horses that have retired off the track.

When she gets to the Bluegrass, she spends all of her time either at the races, the morning works, or visiting farms to see as many of the stallions and mares as she can, remembering their racing careers. Did I mention she drove from Wisconsin for opening day at Keeneland?!!!

I saw her at the track Friday and as she and her friend, Blaze, were starting their drive back to Wisconsin. They drove to the my gallery in Georgetown. During the weekend, she was telling someone how she met me, which I frankly didn't remember. She told me about being on an airplane and reading a magazine and there was this picture of my painting of Rock Hard Ten. She sought me out because of it and bought the print of this painting. I had totally forgotten that it was this painting that started our friendship more than 16 years ago.

I thought about that a lot over the last couple days. I started thinking of the many friends that I have gained over the years because of my artwork. There is no doubt that the number is in the hundreds, and as with this painting of Rock Hard Ten. It's so often when I see someone I haven't spoken with in a long time, they will tell me what horse I was painting when we met at a racetrack.

Saturday in the my gallery, a family from Michigan came in. They were visiting the area mainly for a combo trip to Keeneland and the Horse Park. After a fun visit and of course a few stories for their entertainment, the mother said, "You have the dream job." I agreed, but then I thought about it and said, "Actually, I just have a dream . . . no job."

And you thought this was about Rock Hard Ten.