What an amazing journey it has been with Uphold. I am incredibly proud of him. He is our foundation mare’s (On The Point) 2nd foal and son of Lentenor, who is a full brother to the legendary champion Barbaro. I consider it quite an accomplishment for a horse these days to have had a racing career that spanned 6 yrs with 40 races under his saddle and in the money just under 50%. He had a grittiness and a stubbornness that I believe propelled him year after year.
He was definitely a handicapping horse. You couldn’t count Uphold out, and when you did, is the time he decided to show out and sometimes in a big way! One of the most impressive, was his win in the Inaugural running of the Unreachable Star Stakes after having been claimed 3 weeks prior. He won that race at 33-1 odds! As he grew older, he increasingly became the longshot play. He was a horse that usually benefited from long lay-offs over the winter even though he loathed them.
Uphold truly loved his job and loved to be on the track. When off season at Margaux, after about 2 months off, he would stand at the paddock gate watching the training track and longing to be with the other track horses. While he had his professional track side, he also loved his down time in his stall. Uphold had a quirky, jokester side while in the barn. He would toss his jolly ball over into the stall next to him. One day, the trainer had blanketed him and walked to the tack room around the corner to grab some feed, only to return shortly and find that Uphold had torn his blanket off and was rolling around in the stall!
As a breeder, I will always continue to follow the horses’ journey in life – during their racing career and even afterwards. Retired racehorses have been a huge topic of discussion in the industry. These horses change people’s lives in many ways. It is important to give them the right place to settle down when their racing career is over, in order to fulfill their next purpose in life.
So in retirement, Uphold will be allowed to let down and enjoy being a horse. He will be loved,
showered with treats and spoiled! I questioned 2 years ago how we would be able to support Uphold when his retirement approached. The Lord answered our prayers and we were able to be in contact with Ryan Campbell and his daughter Nik, owners of Uphold’s sire Lentenor. They have always been involved in Uphold’s racing career and love him as much as we do. Nik, proudly the new owner of Uphold, received him at her farm in Lexington, where she plans to evaluate him for a potential second career. The Coach, as they called him around the barn, will tell his new owner when and what he wants to do. So grateful to both Ryan and Nik for their interest in Uphold and for giving him the spoiled attention he deserves. Looking forward to visiting the Coach very soon. Welcome home Uphold!
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