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The Equiery Salutes 2017 Stallion of Distinction


Salute the Truth


By Katherine O. Rizzo T is past summer, Maryland said goodbye to


sport horse stallion Salute the Truth [Willie], as the 22-year-old Maryland-bred T orough- bred was euthanized due to failing health at Dodon Farm, the Davidsonville farm where he spent nearly his entire life. Owner Steuart Pittman wrote that evening on the farm’s Face- book page, “He did everything I ever asked of him, and he kicked my ass when I needed it. He pushed me to my limits and I pushed him to his. We lived a hell of a great life togeth- er,


jumping terrifying


cross-country courses, suff ering through end- less hours of dressage, and sharing thrilling moments in the breed- ing shed.


Everything


that horse did in his life was with dignity, and he sure as hell went out that way. T ank you Willie. I love the hell out of you.” Although “Willie”


started out life as a fl at track racehorse,


his


eventing career spanned from Beginner Novice through the CCI3* level. And as with many great stallions, many of his off spring have sur- passed his own achievements on the track, in the show ring and out cross-country either jumping fences or following hounds. His legacy reaches far past Maryland’s borders with off - spring all over the country putting Salute the Truth on the sport horse breeding map. But he did not just put his own name on that map, as Salute the Truth and Steuart Pittman became names rarely uttered without each other.


Deep Maryland Roots 70 | THE EQUIERY | DECEMBER 2017


One of the attractions for those with mares looking to breed to Salute the Truth was his extensively successful bloodline. T e mares and stallions in his lineage have produced top racehorses and sport horses such as Olympic medalists, international eventers and jumpers as well as champion steeplechasers and ama- teur hunters. Felicity A.B. Stisted bred Salute the Truth at her farm next door to Dodon Farm. His sire is the famed Maryland stallion Salutely, who also sired top distance runners and steeplechasers such as Saluter (see sidebar). Salutely, was bred


in Maryland by Mrs. Richard C. duPont, and stood at Green Willow Farm until his death. Salutely’s sire is Kentucky-bred Hoist the Flag, who produced both champion racehorses and sport horses. Salutely’s dam, also a Maryland-bred, was Politely, from the renowned Bohemia Stable of Allaire duPont. Politely earned $552,972 over 49 starts in her long career on the fl at track. Salute the Truth’s dam is Good Queen Liz, another Maryland- bred (Hideaway Farm), whose sire is Mary- land-stallion Sir Ra- leigh, bred by Jacques Wertheimer. Sir Ra- leigh raced overseas in France and stood at stud at Bonita Farm in Harford County. If you look farther back


Boy Done Good (Salute the Truth) train- ing at the track as a three-year-old


in Willie’s pedigree, you see War Admiral, Tour- billon, My Babu and Spy Song–all known for their racing success and also for producing top


sport horses for a variety of disciplines.


Racing Start With all of those great horses in his lineage,


one would think that Salute the Truth would be a perfect fl at track horse, which was the hope of breeder/owner Felicity and trainer James M. Casey. T e big-bodied colt was so leggy as a yearling that Steuart remembers him being laughed out of the annual Mary- land Horse Breeders Association Yearling Show. Felicity gave him time to grow and did not race him until his three-year-old sea- son.


Registered with


the Jockey Club as Boy Done Good, he had fi ve starts in 1998, fi nishing second once


Salute the Truth and owner/rider Steuart Pittman at the jogs of a three-day event in Kentucky


and third once, for earnings of $8,830. “I remember watching him race at Laurel that


year and he was winning for most of it ‘til the fi nal stretch,” Steuart said, adding “then Edger Prado rode a horse right past him and Willie didn’t even care he was being passed.” He fi nished out the season with a third place fi nish at Colo- nial Downs before returning home for the winter. A small suspensory tear prevented Willie from going back into race training, and so he moved next door into Steuart’s barn as a four-year-old.


Retraining a Racehorse Although Steuart did not offi cially buy Salute


the Truth until 1999, Steuart had a history with the horse before the colt was born. Steuart, who had been making a name for himself retraining ex-racehorses, was looking to branch out into the breeding business when he rode Felicity’s mare Good Queen Liz. T e mare had been bred to Salutely, but Felicity was convinced she had not taken. “I really liked the look and feel of her,” Steuart said. He and his father purchased the mare and


brought her home. A few months later, it was clear she was in foal. “So Felicity took her back to foal out at her farm. She didn’t come back to us until after Willie was weaned,” Steuart ex- plained. Felicity often hacked the horse around Dodon, and Steuart had fi rst right of refusal on the colt. “It was a lot of waiting and watch- ing and really wanting him for myself,” he added. When the suspensory injury


meant Willie’s racing career was fi nished, Steuart bought him for $10,000 and a promise of two free breedings a year for Felic- ity. “T at is the most money I’ve ever spent on a broken-down racehorse!” he laughed. “But I was a big fan of Salutely and knew this was the colt I wanted to start our breeding program.” Once at Dodon, Steuart start-


ed Willie’s rehab, which initially was stall rest and hand walking. “He was crazy! I couldn’t handle continued...


800-244-9580 | www.equiery.com


Edger Prado


171217-913264


Lydia Williams


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