Ask The Lord
From AlexBrownRacing
Thanks to Sue and Kenny McPeek and to one of his Breeder’s relatives, Ask The Lord retired from racing and left Louisiana's Evangeline Downs the night of July 4, 2008, on his way to a new life.
He arrived at the McPeek Racing Farm, Magdalena, in Lexington, Kentucky, on July 9, 2008. Originally, the McPeeks planned to just rest Ask The Lord a bit and prepare him for the next leg of his journey, which was to be to the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation’s facility at the Blackburn Correctional Complex.
The McPeeks were so taken by Ask The Lord from the moment he stepped off the van - with his wonderful demeanor and "class" - that they decided to keep him. He has a permanent home for the rest of his life with them at Magdalena where he will lead an exceptionally plush life and "work" as a pony horse.
Ask The Lord, who turned 11 years old on February 8, 2008, won over $769,000 in his racing career. He came in first, second, or third in 54 of his 83 starts. And he, like Top Bunk, was one of those 10 or so champions that, having won over half a million dollars, are still running but now competitive only at the lowest claiming levels.
Ask The Lord's retirement story started when bobcinpa (and John Henry, guardian of the old geldings) contacted some of the Top Bunk Claiming Crew to point out that Ask The Lord had been pulled up in his May 31, 2008, race and that he had already been claimed three times in the first five months of the year. Bob (and John Henry) were wondering if it was time for Ask The Lord to retire.
Turns out Alex had also been watching Ask The Lord (Top Bunk List). Others, too. Onthebit1 secured a spot for him at the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation but was not able to convince the owner to retire and donate the horse. ATL's owner was asking $4,000 for him. Ask The Lord raced again on June 19 and came in second; his price remained $4,000.
Thanks to some savvy networking via Internet by Staci Hancock (of Stone Farm) and Joanne Normile (the founder of CANTER), a relative of Ask The Lord’s breeder (Katie, who was to give birth to a baby boy about three weeks later) and her husband immediately stepped forward with a pledge of $500.
Sue Mcpeek learned of the effort to retire Ask The Lord thanks to that same savvy networking. Sue made calls to several of the people she knew who had been connected to Ask The Lord during his racing career. Some of them expressed a desire to help with the purchase; however, as of July 1, 2008, none of them had actually stepped forward to make a firm commitment.
Two days later, on July 3, Kenny McPeek, knowing Sue had received no firm commitments and suspecting that Ask The Lord would likely be entered to race again at Evangeline quite soon, called ATL’s owner from California where Kenny and Sue’s own My Baby Baby was competing in the American Oaks at Hollywood Park. Kenny told the owner he wished to buy Ask The Lord, wired the $4,000 purchase price, and the deal was done.
As Sue McPeek said, “It looks like Ask The Lord will be getting what he deserves – a happy ending.”
Contents |
Pedigree
Breeder: Ollie A. Cohen & Steve Snowden
State Bred: KY
Foaled 2/08/97.
Race Record
Complete Winnings History:
| Year | Age | Starts | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Earnings (US$) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 3 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 1 | $39,850 |
| 2001 | 4 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 0 | $74,960 |
| 2002 | 5 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 1 | $44,030 |
| 2003 | 6 | 11 | 5 | 1 | 2 | $204,120 |
| 2004 | 7 | 13 | 4 | 2 | 1 | $192,030 |
| 2005 | 8 | 14 | 3 | 2 | 4 | $110,375 |
| 2006 | 9 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 3 | $55,540 |
| 2007 | 10 | 9 | 1 | 3 | 3 | $27,410 |
| 2008 | 11 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 2 | $21,325 |
| Totals | 83 | 23 | 14 | 17 | $769,640 |
Blacktype (Stakes) Winnings:
| Year | Age | Placed | Race | Distance | Track | Winnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 6 | 1st | Cigar Stakes | 1-1/8 | Arlington | $32,160 |
| 1st | Prairie Bayou Handicap | 1-1/8 | Turfway | $31,300 | ||
| 2nd | Essex Handicap | 1-1/16 | Oaklawn | $20,000 | ||
| 3rd | Gulf Coast Handicap | 1-1/16 | Delta | $11,000 | ||
| 3rd | Gold Cup Handicap | 1-1/8 | Sam Houston | $7,500 | ||
| 2004 | 7 | 1st | Slipton Fell Handicap | 1-1/25 | Mountaineer | $48,750 |
| 1st | Dust Commander Stakes | 1 | Turfway | $31,300 | ||
| 1st | Tejano Run Stakes | 1-1/8 | Turfway | $31,300 | ||
| 2nd | West Virginia Governor's Handicap | 1-1/16 | Mountaineer | $20,000 | ||
| 2nd | Independence Day Handicap | 1 | Mountaineer | $15,000 | ||
| 2005 | 8 | 2nd | Circle C Classic Handicap | 1-1/8 | Fairmount | $10,140 |
| 3rd | Sarco Stakes | 1-1/16 | Hawthorne | $4,686 | ||
| 2006 | 9 | 2nd | Tejano Run Stakes | 1-1/8 | Turfway | $10,000 |
| 3rd | Slipton Fell Handicap | 1-1/25 | Mountaineer | $7,500 |
Photos
Bath-time 
Drying off 
Lord smiles!! 
Lord at HOME 
Conformation 
Beautiful face :) 
From February 4, 2006, win at Turfway Park [1]
From January 20, 2006 win at Turfway Park [2]
From April 22, 2005 third place finish at Keeneland [3]
From October 28, 2005 third place finish at Keeneland [4]
Videos
Ask The Lord wins his 80th race in February '08
Ask The Lord is a tough competitor at Arlington in May '07
