It is with deep sadness that I share the passing of my friend 38 Special due to colic. He was a horse who gave everything he had on the track and later found his way back to safety and peace. He held a special place in my heart and in the very foundation of River Run Racehorse Retirement.
There are horses that come into your life and change the direction of everything that follows. 38 Special was one of those horses for me.
38 Special, foaled March 16, 2005 in Kinderhook, New York, came from strong trotting bloodlines built on endurance and heart. Sired by Dream Vacation and out of Hurry Curry, his pedigree carried the influence of legends like Pine Chip, Super Bowl, and Speedy Crown. He was bred to be tough, and he lived up to every part of it.
From the beginning, his life was marked by adversity and resilience. As a young horse he survived a serious eye disease and even a devastating fire at a veterinary clinic. Those early events could have ended his story before it began, but instead they shaped his strength and his spirit.
His racing career stretched from 2008 to 2016. Over those years, he became a steady and respected competitor on tracks across North America, especially on five-eighths-mile ovals like Pompano Park. He was not a headline stakes horse, but he was the kind every horseman understands and respects. Honest, durable, and always trying.
Across 263 career starts, he earned 43 wins, 45 seconds, and 42 thirds, with lifetime earnings of $222,321. His mark of 1:55.4f, achieved at age 10, spoke to his longevity and toughness. Horses like him are the backbone of this industry. They show up, they compete, and they carry the sport forward.
After his final start in 2016, his path took a turn that too many racing horses still face. He changed hands, faded from the racing world, and in 2017 he ended up in a slaughter pen, emaciated but still identifiable by his freeze brand.
When we got the call, there was no hesitation. We raised the funds and brought him home.
That moment is part of why River Run exists today.
From the moment he arrived, he proved exactly who he was. He settled into retirement with grace. He accepted the saddle again easily and moved onto the trails as if he had been waiting for that life all along. He became River’s best friend, and watching the two of them together was something I will never forget.
For seven years, 38 Special lived the life every horse deserves. Safe. Loved. Understood. He spent his days grazing, working lightly under saddle, and simply being a horse.
Last night we lost 38 Special to colic.
There are no perfect words for moments like this. Only honesty.
I originally owned him with a group of friends during his racing career. He was claimed away from us, as happens in this sport. Years later, after his racing days were over, we received the call that he had ended up in a kill pen. We brought him home then, and that became the beginning of his second life.
This morning I made sure to go to the barn. I needed to be there. I took River out for a ride the same way I had so many times with 38 Special. It gave me time to think, to pray, and to sit with everything he meant to me and to this place.
I am writing this from outside River’s stall. These are my words and my feelings. This is not about perfection. It is about honoring a horse who shaped my life and helped shape this mission.
In his honor, we are launching CELEBRATE 38, a 38-day campaign dedicated to continuing what he stood for.
For the next 38 days, we are asking for donations of $38 or $380, with a goal of raising $38,000. These funds will go directly toward bringing other horses into safety, giving them care, dignity, and the chance at a new life beyond the track.
I already have a few horses in mind who are waiting for their next chapter. With this support, we can move quickly when they need us most.
This is how we honor him. Not just with words, but with action.
38 Special was kind, honest, and full of personality. He was a horse who gave everything he had, whether in a race, on a trail, or standing quietly in a field. He was more than a racehorse. He was a reminder of what is possible when a second chance is given.
His story does not end here. It continues in every horse we are able to save because of him.
And it continues in every person who believes that these horses deserve more than one chapter.
Rest easy, buddy. You are deeply missed.