DieBruderschaft.com

The roster of breeds carrying the colors of the United States in the equestrian competition beginning this weekend at the Summer Olympics includes three Belgian Warmbloods, three Dutch Warmbloods, a Danish Warmblood, a Westphalian, an Irish Sport Horse, a Holsteiner, a Hanoverian stallion ?And a former Thoroughbred racehorse named Blackfoot Mystery.Anyone who took 35-1 on Blackfoot Mystery in a maiden claimer at Hollywood Park on the quiet Friday afternoon of July 13, 2007, probably tore up the ticket after he finished last of six going 1-1/16 miles on the main track. Too bad.Now a proud and robust 12, that same Blackfoot Mystery and rider Boyd Martin are part of the eventing team being fielded by the U.S. this week in Rio de Janeiro. These are the versatile equestrian triathletes, required to compete in jumping, dressage, and cross-country, with medals on the line for both teams and individuals.In the modern era, the list of former Thoroughbred racehorses who have made the U.S. Olympic team is short. The bar was set by For the Moment, the winner of the 1977 Blue Grass Stakes and eighth in the Kentucky Derby, who was part of the 1988 team-jumping silver-medal glory in Seoul, South Korea.For a former racehorse to get even close to such rare air is cause for celebration. Blackfoot Mystery is a poster boy for life after the racetrack, even though his career lasted only three races and he never picked up a check or, for that matter, beat a horse.He was lucky, though, to be trained by Jesus Mendoza, who donated Blackfoot Mystery to Leigh Grays Thoroughbred Rehab Center at the Winners Circle Ranch of Dr. Don Shields in Bradbury, just east of Santa Anita Park.Gray, a veterinary technician, ranch manager, and former racing official, has spent what probably feels like a lifetime in the rehabilitation, retraining, and offtrack placement of racehorses who can no longer make the grade. She was already the go-to resource at Southern California tracks for years before she founded the Thoroughbred Rehab Center in 2003. More recently, the TRC has developed a close working relationship with the California Retirement Management Account, which helps to fund the states qualified aftercare programs.The call Gray received from Mendoza nine years ago had a familiar ring.It was clear that racing was not going to be Blackfoots forte, Gray said. When he called me, he said, Youll love this one, which is pretty much what he says every time he calls. He was attractive but big and gangly. He was really easygoing, the kind of disposition I look for that makes them easier to place. He just needed more time because he was going to be such a big horse.Blackfoot Mystery is a Kentucky-bred son of the Coxs Ridge stallion Out of Place, who suffered an irreparable injury in his Claiborne Farm paddock in 2010 at the age of 23. He is buried at Claibornes Marchmont Cemetery, alongside such champions as Damascus, Ack Ack, Easy Goer, Conquistador Cielo, Unbridled, Numbered Account, Moccasin, and Dearly Precious.Blackfoot Mysterys dam is True Mystery, a daughter of Proud Truth, the 1985 Breeders Cup Classic winner who bequeathed his grandson his chestnut color and considerable size. He was 16-1 or 16-2 when I had him as a youngster, Gray said. And he only got bigger from there.The journey from last place in a maiden claimer to the starting team for the Olympics took Blackfoot Mystery from Gray in Southern California to Shirley Aronson and then Lisa Peecook in Northern California, then eastward to Kelly Prather in Pennsylvania, and finally to Olympian Boyd Martin, who was part of the 2012 U.S. team.Martin and Blackfoot Mystery must handle all three eventing disciplines. But it is the cross-country that has their fans excited.Thoroughbreds are perfectly suited for this sport, Gray said. They have the endurance to go the distance. They have the fortitude, the brain, theyre strong, and they can bring the speed. Dressage is always a difficult phase for eventers, but its the cross-country that is the main, hard test.In Olympics past, the cross-country courses were unforgiving, sometimes downright brutal.Cross-country has changed, Gray said. Its now pretty fast, and they ask different questions. They have narrows and corners, which means the horse has to be very agile, thinking on his feet. Thoroughbreds do that in spades.All the major betting shops encourage play on the Olympics, equestrians included. With 15 countries represented, Coral has the German team heavily favored to win the eventing competition, with Britain and New Zealand next and the United States offered at 12-1.The dressage portion was scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, while Blackfoot Mystery and his teammates will take to the cross-country course on Monday. (DVRs should be set for 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Eastern on the USA network.) The eventers wrap up on Tuesday with the jumping competition, after which Blackfoot Majesty can kick back and enjoy the synchronized swimming.I cant wait, Gray said. I think he is talented enough and has the potential to get a medal, but there are some incredibly tough competitors from Europe wholl be there. Out of 580-something horses that Ive rescued so far in the last 15, 20 years, this is my Olympian - and probably will be my only one. Im going to relish every minute. Youth Nike Air Vapormax . Canada is now down to its 22-player limit, although but players wont be registered until Christmas Day. Changes could still be made as a result of a suspension or injury. Womens Nike Air Vapormax . JOHNS, N. http://www.cheapairvapormaxsale.com/ . Detroit and Boston are deadlocked, 1-1, and Tigers manager Jim Leyland could be forgiven if he was caught rationalizing instead of dissecting how his club could blow a 5-1 lead late in Game 2. Nike Air Vapormax Outlet . Canada is now down to its 22-player limit, although but players wont be registered until Christmas Day. Changes could still be made as a result of a suspension or injury. White Nike Air Vapormax . The Barrie Colts defenceman, who impressed many with his play for Canada at the World Junior Hockey Championship, is the top-ranked skater in the February rankings. He has 19 goals and 24 assists for 43 points in 45 games with the Colts this season. RENTON, Wash. --?Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman confirmed Thursday that he was fined $9,115 for his hit on Buffalo Bills kicker Dan Carpenter.He said he will not appeal the fine.They made sure that they made it unappealable because they said they cant hear the whistle on the film, Sherman said. And they said I hit him after the whistle, which was not true, but you cant really appeal something thats he said/she said.The play occurred at the end of the first half Monday night. Sherman was flagged for jumping offside on the play.Sherman said he was trying to block the kick. He got his hand on the football but also took Carpenter out on the play. NFL senior vice president of officiating Dean Blandino said Sherman should have been penalized for unnecessary roughness, but the officials did not flag him during the game.People dont understand free-play rules, Sherman said Thursday. The only reason people understand them to any degree is because theres so many of them nowadays, especially with A-Rod [Aaron Rodgers] and things like that. They dont realize that the plays arent called dead until the ref calls it dead. And usually when a quarterback sees a rusher coming, they spike the ball, and the plays over. Thats usually how it goes.If nobody is coming, they get a free play, they take a shot aat the end zone.dddddddddddd Weve won games like that. Weve thrown touchdown passes. But when the other team keeps playing, then you keep playing. There was no whistle. Both teams kept playing, and I guess this is the result of when you keep playing.Sherman said he has no plans to go through the NFLPA to appeal the fine.Itd be a long, thoughtless process, he said. Their logic is impeccable, so theres not really a fight, but Im fine with everything.He added that he didnt think a lower-profile player or a lower-profile game would have generated such attention or drawn a fine.The league responds to public pressure on a number of issues, and theyve shown the ability to fold under public pressure, he said. This is just another one of those opportunities. The public sees things in slow-motion, super slow-motion, so the league feels a reason to try to justify things.Thats the way of our league. It just shows you. They may find new ways to surprise you.The play led Carpenters wife, Kaela, to suggest on Twitter that Sherman should be castrated. She later apologized.On Wednesday, Sherman called Kaela Carpenters apology B.S. and said he was not surprised by her initial comments. China NFL Jerseys Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys NFL Jerseys Cheap Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap Basketball Jerseys Online Stitched Hockey Jerseys Wholesale Baseball Jerseys Football Jerseys Outlet College Jerseys For Sale Cheap MLB Jerseys Wholesale Soccer Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys For Sale Wholesale NFL Jerseys ' ' '