Please help me find out who my horse is.

[Tassinak]

Hello,

I am despirately trying to find out my horses history. I just recently bought him as a hunter prospect. I was told he raced on the turf at Penn National. I am trying to find out his registered name, so i can get his pedigree and race record. I tried to submit his tattoo (C24161) but I was told the tattoo I gave did not match the other information (sex/color). I thought the tattoo was pretty clear but apparently something isn’t right. The numbers are very clear. The letter looks kind of like a lowercase e but i know that can't be right. He came in a halter that has a name plate on it that reads Bonnie Wee Lass and Gold Token. Someone told me that horses at the track sometimes wear a halter with their parents’ names on it. He is approx. 7 years old, 16.2 hh, bay gelding, with white socks on the right hand side and a blaze down his face. Thank you for any help that you could be. I would really appreciate it. I am starting to get a little sad about not being able to find out who he is.

[Pan Zareta]

Bonnie Wee Lass is a 1993 mare x Opening Verse - Louisa Jane x Vertex. According to the '05 APR she had a 2001 bay filly named Jerzee Gal by Gold Token. Her only recorded male foal is a 2004 x Rodeo. The letter 'C' designates 1999, corroborating the age given for your gelding, but obviously he isn't the '01 filly x Gold Token - Bonnie Wee Lass (whose tattoo would start w/ an 'E'). Your best bet is probably to have a tattoo search done. The minimum fee is about $35, but it isn't charged until you get a 'hit' that corresponds to your horse's color & markings.

[Tassinak]

i tried to have the tattoo research done but it came back as not matching (the number to his color and sex). I don't know exactly what but the tattoo is pretty clear so i am not sure what to do. I am guessing that maybe the halter was just a hand me down or one laying around. i am just feeling very at a lose right now. I don't know what to do.

[Pan Zareta]

Tassinak, about a year ago the same thing happened w/ someone I know who was trying to ID a rescued mare. The tattoo seemed unequivocal. The rescuer sent in the # & markings, and the JC said no match. They ended up using a UVL(?) lamp (the type of light used to examine contact lenses in situ) to take a look at the number and it was obvious that it wasn't what it had appeared to be to the naked eye.

Good Luck!

[JimbleBrimble]

Someone should probably mention that Bonnie Wee Lass already has a foal of 1999 - a filly named Audrey's Girl who never finished as high as 6th in eight career starts.

... and that Jerzee Gal did in fact race at Penn National, but never on the turf, winning twice in her career.

Further hints might be these, about Jerzee Gal:

Breeders: Tom and Helen Karecky
Trainer: Jose A. Martinez
Owner: Mountain View Racing LLC


That trainer does have a number of starters at Penn National, and the one whose bridle you have last raced on January 21 of 2006.

Makes some sense to imagine that the horse left the track, and the bridle remained, and then the bridle eventually left on another horse - yours.

Perhaps sending photographs of your horse to trainer Jose Martinez in care of one of his tracks would result in someone being able to name your horse by sight.

Worth a chance based on the other longshots.

[JimbleBrimble]

Update:

Near as I can tell, Jose Martinez has only started one 1999 Gelding during 2006 and that one was claimed away and sent elsewhere, so it couldn't be that one.

So what if the tattoo really is an "E", and this is a gelding of the 2001 variety?

What color is it ????

I can find a trio of possibilities trained by the man who would likely have had that bridle at the point when the mare who originally wore it last raced.

Also, when did you acquire the horse, and what hints have you been given as to how long off the track he was?

This really is a needle in a haystack but I have a couple of ideas among 5yo's most recently raced by Jose Martinez.

Hope I remember to look back here while I'm still thinking about it.

Can you share more info??

[Tassinak]

Thank you thank you. You are really helping. I talked to Jerzee Gal's current owner and she said she was trained by Sandee Martin, but i don't know. Here's what i know:

He is a 16.1/16.2 gelding, approx 7yrs old. He has been off the track for about a year. He supposedly raced on the turf at Penn National. He is bay with two white sock on the right side. He has a blaze down his face that covers his left nostril.

Here are some photos. (Pardon that he is a little thin, I am working on it.)

[geowarrior]

Did you try the UV light? I'm curious.

[Tassinak]

I haven't had the time to get my hands on a UV light yet unfortunately. The holiday season is killing me here. hahaha I am hoping to get one soon and see if it makes a difference. thanks for all you help so far.

[JimbleBrimble]

I want to know when youuuuuuuu obtained the horse.

It is so easy to listen to others (not you, I mean the person you heard it from) mumble on about their perceptions of when the horse last raced. I only want to work with factual reality and that means not looking for clues in any horse that raced after you obtained the animal.

Plus it hardly makes sense that this horse would leave the track a year ago with the bridle of another runner who was still racing at the time.

I've been going off of what I know... that the horse who matches the bridle you have was trained by Jose Martinez... and that horse last raced in January of 2005.

I've been looking at Martinez's other stock, particularly at 2001 geldings (as the only 1999 gelding he started this year got claimed away that day and sent elsewhere to race)... and I have one in mind, which is "Bay" by description... but this is such a wild goose chase that I'd be foolish to suggest this one unless every iota of what you can say fits flush with the data as I can document it.

Can you share exactly when (and maybe even in what area) you obtained the horse?

Thanks (and I'm glad that you turned up here - I'll remember to keep looking)

[Tassinak]

I bought him at the beginning of nov, but i was riding at this barn for about 2 months prior to that and he was there. I really appreciate your help. I have some other people trying to help me too so hopefully with the information I get from everyone we can piece this all together. I will let you know when i look at it with the black light and maybe if i can get the help of someone else I will try to get some digital photos of his tattoo. I tried to do it on my own but it is hard to hold his lip in one hand, keep him still and focus and shoot the photo too. haha thank you thank you again.

[JimbleBrimble]

Hi,

Well shucks, my wildest, craziest, needle-in-a-haystack idea won't pan out then...

The one I was contemplating last raced on October 12. (and yes, I read the part where you said "off the track about a year", but I couldn't tell if you "knew" that, or if someone merely told you as much)

Did you first see your horse in an area within hailing distance OF Penn National?? (wonder if I should even keep imagining I could help in non-traditional ways, on this truly wild goose chase)

There are just so many thousands of horses out there... but that bridle, with that pedigree, just makes me think I might be able to sift through a finite set of data that few others can get to.

I'll keep my nose to the grindstone.

[JimbleBrimble]

Oh, and FYI,

Jerzee Gal was officially trained by three different people (at different times) while she raced:

Todd Beattie
Ronney Brown
Jose Martinez, who had her last, with final start on Jan. 21, 2006 at Penn National

[Tassinak]

Youa ll are amazing. Where do you find these things? I am in awe. Anyhow I totally forgot to tell you where we are at. I bought him in Quakertown, pa. Definitely within trailering distance of Penn National which is in Grantville, pa. I have since moved him to Kutztown but that really isn't relivant to who he is. haha. Thank you thank you. I am going to try the black light as soon as i can and then I have a friend/trainer that specializes in retraining OTTBs. Her gram is big into the TBs and has had many race at Penn National and Philly. She is going to try and call some people she knows up at Penn National and see if anyone has an idea. I am hoping that between her and you all and my searching that we can figure this all out. You Rock!

[Tassinak]

I used the black light and the C looks like a B. So the new tattoo then is B24161. I have called in a favor with a friend who has connects with a super tattoo detective from the local tracks and she is goin to see if he can match it.