A Bust - A Total Bust 

Thats's right, this March 11, 2012, our Austons Sure Cure was given away to a good home. He didn't have a single race for Red Rabbit Racing. 

We had bought Auston in a 25k claiming race at Keeneland back in October of 2011. He had run a very hard 2nd in the race and we were hopeful that we had picked up a winner based on that effort. 

Alas our hopes began their downhill slide the very next day when trainer Neil Pessin told us that he was not quite lame, but clearly favoring his right front leg. A quick x-ray showed a broken splint bone that was aggravating his suspensory. A quick consultation convinced us that this could be repaired by minor surgery, so he was bundled off to Rood & Riddle in nearby Lexington for the procedure. 

It went fine and Auston was back enjoying stall rest a couple days later. The plan was to give him some time off in New Orleans and slowly work his way back into form with a race penciled in at the Fair Grounds in February. Though taking longer than we hoped, we finally entered Auston in a 25k claimer and made plans to jet down to New Orleans to see his debut for us. 

Click Here For Pictures Of Auston At Hawthorne 

Alas, (2nd time) the morning of his entry Auston went out for his morning gallop and when he came back to the barn was favoring his right ankle. Trainer Pessin, x-rayed it and his vet saw nothing amiss, so Neil surmised he wrenched his ankle a bit. He advised waiting a week and then re-entering again. OK. 

Alas, (3rd time) the next morning a clearly dejected Trainer Pessin called with just about the worst news we could get. Auston now seemed to have a bowed tendown in his LEFT leg, perhaps a result of shifting his weight suddenly from his right to his left side when he took the bad step the day before. 

This was now a crisis situation as the return from a Bowed Tendon could take a year or more - with no guarantee that we would have a competitive horse at that time. Auston was already 6 years old and it didn't seem likely he would return. 

So we turned our efforts to stopping our money hemorrage and find him a good home. Peggy was able to find a family located 20 minutes away from her Riverwoods Farm who were willing to take him in the off chance they could rehabilitate him and return him to racing, or failing that use him as a stallion in their home breeding program. 

So we vanned him up to Hawthorne where his new owners would retrieve him and take him to his new home. 

Auston Was A Huge, Gorgeous Horse That We Had Great Hopes For. But It Was Not To Be.....