Page 11 - January 2017 Thoroughbred Highlight

May 2001 issue
Groom David Adams with 1999 Champion two-year- old male, Exciting Story.
“Who knows what kind of horse he could have been” was a comment Trainer Mark Casse had made about multiple Graded Stakes winner Exciting Story after his second place nish in the 2001 Jacques Cartier Stakes at Woodbine.
Exciting Story severed a tendon after being jumped on during the 1999 Grey Breeders’ Cup Stakes and spent a month in hospital in Guelph after infection set in after surgery. Pulling through the life-threatening ordeal, it was another eight months before he began racing again. He nished out the year with a win in the Keystone State Sprint Handicap at Philadelphia Park, a second in the G2 Fall Highweight Handicap (Nov 23) and fourth in G2 Gravesend H. both at Aqueduct.
Exciting Story went on to win the 2001 G3 Vigil at Woodbine and the G1 Metropolitan Handicap at Belmont Park.
Champion Mt. Sassafras with owner Sarah Sullivan in 2001. Sarah had been the groom of Mt. Sassafras throughout his entire racing career and continued to groom him even when she became Assistant to his Trainer Barbara Minshall.
Mt. Sassafras was retired due to a persistent ankle problem in his last year of racing in 2000. Barbara gave the Sovereign Award winning gelding to Sarah who was retraining him to be ridden English style.
“He has caught on really quickly, although he had a little trouble with the tight turns in the arena, he seems to be enjoying it.”
Bred and owned by Aubrey Minshall’s Minshall Farms, Mt. Sassafras, a multiple Graded Stakes winner was named Horse of the Year and Champion Older Horse in 1996. That year he won the G3 Eclipse Handicap and the G3 Dominion Day H. at Woodbine. He nished third in the G2 Stephen Foster Handicap at Churchill Downs and was also third in
the G1 Meadowlands Cup. Besides his successes that year it was his near upset in the 1996 Breeders’ Cup Championships, held at Woodbine ( rst time
the BC was held outside of the US) that had racing fans talking. The lone local in the G1 BC Classic, Mt. Sassafras with regular rider Mickey Walls at odds of 101/1 had “the perfect trip” and took the lead on the down the stretch however he was passed at the wire by winner Alphabet Soup, Louis Quatorze and Cigar to nish a tight fourth by less than a length.
Today Sarah works as an Assistant for Trainer Roger Att eld at Woodbine a position she has held for many years now. Sarah owned Sass throughout his retirement and mentioned that he passed away about 5 years ago at age 20.
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Thoroughbred Highlight - Page 11 - January 2017