It would be considered rather extraordinary for a standardbred to be born, raised, raced, retired, retrained and rehomed to different people, all located within a half-hour drive of each other.
This scenario becomes all the more remarkable when the horse is a true champion of the track. A pacer who amassed over $320,000 in prizemoney, chalked up Derby wins across multiple states and collected countless fans along the way.
This is the story of Brallos Pass, a gelding humbly known to his friends as ‘Frank’.
Fortunately for Frank, there have been many people looking out for the handsome gent across his entire lifecycle from birth, through racing and beyond.
Racing for close to a decade under the one trainer, Mark Watson of Kyabram, towards the end of his career Frank was taken to Janelle and Brett Bunfield’s Merrigum property to use the water walker.
Following a meticulous rehab program, Frank won his first start back on the track after an eighteen-month hiatus. Unfortunately, celebrations proved short-lived. Frank’s form wavered and his behaviour, as a then nine-year-old stallion with two serves under his belt, raised a few questions about what his future would look like.
“Gelding Frank was important, to give him the best chance at a nice life after racing”, Janelle reflects.
“To his credit, I took Frank to his first ever horse show not long after he was gelded. He got really into the shampooing and being pampered and just thought it was Christmas.
“Frank travelled to the show on the float with a horse in the bay next to him and didn’t bat an eyelid whilst stalled next to other horses across the event. That day, Frank competed in a ring with over half a dozen other standardbreds and generally dealt with a very busy show environment without any issues.
“This experience gave us hope that we could continue on with the plan to rehome Frank as a riding horse. Everything I asked of Frank from that point onwards, he took in his stride.
“I continued working with Frank to further prepare him for his life after racing. We did lots of groundwork and he jumped over some poles in the round yard brilliantly! For a horse that was hoppled to pace, and so naturally gaited that you could never get him to canter in cart, Frank just took to retraining like a pro. It was so exciting and very reassuring.
“We sent Frank off for breaking to saddle with a highly regarded local horseman and he then came back to my place until we figured out what the next chapter looked like”.
With the full support all of Mark Watson and his wife Michelle, Frank was listed for rehoming via the Hero Direct Off The Track (DOTT) website.
“Finding Frank a wonderful home via the DOTT program was such a simple and positive experience.” says Janelle.
“I filled out the online forms and it only took a couple of days for applications to start rolling in. During the whole process, it was great to have full control over where he went and not to feel pressured to pick the first person; we were able to select the perfect home to suit Frank’s personality and one that his connections were comfortable with.
“To have Frank find a home with a lovely lady who lives just down the road was wonderful. Frank’s new owner Lindy has already sent updates and her property is so close that Mark and Michelle are able to check on him if they want. As Frank gets going under saddle with Lindy, it will be great to get to go and see him participate in local equestrian events, which is really exciting!
“It’s very rewarding to see Frank, along with many other standardbreds, find a great home and be given the opportunity to enjoy a productive life after racing.
“The Hero program is making the rehoming process easy for industry participants and the DOTT website makes things even quicker, as there are many experienced riders out there ready and willing to take a standardbred direct from racing. From there, the world is their oyster!”
You can read more about Frank’s life beyond the track via this additional story posted on the Hero website HERE.
Learn more about the Hero DOTT program HERE.
