When Thoroughbred broodmares have produced their final foal, a quiet life amongst a field of companions awaits them should they become one of the lucky ten to call Our Mims Retirement Haven their home.
Among the mares at the 501(c)3 non-profit organization’s farm in Paris, Kentucky, is G1 winner My Trusty Cat, who produced her last foal in 2019.
The 25-year-old daughter of Tale Of The Cat arrived at the haven in June 2023, and nearly two decades after her victory in the Humana Distaff on the Kentucky Derby card at Churchill Downs, she has settled into her third career as an ambassador for Thoroughbred retirement.
“She was very well taken care of and she had a wonderful owner,” said Ann Cheek, the organization’s vice-president. “She’s a very sweet horse, but sometimes she scares herself and I’m almost convinced she won all those races trying to get away from the other horses! People love her, and she’s a very well-behaved and sweet girl.”
Our Mims Retirement Haven was founded by Jeanne Mirabito in memory of namesake Our Mims, the 1977 Eclipse Award champion three-year-old filly.
Mirabito found Our Mims pensioned on a local farm in 1997, and she went on to live with her until the mare’s death in December 2003.
Safe refuge
Our Mims inspired Mirabito to provide a safe refuge for other pensioned broodmares, and she started the organization in 2007 to continue that mission.
Mirabito died from cancer in 2020 – but her legacy continues as her husband Pete Mirabito and Cheek work tirelessly alongside a handful of volunteers in all facets of the haven’s work.
Cheek started out as a volunteer for the organization in 2011, and moved to a full-time position in 2016. For her, the labor of love is well worth it for each of the haven’s beloved mares.
“Jeanne made the promise to help other old mares, so we focus on Thoroughbred mares who are 20 and over,” Cheek said. “We have 25 acres they get to roam, and there’s someone here at all times to make sure everybody’s OK.
“Older broodmares are harder to place, and we are trying to spread the message that they need to be taken care of, too.”
My Trusty Cat, a G1 winner on the racetrack, began her racing career in 2002 for owner Carl Pollard and trainer David Vance. A stakes winner as a juvenile and sophomore, My Trusty Cat stepped up at four with her first graded victory in the G3 Chicago Breeders’ Cup Handicap at Arlington Park before touching off Ebony Breeze for a 14-1 upset in the G2 Honorable Miss at Saratoga.
The victory marked her Hall of Fame jockey’s final graded win at the historic oval after a storied career that featured more than 8,800 wins.
My Trusty Cat went on to finish a head second to Lady Tak in the G1 Ballerina before scoring at the top level the following year in the Humana Distaff with Javier Castellano riding in what was the last of her eight career wins.
In her honor, Delta Downs runs the My Trusty Cat each fall, with this year’s edition going to the Tom Amoss-trained Actis on November 25.
15-year breeding career
My Trusty Cat retired in 2005 with more than $900,000 in earnings before commencing a 15-year breeding career. She produced nine named foals, led by Tapitry, her 2012 filly by Tapit, who finished second in the G3 Beaugay.
In 2011, Pollard’s Hermitage Farm sold My Trusty Cat to WinStar Farm for $380,000 at the Keeneland November Sale, and after stints at a handful of other farms, she made her way to Naoya Yoshida and Marie Yoshida-Debeusscher’s Winchester Farm in Lexington in 2018.
In 2021, My Trusty Cat was retired from broodmare duty, and a representative from Winchester Farm reached out to Our Mims. The haven was unable to take a new retiree at the time, and after two years on a waiting list, My Trusty Cat found her permanent home at Our Mims.
Cheek said the haven holds a special energy that the horses can sense when they arrive, and that there is usually little drama when a new mare is introduced to the herd.
“These ladies tend to take to another lady coming in very well,” Cheek said. “They don’t get too stirred up about it, and they know once they get here that they’re safe.
“We let them see how they react to the horses over the fence for a couple days, and then we turn them out. There’s always a couple squeals, but then they just go head down into the grass and it’s pretty good.”
Once settled into her new life, My Trusty Cat started to make friends, and has become attached to Alpha Heat, a G3-placed daughter of Alphabet Soup who produced 10 foals. The 26-year-old found her way to the haven after another non-profit, R.A.C.E. Fund in Pennsylvania, reached out to ask for her placement in the herd.
Best friend
Cheek said the generous sharing of snacks between the two mares is what led to their close friendship. “Alpha Heat is her best friend – she likes to stay almost touching Alpha Heat at all times,” Cheek said.
“Alpha is our guard in the herd and is always on the lookout. When ‘Cat’ got here, she attached to Somethinaboutbetty first, but Betty won’t allow Cat to snack with her out of her feed bowl. Alpha would let her eat out of her bowl, so they bonded.”
The daily routine for the haven’s residents is a simple one. They have 24-hour turnout in their large paddock, and always have access to their stalls where fresh hay and water await them should they prefer some time indoors.
The cost of caring for the haven’s residents adds up quickly, and one of the greatest sources of funding for Our Mims is the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (TAA), which raises funds and advocates for its accredited facilities. Our Mims has proudly been accredited by the TAA since 2015.
The racing community in New York State contributes more than $1 million annually to various aftercare programs and initiatives, including the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance.
Huge help
“TAA is such a huge help,” Cheek said. “We have never failed an inspection and we will do anything they ask us, to a ‘T,’ because they have helped us so much over the years. Aftercare is more out there now, and more people are understanding [the need].”
With their herd of Thoroughbreds to look after – plus a miniature horse mascot named Tea Biscuit – Cheek said the haven is always in need of extra helping hands.
“I’m out there with the horses every day, I take care of the feed ordering, mowing, maintenance – it’s just me and Pete here now, doing just about everything,” Cheek said.
“We have some volunteers during the Kentucky Equine Management Internship, and I have one lady that comes every Monday. Every so often we have someone who wants to come out and help, but not as often as we’d like.”
For those who cannot volunteer their time, the haven is open for visitors to enjoy and learn from its residents. Donations are also gratefully accepted.
While retirement at Our Mims may be the most leisurely career its residents have had, mares like My Trusty Cat are very much in their third career as they educate the public on the importance of supporting Thoroughbred racehorses through every season of their life.
“Even if these mares never won a dime or had a baby, they were all brought onto this earth by us and they deserve for us to take care of them,” Cheek said.
“People visit them and are surprised to see how mellow they are, but this is how they can be after a working situation, and they deserve to be loved.”
• Our Mims Retirement Haven is a 501(c)3 non-profit that relies on donations, and is open to the public for tours by online appointment. To schedule a tour or make a donation, visit the Our Mims website
• Visit the TAA website and the NYRA Aqueduct website
A life after racing: ‘If you build it, they will come’ – spotlight on rich new ex-racehorse event
A life after racing: course specialist Corazon Espinado eases into new role as Epsom ambassador
A life after racing: Master Wickham’s journey from zero to hero
A life after racing: Jassaar – the grumpy old man who is very much part of the family
View the latest TRC Global Rankings for horses / jockeys / trainers / sires