Popular former NY Horse of the Year, who won 12 races in the Empire State during a long career, is enjoying his new role at the Old Friends’ Cabin Creek offshoot
Although he bears a name suggesting an obstreperous personality, multiple stakes winner Naughty New Yorker defies the title etched onto his halter each day while serving as a gentle ambassador for Thoroughbred aftercare at Old Friends at Cabin Creek in Greenfield Center, New York.
JoAnn Pepper, who owns and manages Old Friends at Cabin Creek alongside her husband, Mark, said the farm is honored to care for the two-time winner of Aqueduct’s Alex M. Robb, which is slated to be renewed for the 48th time on Friday [Dec 26].
“He’s a perfect ambassador,” Pepper said of the popular NY-bred. “He has his own space and makes his own choices, and he’s very good for the farrier and the vet.
“He’s adorable,” Pepper went on. “He’s got a little pine tree in the back of his paddock he likes to stand under. He can be a little bit of a handful to walk sometimes and wants to just kiss you the whole time, but it’s endearing.”
The 23-year-old son of Quiet American has been a resident on the 40-acre farm since March 2021, and the fan favorite on the racetrack quickly became a farm favorite with his handsome profile and charming personality.
One of 17 equine residents, visitors can find him residing in the former paddock of the late Will’s Way, who won the Travers Stakes in 1996 and the Whitney the following year.
“He got off the trailer and looked so beautiful – very regal, handsome and shiny,” Pepper recalled. “I had him in a stall the first day, but all he wanted was to go out. By the third day, he went out to his paddock and he’s been out there ever since.”
You can call me ‘Vito’
Naughty New Yorker, who is affectionately nicknamed ‘Vito’, now spends his days in relaxed retirement in a large paddock, where he is free to munch on hay and stroll in and out of a well-built run-in shed whenever he pleases.
His tenure at the farm helps to fulfill the 501(c)3 non-profit’s mission of providing a dignified retirement for Thoroughbred racehorses.
During the summer, the farm is open for public tours three days a week, and in the off-season, every Saturday. Visiting hours are the most exciting part of the week for the farm’s residents, as fans bring them treats and affection while learning about the importance of Thoroughbred aftercare.
Pepper said Naughty New Yorker was a natural at tour time, even with the smallest of patrons. “He loves children,” she said. “I remember one of the first days he was there, we had a tour with a ton of kids, and I told them to be careful because he’s a stal
lion.
“All these kids were swarming him and he just put his head down with four of them touching his face,” she added. “He was reveling in it, and every time a kid comes, he comes over to the fence. Adults can come to him and he won’t walk over unless we make him.”
Accomplished resident
Naughty New Yorker came to Cabin Creek after standing at stud for nine years at Chris Blake’s Ascot Stud in Ontario, and is among the most accomplished residents on the farm. Across eight seasons of racing, he won 12 of 67 starts for trainer Patrick Kelly.
Campaigned by Fox Ridge Farm, Naughty New Yorker debuted in September 2004 at Saratoga, and graduated in his fifth start at the Big A. He followed with the first of 11 stakes victories in his career with a dominant win in the state-bred Damon Runyon under reegular rider Jean-Luc Samyn to close out his juvenile campaign.
The talented bay tried his luck on the Road to the Kentucky Derby at the beginning of his sophomore season, but found his best stride again once moved back to state-bred company with two more stakes wins that summer.
That December, he finished second in the Alex M. Robb in his first of four efforts in the mile-and-sixteenth dirt route for state-bred three-year-olds and up, marking the beginning of his regular appearances in the New York Racing Association (NYRA) circuit’s state-bred dirt route stakes for the next five years.
Naughty New Yorker, bred by Dr. William B. Wilmot and Dr. Joan M. Taylor, became a beloved competitor in New York, and made all but one of his starts in the Empire State.
Impressive ledger
His impressive ledger was topped by a graded score in an off-the-turf edition of the G3 Red Smith in 2006 at Aqueduct, which came two starts before his first win in the Robb, a race he would go on to win again in 2007 and finish second in 2008. He was named New York’s Horse of the Year and Top Older Male in 2007.
Naughty New Yorker retired from racing at the age of 9 in 2011, completing his career with a 67-12-10-10 record and $1,089,884 in total purse earnings, including a G1 placing when third to Daaher in the 2007 Cigar Mile.
He stood his first season at stud in 2012, with his progeny topped by the Pennsylvania-bred mare Dirty Dozen, a winner of six races and more than $120,000.
All of his accolades aside, Naughty New Yorker is simply ‘Vito’ to Pepper and the volunteers – a kind, stoic horse with plenty of love still to give in his golden years.
Whether a Thoroughbred has won prestigious races, or perhaps won nothing at all like the farm’s beloved late resident Zippy Chippy who famously went 0-100 in his career, every horse at Cabin Creek is provided with the same love and care.
Proper aftercare
“Aftercare is a bigger part of their lives than racing,” Pepper said. “While they’re racing, they’re in a program, and when they come to retirement, it’s a big change. They all seem to embrace it, and it’s only fair we give them proper aftercare.”
Old Friends at Cabin Creek is a satellite of Old Friends in Georgetown, Kentucky, and is one of 87 organizations accredited by the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (TAA), a non-profit accrediting body that fundraises and works with the horse racing industry to support aftercare facilities.
The racing community in New York State contributes more than $1 million annually to various aftercare programs and initiatives, including the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance.
Pepper said the support of the racing industry is imperative to the efforts of organizations like Old Friends.
“There would be no aftercare without support from the industry and the fans,” Pepper said. “We need to continue to find ways to make sure every horse is taken care of, and that is our mission.”
As for Naughty New Yorker, Pepper said the stallion is a special part of the herd that serves as a great reminder of the importance of the farm’s mission.
“He is just a gentle soul,” Pepper said. “I’m always amazed how all the horses appreciate what we give them. He’s so nice to be around and we are very blessed to have him.”
• Visit the Old Friends at Cabin Creek website and the NYRA website
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