It seems horse racing is one of those sports that is simultaneously a glorious bridge to sports from decades past and a fading vestige of yesteryear, struggling to find an audience in an increasingly-crowded market for viewers. The Kentucky Derby and Triple Crown are marque events, but the same can’t be said for every race on the calendar.
That said, there is a magic to watching horses sprint at full speed toward the finish line. Thunderous hooves pounding through clay toward glory or to be forgotten by most. Horsepower in its literal form.
There is also magic in how horses are named. Whether powerful (Man O’ War), regal (Secretariat), sponsor-influenced (Big Brown), or owner-related (my personal favorite, Hoop Jr.), a horse’s name can be as memorable as their performance.
Then, there is the heroine of today’s piece: Hoof Hearted.
On the surface, it’s a great name. A horse with a heart toward driving a hoof toward victory. And it’s a great play on “half-hearted.” It just works.
UNTIL you say it out loud. And with any speed. Try it.
Yep, it sounds exactly what you think.
Now, you may think this is low-hanging fruit and lowbrow humor. But my schoolteacher mother, who is the target demographic for highbrow humor, still giggles at this clip. So there.
And that leads to today’s clip. One of the oldest YouTube videos on the site, posted by Vintage North American Horse Racing, shows Hoof Hearted doing what she does best: winning races.
Go ahead, you may laugh at the name, but you’d be sleeping on solid horse. According to Equibase, Hoof Hearted was a mare foaled in 1981 in British Columbia, and her pedigree was Docile Boy – Silver Sails by Jet Sail. She last trained by George Cummins and ridden by Pat Young. She raced from 1983-1988, racking up nine wins in 65 starts. She netted $40,345 over her career from a $5,000 auction purchase. Not a bad career at all.
Hoof Hearted has since passed on, but her name–and performances–live on, thanks to YouTube. And horse racing aficionados like The Message Pitch.
The Message Pitch 