Vinton, Louisiana

Forever Darling is one of our nearest and dearest to our heart’s horses. To start with the name is so meaningful to us because it reminds us of great family times together. Jeff always had so much fun with her name especially during the 2015 Breeders Cup held at Keeneland Racecourse in Lexington, Kentucky. He always said, “how long will I love you?” Then we would say “Forever Darling!!” We had a lot of fun with that and a lot of lifelong memories associated with that. We will always remember her as a very important horse in our lives. She was so special. She was beautiful and classy and kind and very talented. Her story with us begins at the OBS sale in April of 2015 where she was offered as a two-year-old in training. Forever Darling breezed in an extremely fast and beautiful 10 flat for 1/8th of a mile. For whatever reason everyone at that sale couldn’t find or see the quality in her and she was bought back through the ring for $65,000.00 with no takers. We were at the same sale looking for horses and hadn’t yet filled all our orders. Somehow, we hadn’t seen her yet as there were more than 1200 total horses in the sale, but in going over the results we noticed that she had been through the ring and hadn’t sold. While sitting in the sales pavilion at OBS we quickly dialed the number of the consignor, Albert Davis, who’s number we had in our phone because he is a longtime friend of ours. He answered immediately and we asked if he still had her. He said, “yes he did and yes she was available.” We quickly and excitedly rushed to his barn to lay our eyes on her. Albert had Forever Darling ready to show as soon as we arrived at the barn. As soon as she emerged from her stall, we could see the beauty and quality in her. She had been bought back for $65,000.00 and we immediately made an offer and the deal was done just like that. We were very excited to have her.

 

Interestingly Forever Darling had sold as a yearling for only $8,000.00 because although she was beautiful and substantial, she toed out a bit in both front feet. Things like that never bother us because all these horses can overcome just as we ourselves overcome despite our perceived shortcomings. In this world that we live in unfortunately everything is superficial and any perceived flaw in horses causes the buying public to ignore them completely. It does create opportunity for people like us who can see past the surface “flaws” and into the things and qualities that really matter. Forever Darling had a tremendous female family. Her first dam named Darling My Darling was a stakes winner and Grade 1 placed filly, and her second dam named Roamin Rachel was a Grade 1 winner herself and the entire family was loaded with top horses. These classy pedigrees are something we look for when we can find it because it usually indicates tangible quality. And quality never dies and never lets you down. We were the fortunate ones to be able to see the quality and class in her immediately and we knew that we wanted her in the Hebert family. We purchased her right then and there after our trusted veterinarian gave her a double thumbs up meaning he saw absolutely no issues with the filly in terms of soundness. We got the deal done and then put together the three-way partnership for which she raced and brought her home to Vinton from Florida where we freshened her up for about a month.

 

Those sales are stressful on the young horses and we wanted her to have some time before shipping to the big dance in Southern California. When we felt she was ready we shipped her to Santa Anita where she continued her development towards the races. She came along very nicely and debuted that summer at Del Mar. She ran a tremendous first race in finishing fourth against a tough group of maidens. After the race we all determined afterwards that she was also battling a bit of a cold and a cough as well which made that first start even more credible than met the eye. In moving back north to Santa Anita after the Del Mar meet was over Forever Darling’s next out came at the end of September 2015 where she soundly beat a very nice group of maiden two-year-old fillies. In fact, she was so impressive in winning that race and that coupled with the fact that she was developing so well we decided to take a swing at the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies race hosted that year for the first time at Keeneland Racecourse in Lexington, Kentucky. We were up against a freak of nature in the great filly Songbird who had been up to that point (and beyond) untouchable. Another great filly and daughter of the invincible Rachel Alexandra named Rachel’s Valentina was also in the field. Forever Darling stepped onto the track at odds of 55-1 a clear indicator of the extreme talent she was facing. She ran well and was in position until the final turn where she suddenly backed out of position and began to fade. When the race was said and done, she beat two horses. Concerned about the sudden fade we suggested to the trainer that he scope her meaning check her airways. Sure enough, the phone call from the veterinarian came in revealing just what we had suspected. The filly had a large ulcer in her throat which to that point had gone undetected. These ulcers are caused by displacing which shuts off the airways during physical exertion.

 

We immediately set up a surgery called a Llewelyn in which the muscles in that area of the throat are cut in order to prevent her throat muscles from closing off her air in the future. There is nothing worse than trying to run and not being able to breathe. So as soon as she returned home to California her surgery was done and her recovery began. The journey with Forever Darling that year is one we will always cherish and thank her for. Little did we know at this point that the best was still yet to come. This was all happening in November of her two-year-old year. She was also really beginning to grow again. She was so beautiful. Fast forward to the second day of January 2016. Forever Darling is now three years old and has had 60 days since her surgery. She had begun to train so well that the trainer who was also one of our partners on her called and recommended that we take a shot with her in the first Graded Stakes of the new year for three-year-old fillies. We said you’re looking at her and if she’s doing well we are all for it. Forever Darling proceeded to put on a show for the world in winning the prestigious and storied Santa Ynez Stakes Grade 2 at Santa Anita Racecourse which is also known as “the great race place”. In winning the Santa Ynez she beat the best field of fillies that Southern California had to offer.

 

Following that win we were approached by an agent who represented a top Japanese breeder. They were interested in her as a potential addition to their top broodmare band. Forever Darling was now an accomplished and accredited graded stakes winner with a very elite pedigree. Now the world was seeing what we had seen long before. In fact, in her pedigree under the second dam there was a horse by the name of Zenno Rob Roy who was a son of the great Sunday Silence. In Japan he was highly thought of as he was both Horse of the Year and Champion Older Horse. This connection coupled with her newly minted personal resume was the driving force behind getting her into the broodmare band in Japan. Although we hated to part with her because she had meant so much to us, we knew she would be well cared for by the man who was inquiring. We thought so much of this filly and her character and her demeanor and her talent that we named the high price of $1,500,000 as what it would take to part with her. They countered at $1,200,000 and we struck a deal. Today she lives in Japan at a fabulous farm. With the stallion Deep Impact being the tremendously potent sire that he is and heir apparent to the legendary Sunday Silence in Japan she had a lot of value and potential to add to the acquiring Japanese’s farm in terms of her genetics. The following year at Keeneland Racecourse once again, her sister named Heavenly Love cinched the 2017 running of the very prestigious Grade 1 Alcibiades Stakes further solidifying the high value and quality of the entire family. What a filly and family this turned out to be. She will always be held in the highest esteem by us. What a journey she took us on and we thank her and will always remember her for that.