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By Wandering Eyes · Posted
Tallulah Becza-Levitt was just four years old when her preschool teachers first noticed that she was limping. Her parents took her to the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), one of the country's leading pediatric specialists where they received a diagnosis no parent should ever have to hear: neurofibromatosis, an incurable condition in which tumors grow uncontrollably on the body's nerves. Since that day, Becza-Levitt has undergone seven surgeries, each to reduce tumor mass in her leg, where the tumor wraps around the sciatic nerve. “Typically, I go two to five years between surgeries,” she says, sitting outside on a summer day in New Jersey after a riding lesson. “They cut as much as they can without damaging the nerve.” But sometimes, that's not possible. When she was 10, her surgery left her with nerve damage that caused her lower left leg to lag behind the right in development. Her foot drags, and she is unable to push forward with it. In 2025, she required two tumor de-bulking surgeries. “And luckily,” she says, “between the surgeries, I was able to start riding with Nancy.” Nancy Forsyth is the Program Director for Equine Assisted Services at the Allaire Community Farm in Wall, New Jersey, whose mission is to use rescued animals to nurture people with special needs. Her secret weapon is a 21-year-old former racehorse named Fittipaldi. `Fitti,' as she calls him, raced 25 times in the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions, and Forsyth was a small part of his ownership group through the former Horsehats partnerships. As he got older, and slid down racing's ladder, said Forsyth, “he fell into the hands of a not-very-nice trainer at Mountaineer.” She and her son Jason had loved being one of his owners, so they got in the car, drove to Mountaineer, and bought him. “We bought him to save him,” she says. “My son and I had had the time of our lives having a share in Fitti. And he brought us a lot of friends that I still have today.” *** Becza-Levitt aboard Fittipaldi with Nancy Forsyth (right) | Sarah Andrew photo What is the value of movement to your life? Of normalcy to your sense of well-being? Ask anyone who has ever had a handicap that hinders their movement, and they'll tell you it's everything. Becza-Levitt is 24, with a degree in psychology which she hopes to put to use helping children deal with the kind of trauma that comes with being hospitalized with serious conditions like her own. Today, she is standing in line at a farm stand buying some produce for dinner. She wears an AFO brace on her lower leg to keep her foot from dropping, and relies on a crutch to help her get around. “What did you do to your foot?” asks the check-out clerk. It is a question which she endures several times every day, at airports and stores, in restaurants and at parties, as people look at the crutch and assume it is a temporary condition for an otherwise healthy young woman. Sometimes, she tells people it's a soccer or skiing injury. When she is particularly tired, she is apt to reply something like, “shark attack,” before moving along with a friendly smile. “So much,” is her answer today. How do you tell someone that you have just had eight pounds of tumor removed from your leg, and that if you're lucky, it will be another two years before you have to do it again? “I'm happy to talk about it,” she says, but explains that it's difficult for people to hear. “I would love to give a simple answer, but it's not a simple answer and it can be shocking to people. I don't want to put the burden on them to react in a certain way. There's no right way to respond to it.” Out at the riding program, nobody asks, or seems to care. *** “I've been doing this for almost 30 years,” says Forsyth, a PATH-certified therapeutic riding instructor who, along with Fitti, hosts a day-long parade of parents and children for whom riding has been transformational. “This farm is dedicated to using rescued animals to nurture through nature,” she says. “We have a lot of special-needs students here. A lot of them are on the spectrum. A lot of autism. A lot of cerebral palsy. That's our mission. And Fitti was perfect for this. He's laid-back. He's slow. He's perfect in his gait. He's a little short-coupled, so he's not bouncy. A student can do a very nice sitting trot on him, and they can learn to do a posting trot very easily.” Forsyth's son, Jason, himself on the spectrum, helps her with both horses and students. Becza-Levitt started out on one of Forsyth's smaller Haflinger horses, but quickly advanced to riding Fitti when she showed promise. Certified Path instuctor Nancy Forsyth | Sarah Andrew Riding–and horses in general–explained Forsyth, are helpful both physically and mentally to her students. “They get an emotional bond,” she says. “Half of my students would rather pet Fitti than even ride. They really love the horse. Some of them need sensory input. They're feeling the mane, they're petting him. And then on the other hand, you get students who are afraid of horses, but they're here for the physical and cognitive benefits.” In the summer, Forsyth works outside in a large riding ring with letters tacked up at various intervals on the outside fences of the ring. She will ask students to tell her two letters where they want to take their horse. “And that's very difficult,” she says. “It involves planning, and some mapping skills.” Fitti is so trustworthy that many of the students ride him independently, with no one leading him on a shank. Today, Becza-Levitt is on Fitti when a horse in an adjacent paddock breaks through the fencing on the outside of the ring to get at some grass, causing a loud crash. Fitti doesn't flinch, but simply turns his head lazily to see what the commotion is. For Becza-Levitt, being on Fitti's back is the one place where she can move like anyone else. Thoroughbred racehorses are increasingly being used in equine-assisted therapy, prized for their intelligence, and their enjoyment of a job to be done. They work with clients like Forsyth's, along with veterans and other trauma survivors, teens with anxiety, and more. In racing there is a lot of conversation about those jobs they can do in second careers, and where they can find new homes. Sometimes, it's helpful to talk to the people on the other side of the equation, to the people whose lives they change, in order to fully understand the scope of their value. “For someone who's having trouble with their walking, or if they're in a wheelchair, you can put them on the horse and that gait, that motion, sets them on top of the world because they can walk again,” says Forsyth. “They can actually walk again through the motion of the horse.” That is exactly how Becza-Levitt says she feels, explaining that she had tried other sports and walked away frustrated when she was unable to compete like anyone else. “This is a pretty big change for my life,” she says. “I had put myself in a box before this. Being able to ride and getting that experience is such a blessing because I beat myself up for things I can't control. And now I have an outlet that's negating a lot of my life where I've felt like, `okay, I can't do this because it's going to be harder. People are going to look at me weirdly.' There's a freedom that I have never experienced before with being able to do this in the way I want. It's monumental in my life.” “Tallulah is amazing,” says Forsyth. “She loves being here. She loves the idea of being able to do a sport that she could excel at. This is something where she doesn't need to be able to walk perfectly to take her horse around the course, or go to a simple pleasure horse show. Emotionally, she gets a lot of love from Fitti and gives it back to him.” And that, in turn, is a blessing for Forsyth. “I love seeing the results that I can give a student,” she says. “My idea is to leave the student better than I found them. We get them on the horse and as soon as you get halfway around the ring, they say how they love it. They like the motion. And it just…leaves them better.” Forsyth says she would like for Fittipaldi to be an ambassador for all former racehorses, to show how valuable they can be in their post-racing lives. Becza-Levitt, who used to be afraid of horses, is sold. “When I am on the horse, I feel free, because I don't have to use a crutch or a brace,” she says. “The horse is moving how I tell him to move. That's sort of a crazy concept for me, because for 20 years, I have had to figure it out a little differently. I never would have imagined the autonomy you get when you do something like this. To me, this feels like what walking should feel like. And it's a great feeling to do it with another being. It just reinforces what great animals horses are and the benefits they can provide for every type of human. I think it is really special. Very, very special.” The post Former Racehorse Fittipaldi Brings Movement Back to a Young Woman’s Life appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article -
By Wandering Eyes · Posted
Luke Morris is well known for being one of the hardest-working members of the weighing-room but the Group 1-winning jockey has also been busily expanding his knowledge of other facets of the racing industry. With his partner Molly Nash-Steer, Morris became a breeder in the aftermath of Alpinista's victory in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe and he is currently combining his responsibilities as Sir Mark Prescott's stable jockey with preparinging foals for the forthcoming December Sale at Tattersalls. “I was always engrossed and wanted to be a jockey from the age of six or seven. I was a racing fanatic and it evolved from following them as racehorses to developing an interest in the bloodstock side,” he explains over a cup of tea at the couple's property just outside Newmarket. It's a quick cuppa, as Morris must be on the road to the evening meeting some 250 miles north at Newcastle in half an hour. He has already ridden work for Sir Mark this morning before returning to help walk the foals. Nash-Steer adds, “He's mucked out and has been poo-picking as well.” She isn't exactly idle either. As well as having two mares and two foals at home, she also has two hunters and, even more importantly, the couple's two small children, Henry and Violet, to look after. The foals heading to the sale in a fortnight's time are both colts, one by Study Of Man out of the stakes-producing mare Clara Luna (Muhtathir), and the other by Soldier's Call from a hugely successful family which Morris has come to know well through his riding days. “I'm probably a bit boring and don't have too many hobbies, so I love studying pedigrees and I always said to myself that if I rode a Group 1 winner that I would buy a mare,” he says. “You soon realise that winning one or two Abbayes or a few Group 1s in Germany doesn't quite cut it to buy a commercial mare, but then Alpinista winning the Arc provided the opportunity to buy a mare that would hopefully be commercial. “After we bought Clara Luna, we then added to her with a mare of Miss Rausing's, Alinstante, so we're up to two now, but you soon find out the harsh reality of being a small breeder and how tough it is in this landscape.” Morris has rare inside knowledge of Alinstante, a 12-year-old Archipenko half-sister to the Listed winner Allada (Sea The Moon) who hails from a different branch of Kirsten Rausing's Alruccaba family to Alpinista. He rode her in seven of her nine races, and was victorious on three of those occasions. “I was attracted to her as she's from the 'AL' family, which has been hugely influential in my career,” he notes. “We had her at Sir Mark's and she won three of her first four races, so she was precocious and she got to a rating of 91, but she had quite a bad injury in a Group 3 in France so I felt she was a black-type filly that never really had a chance to achieve it. At the time we had her unraced Study Of Man two-year-old at Sir Mark's called Immediate Effect and I thought he was pretty good, so there were a few things that I liked about her. “We were on holiday when she was going through the sale and when we landed I went straight to Newcastle and was bidding on the online platform for her. Immediate Effect went on to be rated 89 and was a multiple winner, so it's been great.” Morris and Nash Steer mid-foal prep | Emma Berry Morris adds of Alinstante's Soldier's Call foal, “He's bred on a similar cross to that which produced Bradsell – an Archipenko mare to a son of Showcasing – and he's a good-walking colt, so fingers crossed he can wash his face at least.” The unraced Clara Luna was bought from Arqana in 2022 on Morris's behalf by Joseph Burke when carrying to Sea The Moon. Her latest offering is by Study Of Man and Morris admits to their bloodstock interests being “Lanwades heavy”. He says, “I've been with Sir Mark for 13 or 14 years and obviously have ridden numerous winners for Miss Rausing. I get to see a lot of the Study Of Man horses, so I know their traits and I think he's a very underrated stallion that's hopefully still on the up. Kalpana has obviously highlighted his talents and we were delighted to be able to to use him for Clara Luna.” Morris and Nash-Steer say that they are grateful for guidance given in their fledgling breeding pursuits by the Swinburn family at Genesis Green Stud, where the mares are foaled, and by Sophie Buckley of Culworth Grounds and Polly Bonnor of Saracen Horse Feeds. “We spoke to a few people and we sold our first foal we bred through Sophie Buckley, so she gave us a few pointers on the prep, and everyone, including our farrier and vet, has been so helpful,” says Nash-Steer. “We've gradually stepped up the foals' prep and they are hand-walking now for 30 minutes. They've both been very straightforward and we try and keep up a particular routine where they'll walk around the paddock a couple of days, then around the lunge pen and on the road, so they're very much ready for any environment . Hopefully that will set them up ready for the sales.” At Tattersalls, the foals will be under the care of Chloe Battam of Consign Ltd. “Chloe is actually Violet's godmother so we thought we'd send them to the girls to consign for us,” Nash Steer adds. They have just one foal on the way for next year, with Alinstante currently carrying to Shaquille. ” I wanted to try a little bit of speed on the pedigree and when we went to see him we were blown away by how much of a good-looking horse he is,” says Morris, who adds that he finds having the mares and foals a good way to “de-stress away from racing”. “Most people probably think I'm mad wanting to have horses at home and ride thousands of them every year but we love it, and it's a great upbringing for the children.” Morris, who is currently just shy of riding a century of winners in Britain in 2025 – a benchmark he has passed in 13 previous years – returned to the happy hunting ground of Germany on Saturday for one last spin with another Heath House stalwart, Tiffany (Farhh), in the G1 Grosser Preis von Bayern, a race he won four years ago aboard Alpinista. Tiffany, who was second in the race as she was last year, also has a date at the Tattersalls December Sales. “Sir Mark's been wonderful at finding these races for these these well-bred fillies,” he says. ” Tiffany has been a great filly for Elite Racing and for Heath House and it's her last run before the Sceptre Sale.” And for Morris, no matter how big the occasion, the day job is far easier than his sideline. “The sales make me far more nervous than race-riding,” he admits. “To a degree you are in control of your own fate when you're riding but with this there is no telling what will happen, and with the foals we feel a bit like they're our children.” The post ‘I Said if I Rode a Group 1 Winner I Would Buy a Mare’: Luke Morris on the Delights of Breeding and Foal Prep appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article -
By Wandering Eyes · Posted
David Eustace will look at testing Light Years Charm in Group company again after the progressive galloper dug deep to claim a fighting win in Sunday’s Class Two Santa Monica Handicap (1,400m) at Sha Tin. Dropping in grade after an unlucky seventh behind My Wish in the Group Three Celebration Cup (1,400m), Light Years Charm relished a frenetic speed set by Beauty Crescent and Drombeg Banner to record his fifth win from 11 local starts. Zac Purton settled the $3.75 favourite in midfield and he...View the full article -
By Wandering Eyes · Posted
By Dave Di Somma, Harness News Desk Only a disaster can stop Canada’s James MacDonald from winning his second World Driving Championship title at Addington Raceway on Tuesday. In Sunday’s heats at Winton the Netherlands’ Jaap van Rijn was the individual star with three wins from the day’s four heats to climb from eighth to third overall, behind MacDonald and Australian Gary Hall junior. Van Rijn’s wins came with Shezza Vinnie in Heat 16, Jordan Anne in heat 18 and in the last heat of the day with Mouton Cadet. He has 140 points. New Zealand’s Blair Orange is fourth on 131 points. The best he can now finish is third. The day’s other heat at Winton was taken out by Frenchman Pierre Vercruysse with Airwaves. MacDonald accrued crucial points throughout the day including two seconds with Sherwood Maggie and Xerion and has a 15 point buffer heading into the 20th and final heat at Addington on IRT New Zealand Trotting Cup day. He has 164 points, with Hall next on 149. For MacDonald not to claim the title Hall would have to win on Tuesday and MacDonald would have to finish last. MacDonald won his first and only WDC on home soil in 2017. On Tuesday both are driving 31-to-one outsiders Alotoftrouble (MacDonald) and Peaknmonkey (Hall). The WDC leaderboard (after 19 of 20 heats) is : James MacDonald (Canada) 164 Gary Hall junior (Australia) 149 Jaap van Rijn (Netherlands) 140 Blair Orange (New Zealand) 131 Mats Djuse (Sweden) 125 Pierre Vercurysse (France) 117 Michael Nimczyk (Germany) 113 Brett Beckwith (USA) 103 Giampaolo Minnucci (Italy) 95 Santtu Raitala (Finland) 95 The final heat will be Race 3 at Addington on Tuesday (12.54pm). View the full article -
By Wandering Eyes · Posted
Brett Crawford’s “fairy tale” start to his Hong Kong training career continued when Encountered flashed home to recapture the Group Three Sa Sa Ladies’ Purse (1,800m) at Sha Tin on Sunday. The Churchill galloper had been winless in 18 runs after winning the race in 2023 for David Hall and signs of a revival last year were limited, including a midfield finish in this race 12 months ago. He switched stables into Crawford’s care ahead of this season and after a pair of promising runs in Class Two...View the full article
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