‘Hooves Too Big to Fill’–America’s Oldest Thoroughbred Turns 39

[Wandering Eyes]

Those of us fortunate to have been in the Thoroughbred industry for any length of time–whether with hands on horses daily or from behind a desk or from somewhere in between–have seen hundreds, and more likely thousands, of horses in this sport. It can be easy to pass one up at the sales if they don't have perfect conformation or drop one in for a claim if they haven't measured up on the track. But what we may sometimes forget is that we are all here because of a love for the horse. It all boils down to that one simple fact. We all got into this sport, either by birth or by intention, because we feel a pull toward these amazing creatures who know just how to touch our hearts and how to turn something they do naturally–run like the wind–into something that surpasses even the most exquisite poetry we can imagine.

Every once in a while, something happens that makes us pause in our busy days and brings us back to that pure adulation for the horse. It might be the uplifting connection between Cody Dorman and Cody's Wish (Curlin). It might be the collective rooting for a fan favorite like Thorpedo Anna (Fast Anna) in last year's GI Travers Stakes. Or it might be something humbler: the bond between a lovely human and her off-the-track Thoroughbred.

We've written about New Years Eve before, last year when he turned 38. But sometimes it's nice to know the story behind why there's a special relationship between a horse and a human. This old former racehorse and his owner, Julie Izzo, willingly remind us of the love two creatures can share and how that love can sustain both. He's never been an easy horse to be around, says Izzo, and he's not pampered. He's also had two near-death experiences, each more than 20 years ago.

“He's a jackass, but he's my jackass,” said Izzo with palpable affection a few days after he turned 39 on St. Patrick's Day. And yes, he is named New Years Eve although he was foaled on St. Patrick's Day. Izzo laughs at the mention of it.

“I have no idea why! It's the dumbest name on the planet. There's so many great things associated with St. Patrick's Day, but maybe they wanted another holiday that started with an 'N' since his sire's name started with 'N' [Night Conqueror]? It's the only thing I can think of.”

New Years Eve enjoys birthday raspberries sent by the owner of Dead Solid Perfect, who was the oldest American Thoroughbred on record | Sarah Andrew

By all accounts, New Years Eve, who has officially turned 39 and is nicknamed 'Axl' due to Izzo's fondness for Guns N' Roses, is the second-oldest American Thoroughbred on record. Dead Solid Perfect, who died in 2022 at 39 years and 188 days, is believed to hold the U.S. record. Prospect Point reportedly was 38 years and 204 days when he died in 2016, while Lexingtonians will be most familiar with Merrick, whose passing in 1941 as America's oldest-known Thoroughbred at the time was covered extensively in the Thoroughbred Record, which opined: “It is heartening in this day when commercialism and the stress of living would seem to have bludgeoned so many of the finer feelings and instincts into insensibility to know that there are so many persons who really love a horse, cherish the memory of his deeds and appreciate the sentiment that leads to his care and well-being long after his day is done.”

The Lexington restaurant Merrick Inn, which is housed in the former manor house of the farm where Merrick spent his retirement, is named in his honor. Merrick, who died at 38 years and 49 days, significantly outlived the previous documented American recordholder: Kenilworth, who passed away two weeks shy of age 35.

The birthday boy | Sarah Andrew

Does the record matter to Izzo?

“Not really,” she said. “It's one of those things that would be cool, but at the end of the day it's just a number. I really hope more horses surpass him. Bridget [Eukers, owner of Dead Solid Perfect] told me that when Axl turned 38. I think with all the advancements we have–better access to nutrition, better knowledge about nutrition, better access to health care–it's going to open the door for more horses to live longer. That's my dream. I want more people to become aware of better ways to take care of their horses. If there's any legacy that Axl leaves behind, it's that people take it upon themselves to learn better horse husbandry tactics.

“I really hope people aren't just amazed by [Axl's age], but it makes them wonder, 'What was she doing and what were the philosophies that helped get these animals to this phase?' I want people to learn more about natural horsemanship, learn more about how wild horses live and try and replicate that as much as possible within a domesticated situation. You're never going to go wrong trying to keep a horse in a more natural state. Learn from your horse. They're there to teach you, not the other way around. Listen to them.”

Extreme senior horses may be rare, but Axl is Izzo's second. She also had a Quarter Horse mare who lived to the age of 40. She's clearly doing something right.

New Years Eve the day after turning 39 last week | Sarah Andrew

“I cannot beat the drum hard enough to start treating your horse like a horse and not like a human child,” said Izzo. “This comes up every time we talk about Axl being old. First thing people want to know is, 'What do you feed him?' I can tell you what I feed him, but it's irrelevant. I did a lot of research–really got into what makes their cells the healthiest–but I thought about horses in the wild. Why don't they require corrective shoeing, why don't they require dentistry, why are they so healthy? My number one thing I tell people is keeping a horse in a stall is a death sentence. It literally affects every aspect of their being. Their digestive system is meant for the horse to be moving, not standing in one place eating.”

It probably doesn't need to be said that Axl lives outdoors on Izzo's property which is near Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Concessions to his age include blanketing during the winter, but that's a more recent development of the last few years. Izzo said the heat of summer is harder on Axl than the cold of winter.

Axl has been with Izzo through thick and thin. Although she said it was love at first sight on her end, the longevity of their relationship has cemented their bond.

“My husband retired from the Army in 2008 and this horse was there with me through deployments, through so many military moves. I told my husband, 'When you were in Haiti, this horse was there for me. I cried into his mane.' And that was in 1995! I was 28 years old when I got him and I'm about to turn 59.”

After growing up riding ex-racehorses, Izzo always wanted a horse of her own, particularly a bay Thoroughbred with a lot of fire, “as if they're not a dime a dozen,” she said with a laugh. She and her husband were stationed at Fort Hood in Texas in 1993, short on money but with a surprise $700 from their tax return. Izzo spotted an ad for Axl in the newspaper. With her arm in a soft cast from an injury caused by another horse, she borrowed a trailer and drove to Austin, intent on bringing New Years Eve home.

Axl's breeder, owner, and trainer, John A. Howe, had sold him after an undistinguished racing career. “To Mr. Vasquez, I think his name was,” said Izzo. “This guy bought Axl for his kid's first horse. They bought him pretty immediately after the track and knew nothing about horses, so they just kept feeding him what he was eating while he was racing. This horse was high as a kite! And then they were terrified of him, rightfully so, so they never took him out of the stall because they were scared to death of him. It was the worst recipe I'd ever heard.”

New Years Eve, aka Axl, at age 39 | Sarah Andrew

It took a long time for Axl and Izzo to come to an understanding and for the horse to learn to walk under saddle instead of run.

“We went through a learning process,” remembered Izzo. “I thought I knew what I was doing, but looking back, I made a lot of mistakes and Axl was not very forgiving. He has always been very opinionated, he has always been a very bullish horse, and he does not suffer fools gladly. I have loved him from the minute I laid eyes on him, but he has put me in my place more than once. He was a very difficult horse and I grew up with difficult horses, but he set the bar high.”

When the pair were a few years into developing their relationship, the Army got in the way with a 45-day notice of a multi-year, overseas deployment. It was incredibly cost prohibitive to ship horses overseas at the time and Izzo scrambled to find someone she could trust with Axl and the two additional horses she had added to her herd by then. When Izzo was finally able to return stateside after a year and a half to check on the horses, she found all three of her horses neglected and suffering from starvation. She immediately found a new place to board them, but was horrified. She told the van driver she hired that she knew the horses might not survive the trip and she wouldn't hold him responsible if any of them died en route. Somehow, they lived, but it wouldn't be the last time Axl hovered between life and death.

“Being away from my horses was the worst thing ever,” said Izzo. “There was a series of horrible events.”

Julie Izzo and Axl | Sarah Andrew

Upon returning to the U.S., Izzo, her husband, and the horses ended up in Virginia. Almost immediately, the excellent barn Izzo chose to board at was faced with horses colicking and dying in a matter of days for no apparent reason. Four of his barnmates had already died when Axl was stricken. It turned out growing conditions for the hay had been just right for panicum toxicity, resulting in liver disease in 14 horses in the barn. Perhaps it was his fiery spirit, but Axl was one of the ones who survived.

“So it's not like he lived a completely charmed life,” said Izzo. “His body went through some trauma that should have taken a toll on him. He's withstood some crap that should have taken him out a long time ago.”

About five years after the panicum toxicity, when he was in his early 20s, Axl was diagnosed with PPID, or Cushing's Disease.

“They say the life span of a horse with Cushing's is typically within 10 years of being diagnosed,” said Izzo. “I believe he was diagnosed officially in 2009 or 10. He's done remarkably well.”

Despite all the challenges, Axl has kept on trucking and Izzo has kept on learning from him and loving him. At this point, New Years Eve is not just vintage. He's practically an antique. Even the Texas-bred's pedigree rises from the dusty pages of history.

The oldest horse on his five-cross pedigree is the 1906 Bachelor's Double (GB), himself a great-grandson of Bend Or (GB). Yes, that Bend Or from 1877. Other ancestors showing up in Axl's pedigree within five generations include the great Mahmoud (Fr), Phalaris (GB), Ksar (Fr), Sir Gallahad III (Fr), and War Relic. His broodmare sire, Amber Morn, was born in 1956! As he had just two wins from 18 starts in lower-level races at Mountaineer and Atokad Park, none of those illustrious names had much effect on Axl's racing talent, but it is still a jolt to see them on a living horse's page.

Axl relaxes last week at home in Pennsylvania | Sarah Andrew

When Axl was born in 1986, Ronald Reagan was president. Michael Jordan, just a year removed from his rookie season, hadn't yet won an NBA championship. It was the year Oprah Winfrey's daytime talk show went national, as well as the year of the space shuttle Challenger disaster and the year of the Chernobyl explosion. Top Gun–the first one–was released in 1986. CDs were still a few years away from overtaking cassette tapes, and it would be another decade before DVDs were even invented. Mobile phones were the size of a brick, while home computers existed but the internet was still seven years away from making it to the public.

Closer to home, in racing, the Breeders' Cup would be contested for only the third time. Three sons of Northern Dancer held the top three spots on the year-end sire lists of 1986: Lyphard, Nijinsky II, and Danzig. Woody Stephens won his fifth-straight Belmont Stakes. D. Wayne Lukas had yet to win his first Kentucky Derby and Bob Baffert hadn't even begun training Thoroughbreds yet.

It was also the year Sunday Silence and Easy Goer were born.

Sunday Silence and Easy Goer were beloved by millions and have long since passed away. New Years Eve, whose fan base is much smaller, is still with us. He may not have won Classics, but his title as the oldest currently living American Thoroughbred matters more to Izzo, as it's a testament of the devotion a person can have for a horse and a reminder of why this sport captured us in the first place.

“It could have been just me and him in our quiet little corner of the world, but I just love the people that actually care about all this,” said Izzo. “It means a lot.”

Izzo hasn't ridden Axl in four or five years and the last time was just a slow lap around the field with nothing but a halter on him. She said she used to ride six days a week, year-round. She would keep him forever if she could, but she knows his time on this earth is drawing short.

“He's 39, not a spring chicken,” said Izzo. “He's in great shape, he looks good, but he has been struggling to get up for a few months now. It's not like it's awful; all I have to do is put the halter on and give him a little bit of tension and that's enough for him to pull against to get himself up. He just needs something to brace against to get himself up.

“I have been well aware that a decision is going to have to be made and I've been trying to put it off, but he has lost his spark. He's always been a very fiery horse and I've noticed over the past few months that he's becoming dull. I told my husband, 'He's telling me.'

“I'm not ready, I'll never be ready, but he's ready. Even though I could do heroic things and keep him going, I know it's inevitable. I don't want to sully his memory in any form.”

Julie Izzo shares a quiet moment with New Years Eve | Sarah Andrew

While Izzo knows losing Axl, sooner rather than later, is inevitable, it doesn't make it easy.

“He's been my horse for 32 years. It's really hard to comprehend that he won't be there. Keeping him going at this point is more for my comfort then his and that's not fair. I used to work for a vet and the adage in the veterinary world is better a day too soon than a day too late. He's tired. Deep down, I know it's right.

“I just want to focus on him. He's had a great life. I'm so lucky. Most people don't get to keep their favorite animal for 32 years.”

When that day does come, Izzo doesn't think she'll get another horse. She's able to face the question with dignity and humor.

“Right now my answer is no. There are several reasons; one is that I'm really good at keeping old horses alive! if I have another horse 32 years from now, I'm going to be in my 80s and 90s! That's the first thing I think of: what if I keep another horse alive that long?”

After a hearty laugh that belies the pain of losing her dearest friend, Izzo continues.

“It's an emotional thing. Any other horse wouldn't be Axl. Those hooves are too big to fill at this moment.”

In anyone else's hands, New Years Eve would likely have succumbed to his age long ago and would be just one of the forgotten thousands of horses who graced the racetrack once upon a time. But he matters to somebody. They all matter. May Izzo's dedication to him be a reminder to all of us that love for the horse got us into this wonderful sport. And may this grand 39-year-old former racehorse inspire us to remember that every single one of them matters.

The post ‘Hooves Too Big to Fill’–America’s Oldest Thoroughbred Turns 39 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

View the full article