Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/1105396
C C O N S T E L L A T I O N WinStarFarm.com Q & A: Lanie Bratcher 119 Q A What is your favorite memory of working on the farm? I would have to say the whole Justify experience. I don't know how you can top that. It is even more meaningful having helped train and rehab him. These horses are our kids. You get to see them develop from the beginning, then they go out and do you proud. I still can't watch any of those races without tearing up. Q A Did you always want to work on a Thoroughbred farm? Surprisingly, no. As a native Texan, I'm very proud of my state and you don't really go outside the state. I grew up in Quarter Horse racing; that's my background. Texas is such a stronghold for horses, so there was never a thought I'd have to leave my state to work with them. When I first left home, it was more of 'I'm young, and I don't have any ties' kind-of-thing, so I thought I'd go to Kentucky for a few years and maybe work internationally. At KESMARC, I worked with all different breeds. I fell in love with Thoroughbreds but, even more, equine athletes in general. I enjoy that these animals are treated like athletes. I enjoy having that small part in keeping them sound and recover and make us proud. Q A Who is your favorite stallion at WinStar? I've worked with a lot of them, all that have retired to the stallion barn within the last three to four years are horses I've worked with. Constitution is a favorite; he's from my early days. Commissioner was fun, he's from kind of the same time. I love Always Dreaming—he's so cool. Outwork, Carpe Diem, and Daredevil are all great. My brother and his wife bred a colt by Daredevil named Bexar. Q A Who is your favorite racehorse of all time? It goes back to my Quarter Horse background. When I first came to Kentucky, there was a two-time World Champion Quarter Horse named Tailor Fit. He is the only horse in the modern era who was a champion in nonconsecutive years. When he retired, he went to the Hall of Champions at the Kentucky Horse Park. He had some soundness issues later in his life, and the Kentucky Horse Park ended up sending him to KESMARC to get therapy and he never left. It came full circle for me to see him running when I was a teenager and then to be able to take care of him at KESMARC in his retirement. I was there for him and held him when it was time to say goodbye. I've been very fortunate to be able to work with some amazing horses, first at KESMARC and now at WinStar, from champion racehorses to Warmbloods that have competed in the Olympics. Some of my Thoroughbred favorites are Sky Conquer, a horse that I had for awhile and he had the coolest personality; American Patriot, he won a stakes race at Keeneland the first time I took my son to the races; Songbird was a class act, she is just incredible; and Precious Kitten, I absolutely adore her and I had the opportunity to work with the whole family, including Bob's Big Hope, who I worked with from ages two to six. He had every issue in the world and didn't break his maiden until he was five, so it was extremely rewarding to see him get to the track and in the winner's circle. Q A How did you come to work at WinStar? I ended up in Kentucky like so many others, following horses, and when I got here I was an intern at KESMARC. After I graduated from Texas A & M, I went back to KESMARC and worked there for eight years. After that, I briefly managed a small farm in Midway. One day, I received three different phone calls that WinStar was looking for someone to run the hyperbaric oxygen chamber and to take over rehab duties. It ended up being very serendipitous.