[RUFFIAN]

BLOODHORSE

BH_Bking
An owner of one particular horse has a little more reason to celebrate
the yearly passage of time on New Year's Day,
the universal birthdate for North American Thoroughbreds.

Dead Solid Perfect, now known as "Rush,"
won't turn 15, 20, or even 25 years of age.
He'll be 39 and is still enjoying life, according to his owner.

Even if one tallies his age by the date he was foaled—May 4, 1983—
he will be 38 years and 242 days old on Saturday,
making him one of the most senior Thoroughbreds in North America,
if not the oldest.

Though The Jockey Club, the industry's breed registry,
keeps track of many statistics, oldest Thoroughbred isn't one,
said Shannon Luce, TJC's director of communications.

Tracking such data accurately would be problematic
with TJC needing death notices from every owner.

So age records are kept via word of mouth, news stories, the internet,
and that old standby—the Guinness World Records.

The Guinness World Records claims the oldest Thoroughbred, Tango Duke
(foaled 1935), owned by Carmen J. Koper of Barongarook, Victoria, Australia,
made it to age 42 before dying on Jan. 25, 1978.

Dead Solid Perfect, now known as Rush, bundled up on a chilly
November day at Windsor Hunt Stables in Connecticut

The approximate life expectancy of a Thoroughbred is 25-28 years old,

Continues with Photos on BLOODHORSE