Evening Attire Retired

[Norfolk]

Grade I Winner Evening Attire Retired

Evening Attire, a fan favorite because of his color, running style and tenacious longevity, has been retired, according to the Hall of Fame trainer Tom Kelly. According to Pat Kelly a minor ankle injury has ended the racing career of the 10-year-old son of Black Tie Affair.

During his eight seasons of racing, Evening Attire finished first, second or third in 40 of his 69 starts. Of his 15 wins, nine were graded stakes, including his greatest conquest, the Grade I Jockey Club Gold Cup in 2002. Competing in the country's greatest races for older horses, from the Whitney Handicap to the Breeders' Cup Classic, he earned $2,977,130.

Tom Kelly bred and owned Evening Attire with his partners Mary and Joe Grant. Attire was trained by three of Tom’s sons, first by Larry, then Tim and later by Pat. Evening Attire's first graded win came in the 2001 Discovery Handicap, when he defeated Street Cry at odds of 65-1. HIs last stakes win came in his final race, July 19, when he captured the 1 1/2-mile Greenwood Cup at Philadelphia Park. He not only defied his age, winning by 8 1/4 lengths, but also set a track record and earned a place in the Breeders' Cup Marathon.

"Last weekend at Monmouth, we saw some swelling in his leg," Pat Kelly said. "During the week, after discussions with the vet and his owners, we decided, considering his age and all he has done, it was in everyone's best interest to retire Evening Attire and find a good home for him."

“He was one of a kind,” Tommy Kelly said. “He had to be castrated early on because his testicles were up in his back and couldn’t break from the gate. Still to this day, he didn’t break like any other racehorse. But at the final end when it counted, from the quarter pole to the wire, he always put in his run. I’ve never seen him back once. He might have finished second, third, fourth, or fifth, but he was already running at the end, where the best part of a racehorse manifests itself. We’re all going to miss him.”

Mary Grant said ”We feel so blessed to have a horse not only racing for eight years but competing in stakes company. Attire has brought our family so much excitement and has given us the opportunity to meet so many wonderful people in the racing world. We are amazed at his popularity. For years he has received birthday cards from fans in this country as well as from New Zealand and Europe. One fan has even built a website dedicated to him, www.eveningattire.net. We just want to thank all his loyal fans for their great support.”

Where Attire will retire has not been finalized. All options and suggestions are being considered by his owners.

[FGFan]

Oh no, he will be missed by his fans that just adore and love him.
But we always knew you would do exactly what is right for the old gray boy.

I would so like to thank you for allowing me to meet him, what a character he is too. It was very special for me and to hear the crowd screaming for him that day at Belmont.

Best of luck to our favorite boy....he can come live with me but I think he doesn't really like the heat down here.

Seriously though, Kentucky Horse Park? since he is such a fan favorite.
And is he expected to completely recover from this setback.

Happy and great retirement Evening Attire!!!!!! Your owners, handlers and fans will miss your courageous runs.....

[Rileyoriley]

Enjoy your retirement. You've earned it. I will miss you.

[zippyneedsawin]

I think we can truly say, "he's done enough." Best wishes for a full and happy retirement for EA. He deserves it.

[Danzig]

sorry to hear that evening attire has suffered an injury, and that he will now have to retire. i know he had a lot of fans, and always tried his best for them. hope that he gets a good home to live out his days. sad to see him go.

[mclem0822]

He would have been the oldest horse ever to run in the BC, was looking forward to seeing that. He was a tough horse, always gave you all he had, always enjoyed watching the old grey run. Hope he will have great retirement, he has earned it, and will be missed.

[Hickory Hill Hoff]

All I can say is................



THANKS!

[ddthetide]

thanks for sharing EA with us and taking good care of him. he goes out a winner and track record holder. i'll miss the old boy but he "really has done enough."

he could take john henry's place at kentucky horse park?

[Heels1989]

Without a doubt Evening Attire is one of my all time favs, especially over the past decade. A huge thanks to the Grants, Kellys, and all others associated with EA for giving us some wonderful, memorable performances.

Enjoy your well deserved retirement.

[Linny]

Attire has been a barn and fan favorite for years. I can honestly say that he has been more beloved by his fans than even Curlin, Ghostzapper and Cigar. He received standing ovations from crowds at AQUEDUCT, and that takes some doing.
I will miss the old warrior but I am certain that he will have a happy retirement.

[my miss storm cat]

One of my favorites, ever, and a great horse to watch and root for.

Slightly off-topic, but.....

Some of us here, quite a few of us, had the pleasure of knowing a lady named Jeanne. She went by the name Iron Horse on various forums and was just this very kind, very sharp, self-proclaimed "pretty horsie" type who had so much love for this guy. Her absolute favorite of all time.

When she, and i can't write this without feeling like I'm being stabbed just a little, unexpectedly died earlier this year, I let his connections know that their boy had lost a great and devoted fan.

I was told Attire would receive and extra hug and some peppermints or carrots or something in her name. This would have made her smile...

Anyway, I'd written to her husband a few times... not a fan, was never a fan, but he had lovingly put up with his beautiful wifes obsession with good humor.

He once told me, very excitedly, that he'd seen Evening Attire a few times.

The was the only horse he ever mentioned and it was said with such enthusiasm... as if to say he'd found a 20 carat diamond or had seen, well, fill in the blank (!).

My point is this.... I know, I know, it's about the $ and the players and that's all well and good but once in a while a special horse comes along. One who the public embraces, one who non-fans cheer on, one who is like an everyday hero for whatever reason, one who is memorable and loved.

One like this guy.

There are greats and there are greats who are so because of circumstance... there are flavors of the month and there are stars.

The other guys though...

With Lava Man, Perfect Drift and now Eveing Attire all retired it's like the end of a special era of the old guys. I wasn't meaning to compare the three and i don't want to start a which-is-your-favorite-Beatle type of argument. I hate those.

This horse..... I love and will miss this horse and i applaud his connections for always doing the right thing, always putting him first, for their kindness and allowing us to be a part of the wonderful work-in-progress life and story of this gentleman.

Happy retirement, Attire. Wishing you a long and healthy life filled with happiness just like you brought to so many of us.

Thank you, Norfolk, for always keeping the fans in the loop and letting us know how he was, the plans, for your humor and compassion.....

Happy retirement.

[GPK]

Joe,

Thanks to you and all others involved in keeping him around so long. Here's to hoping the old fella enjoys his retirement

[migreen]

I had hoped he would go at Toga this summer, but for reasons we all know, he didn't. I got to see him work out, though, and I and several friends were excited even by that:

http://mitch.smugmug.com/gallery/6087113_dRbSA

Thanks to you, Norfolk, and to his other connections!

And thanks to you, MMSC, for your special contribution . . .

Mitch

[Chestnut Gal]

Thank you Norfolk for sharing this wonderful horse with us. Evening Attire is what the sport is all about. He made us laugh when he use to give the youngsters a head start and made us cheer when he would come flying to the finish line. Evening Attire, we will miss you. Thank you for all the memories that we can cherish and talk about. May you always be happy, healthy, safe and sound.Enjoy your retirement, you deserve it.We will always love you.

[geeker2]

Out on top

[blackthroatedwind]

He deserved a better owner.

[King Glorious]

Originally Posted by blackthroatedwind

He deserved a better owner.

Sometimes, I really like you.

[letswastemoney]

make him a stable pony

[SuffolkGirl]

Thank you for the wonderful years you've given us. Enjoy your retirement. Heal and stay well.

[CSC]

Originally Posted by my miss storm cat

One of my favorites, ever, and a great horse to watch and root for.

Slightly off-topic, but.....

Some of us here, quite a few of us, had the pleasure of knowing a lady named Jeanne. She went by the name Iron Horse on various forums and was just this very kind, very sharp, self-proclaimed "pretty horsie" type who had so much love for this guy. Her absolute favorite of all time.

When she, and i can't write this without feeling like I'm being stabbed just a little, unexpectedly died earlier this year, I let his connections know that their boy had lost a great and devoted fan.

I was told Attire would receive and extra hug and some peppermints or carrots or something in her name. This would have made her smile...

Anyway, I'd written to her husband a few times... not a fan, was never a fan, but he had lovingly put up with his beautiful wifes obsession with good humor.

He once told me, very excitedly, that he'd seen Evening Attire a few times.

The was the only horse he ever mentioned and it was said with such enthusiasm... as if to say he'd found a 20 carat diamond or had seen, well, fill in the blank (!).

My point is this.... I know, I know, it's about the $ and the players and that's all well and good but once in a while a special horse comes along. One who the public embraces, one who non-fans cheer on, one who is like an everyday hero for whatever reason, one who is memorable and loved.

One like this guy.

There are greats and there are greats who are so because of circumstance... there are flavors of the month and there are stars.

The other guys though...

With Lava Man, Perfect Drift and now Eveing Attire all retired it's like the end of a special era of the old guys. I wasn't meaning to compare the three and i don't want to start a which-is-your-favorite-Beatle type of argument. I hate those.

This horse..... I love and will miss this horse and i applaud his connections for always doing the right thing, always putting him first, for their kindness and allowing us to be a part of the wonderful work-in-progress life and story of this gentleman.

Happy retirement, Attire. Wishing you a long and healthy life filled with happiness just like you brought to so many of us.

Thank you, Norfolk, for always keeping the fans in the loop and letting us know how he was, the plans, for your humor and compassion.....

Happy retirement.

Amen to that, on a sad note I was driving on a freeway today and saw a truckload of horses being transported to lord knows where, I didn't really want to think where except I hope it would be quick and humane. It's always nice to hear the old warriors that are taken care of.