GISW Any Given Saturday (Distorted Humor) has been repatriated to the United States from South Korea to spend his retirement at Old Friends, the Thoroughbred Retirement Farm in Georgetown, Ky., said founder and president of Old Friends, Michael Blowen.
Purchased by the Korea Thoroughbred Breeders Association in 2014, he was relocated to South Korea where he has been for the last nine years.
The 19-year-old recently flew home and underwent the standard quarantine procedure at Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital before arriving at Old Friends Monday afternoon.
Any Given Saturday retired from racing with six wins, two seconds, one third, and $1,083,533 in earnings in 11 career starts and began his stud career in 2008 at Darley, before going to Pin Oak Lane Farm in Pennsylvania for the 2014 season. He was then purchased in 2017 by the Korea Thoroughbred Breeders Association (KTBA) and was relocated to South Korea for the 2015 breeding season.
In 2023, Any Given Saturday was pensioned and, following discussions with Blowen, he was returned to the United States to live out his retirement at Old Friends.
Jun Park, Bloodstock Agent for the Korea Thoroughbred Breeders Association, who was not only responsible for working out the details of getting Any Given Saturday sent to South Korea, but was also instrumental in helping bring the horse home to the United States and to Old Friends, visited the horse at Rood & Riddle, and is very happy to see him back in the United States.
“I was so excited to see him at the stall at the clinic,” he said. “I mean, he went to Korea a long time ago, and he came back here and it's good to see him back.”
When asked why he helped retire the horse at Old Friends, he said, “(Michael) has been (doing an) excellent job since he founded the farm. I mean, the horses are happy out there, (and) racing fans are still able to see the horses. And, that's great.”
“We are very grateful to the KTBA for donating Any Given Saturday to Old Friends,” said Blowen. “It's a great example of how we can all work together for the betterment of these invaluable athletes. I can't wait to feed him a Mrs. Pastures' horse cookie.”
Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up for the daily PDF or alerts.
