We are sad to share that Delaunay passed away after nearly a week in the veterinary clinic battling colic. He left us peacefully, on a pretty day last month, looking out over a field. We needed a little time before sharing this news publicly. For a while, it was comforting simply to remember him among the people who knew and loved him here.
Delaunay came to LOPE in 2025 to help with our youth program. He arrived with an extraordinary racing résumé: 54 starts, 19 wins, 13 seconds, six thirds, and more than $1.2 million in earnings. He raced until age eight, retiring in 2015. His amazing six-race winning streak culminated in the Grade 2 Churchill Downs Stakes in 2013, and he won the Grade 3 Aristides Stakes the following year. That race was also his 6th in a row win at Churchill Downs!
He was a fierce competitor and a true class horse.
Long retired when he joined us, Delaunay still carried himself with quiet pride. With his wise eyes and quiet confidence, he was every inch a silver fox. Our teen interns and helpers immediately declared that he had “main character” energy. Handsome and gallant, he accepted their attention graciously.
He also brought elegance and a deep enthusiasm for food to our pastures. If dinner wasn’t served on time, to the minute, he would nicker sadly at the gate as the designated spokesperson for the other horses.
He loved to be groomed, petted, and admired. Over the summer, our eight teen helpers made sure he received plenty of all three. There was always someone ready to brush him, fuss over him, or tell him how handsome he was. Delaunay considered this an entirely appropriate arrangement.
Long retired when he joined us, Delaunay still carried himself with quiet pride. With his wise eyes and quiet confidence, he was every inch a silver fox. Our teen interns and helpers immediately declared that he had “main character” energy. Handsome and gallant, he accepted their attention graciously.
For our veterinary education days, he was the horse we could count on. Gentle and mellow, he would nearly doze through demonstrations of temperature, pulse, and respiration. Students learning to use a stethoscope could listen to his slow, steady heartbeat while he stood patiently beside them.
Delaunay gave them the chance to practice, ask questions, and learn alongside a horse whose kindness matched his athletic accomplishments. He became a foundation of our youth veterinary education program – and was the hands down favorite of the veterinary teachers here.
During his hospital stay, Delaunay was brave and patient through his final days. Everyone knew him there – and was rooting for him with all their heart. Many tears were shed by LOPE staff and the veterinary team who worked so hard to help him.
We miss him very much: his presence in the pasture, his enthusiasm for dinner, and his patient enjoyment of a whole crew of young admirers. We are grateful for the honor of knowing and loving him – and for being part of a happy time in his life during his golden years.
Rest in peace, Delaunay.
