East Rutherford, NJ - Golden Receiver is a gift
that keeps on giving, and the pacer’s charitable contributions now include the
Hairy Angel Foundation.
“The
Golden One” has brought life-changing fortune to his breeder and co-owner Nina
Simmonds, and she continues to give back and pass on the good karma she’s been
blessed with through her charity work.
Golden
Receiver is a nine-year-old pacer by Village Jove, who is one of those rare
birds that has simply gotten better later in life, and has risen to be a star
and fan favorite at the top level of harness racing for the past few years.
In
2013, he made it back-to-back Presidential Series sweeps at the Meadowlands,
won the Allerage Farms Final at The Red Mile and finished second by a nose in
the TVG FFA Final at the Big M.
With
Corey Callahan driving for trainer Mark Harder, Golden Receiver won his 2014
debut at the New Meadowlands on February 22, his 26th tally in 62
starts at the Big M. He now has 59 wins in 147 career starts and has
earned $2,107,636 for Simmonds of Binghamton, NY, and Our Horse Cents Stable of
Clifton Park, NY.
Golden
Receiver will go for career win number 60 from post six [program number five]
in Saturday’s $30,000 feature, carded as race two on a 13-race program.
Simmonds’
Cinderella story began back in the early eighties when she decided to quit her
job and pursued her dream of working with horses. Simmonds and her late
husband purchased Windy Hill Farms, a 60-acre property in Binghampton,
NY.
After
25 years, Simmonds’ operation fell on hard times, and she was ready to sell the
farm, as well as Golden Receiver for a few thousand dollars.
Fortunately,
Golden Receiver got good, real good. Simmonds sold a share of the horse,
sent him to trainer Mark Harder, and the rest, as they say, is history.
Not only did
Golden Receiver pay off the bills and save the ranch, the pacer has also
afforded Simmonds the opportunity to use his earnings to fund several
charitable organizations. To top it off, it was eventually discovered the
farm was sitting on the Marcella Shale natural gas source.
Simmonds
continues to support Equitarian Initiative, a group that unites veterinarians,
blacksmiths and animal caregivers who go on missions in Costa Rica and Mexico.
Simmonds has
also assisted New Vocations Racehorse Adoption Program, which retrains
racehorses and gives them a new life.
Her latest
venture is getting involved with the Hairy Angel Foundation, a charity based in
Sedona, Arizona and Dallas, Texas that provides Service Golden Retrievers to
special needs children. The dog raising and training is done by
volunteers and professionals before they provide an assistance to and a magical
bond with the autistic and challenged.
Their
website is www.hairyangelfoundation.org.
“This
year I was looking for some sort of little guy charity, and I’ve known the
director, Fran Elliott since the early eighties,” said Simmonds. “We met
in New Jersey and she’s been my best friend. She fell in love with my
dog, a Golden Retriever, and saw the potential. The breed loves
children. Fran moved out to Sedona and started breeding and raising them
for autistic children. She’s been in business for 18 years and placed
over 100 dogs all over the country. We’re trying to fill the backlog of
requests.
“They’ll
take the puppies when they’re eight weeks old, and train them to become service
dogs in public places,” she continued. “It’s just a miracle when you see
these kids who have never smiled or spoken get one of these dogs. Then, they’re
suddenly smiling and chattering. It changes their lives. Their
parents can’t believe the transformation made by this animal that is totally
devoted to them. I went along when we placed a dog last week, and it was
such a moving experience. We introduced the puppy to this boy, and his
mother has called everyday in tears thanking us.”
Simmonds
admits to being a nervous wreck whenever Golden Receiver is in training.
“All
his races are the same to me,” she noted. “It doesn’t matter what the
purse is. I want him to look good, and of course, I want him to
win. I’m just so proud he’s still out there plugging away at his
age.
“Last
season, he actually wasn’t as good as he could’ve been because he had a serious
hoof abscess or infection. That plagued him through the whole middle of
the year. They packed it and tried every kind of shoe. Those things
just don’t heal overnight. But it’s done and it’s gone. I’m just
hoping for another good year.
“He’s always
had a big knee and he can’t go on a half mile track. I’m glad the
Meadowlands has a bank on the turns so he can clear that knee. He does
wear these big felt boots and the tough guy just keeps on going. He has
zip in vet bills. He’s so happy because he’s with the same trainer, Mark
Harder and groom, Billy Mandrell. He knows exactly what’s expected of
him.
“We keep
forgetting he’s not just a nine-year-old that’s racing. He’s facing the
best horses in the world. He’s just a dream. Nobody expected this
from some backyard bred by some girl who raced cheap claimers.
“I bred both
of Golden Receiver’s sisters to Rocknroll Heaven last year, and they’ve got two
gorgeous foals I’m going to sell at Harrisburg next Fall.
“One
day I was jogging a horse on my farm track, looked around and saw my Golden
Retriever. I thought his name had to be Golden something because the dam
is Royal Gold, so I came up with Golden Receiver. It’s just amazing he
turned out to be the best one she had.”
