Phillip Dutton bade farewell to one of his legendary horses, The Foreman, this week. The Thoroughbred gelding was 29 and had been living out his retirement at Annie Jones’ (who owned the horse throughout his career) farm in Unionville.
The Foreman is a horse who needs little introduction to the knowing eventing fan. This incredible Thoroughbred came to Phillip as a racehorse named Four Across (Across the Field – Four Flora, by Quadratic) who’d won just about $7,000 in 21 starts and three seasons. He’d been bred and trained by William D. Sams, who later sold him to steeplechase trainer Bruce Fenwick. Bruce then offered the horse to Phillip, and the rest was somewhat history.
The Foreman proved to be trainable, though he proved to be on the sharper side, as Phillip tends to prefer, and he’d go on to finish second at both Rolex Kentucky and Burghley in 2005. He also won the old Fair Hill International 3*-L twice, in 2004 and 2007.
“Why he does it, I have no idea,” Annie Jones, who owned the horse from the outset for Phillip and even did some of his conditioning work, told The Chronicle of the Horse. “He’s a horse that somehow is tough and scrappy, and maybe that’s why Phillip likes him so much–he’s had to make it on his heart. He must have heart, and tremendous scope.”
Many people had a hand in keeping this barn “underdog” of sorts feeling his best to have the results he did, including but not limited to Sara Richardson, Joanie Morris, Emma Ford, Dr. Kevin Keane, Dave Kumpf. You can read a great profile on The Foreman, or “Chip” as he was known around the barn, here.
