A great step forward into Limerick's heritage

Limerick, a.k.a. Amanda Bry, in May 2013 (age 22)

I do not post much about it, but I have a very deep interest in Limerick's heritage. It's not just her pedigree that fascinates me, but also the people and places in her life before she came into mine. Her owners, her trainer, her breeder, the farm she was foaled on, the very earth of Golconda, Illinois, upon which she took her first wobbling steps, the great Ohio River just over the horizon. Did her young nose catch hints of the river water on the breeze?

Like a river, searching for information about your off-track Thoroughbred's past can lead you to many tributaries. Sometimes the waters of these tributaries are clear and calm, and passage up them yields rewarding information about your horse. Other times the tributaries are muddy with a current that makes passage difficult. Sometimes these tributaries go on and on with promise, and other times your journey is brief and fruitless, and you must turn around. The older your horse is, the longer your quest up the river will be, and there will be many tributaries to explore, some of which may be dried up.

Seeking information about Limerick's heritage has been a long journey. One major tributary that I had sought was the one leading to contact with Lim's owners from her racing days. Unfortunately, I had found that tributary to be dry.

Then one day, a month ago, I received a very special email. That tributary hadn't been dry after all.

Amanda Bry in 1993 (age 2). Photos courtesy C. Kurth

It turns out she had been searching for me, too. She she did not specify which article, but she--Carol, Limerick's owner from her racing days--said she had found me through the article about "Mandy", by which I presume she means the Paulick Report OTTB Showcase article about Limerick from a year ago. A quick Google search of "Amanda Bry thoroughbred" leads to this article.

Among the many things she said, one jumped out furthest: "If you are interested, I'm sure that I could find some [photos] of [Limerick] when she was in training. Please let me know if you would like any pictures." Would I? I definitely would!

A few days ago, she sent me the above photos of a very young Limerick, taken in 1993. Words cannot describe how very happy I was to see these.

I still have many questions and about Limerick's past, but thanks to an owner that cares, I have taken a great step forward into her heritage.