Bushwood Stables’ Brent and Carol Johnson and Karl Barth hosted the long-awaited Retirement Party for Better Talk Now at the Fair Hill barn on Sunday, May 23^rd.  The entire Herringswell team joined over 100 invited friends who gathered to celebrate the career of the 11-year-old gelding.   Videos of his 14 victories were shown in the hay barn, along with a wildly entertaining tribute produced by Jane Motion.  The guest of honor, whose stall was decked out with flowers by Jane, her brother Chappy, and Bryce Johnson, was brought out by Adrian Rolls just as the rain started to fall.  Undaunted, guests lined up with their cameras to get some shots or pose with the 2004 Breeders Cup Turf winner….who seemed to understand perfectly that the day was indeed all about Blackie.

Better Talk Now celebrated his 'official' retirement today with a party at the barn surrounded by his barn buddies and about 100 friends of the human kind.  His stall was decorated with pretty flowers but he had to have fake ones so he didn't eat them. Betsy the goat tried anyway, along with eating the carrot tops and apples sitting in a basket outside his stall!  He was on his best behaviour all day, lavishing the attention of being paraded and then posing for photo's with people.  I think he only bit one person!   I know Maggie took some really good ones so I'm sure she'll post some when she's been through them.  He eventually got bored with everyone though and took up his usual position of staring out of his back window with his back to the door!  He loves his 'TV'!

It all kicked off last night with a wonderful evening at a local restaurant; the party being hosted by Brent and Carol Johnson and Karl Barth, two of his owners.  Brent and Carol had made a DVD of all his races which was so exciting to watch.  Of course it's nice knowing what the outcome was but even so, we were sitting at the edge of our seats for some of them watching him come from seemingly impossible positions to get up!  That DVD followed with a wonderful DVD tribute to his retirement made by Jane Motion which, along with the 'boppy' music was quite emotional and had a few of us in tears!!!

Thanks to everyone who made it a great weekend and thanks to 'Blackie' for being such a wonderful racehorse for the occasion to happen.