Arrigenna On 'Rocky's Retirement

Published: October 8, 2009 10:12 am EDT

The 7th annual $40,000 Robert J. Kane Memorial pace headlines a terrific card of racing on Saturday night at Batavia Downs, but for some racing fans the night could be bittersweet.

Rockysbreezybuddy, a standout on the local circuit for much of the decade and the 2003 Kane Memorial winner, is being retired.

The horse they simply call 'Rocky' will see his career officially end with a special winner's circle ceremony after the sixth race. He will then lead the post parade for this year’s Kane Memorial.

Owned by William Brown and trained by Peter Arrigenna, the 11-year-old In the Pocket gelding earned $230,181 in his career. In 258 lifetime starts, he had 53 wins, 32 seconds and 43 thirds, and took his lifetime mark at Vernon Downs of 1:52.2 in 2003.

“Rocky let us know when he was ready. After his last start at Batavia he came off sore in the left front," Arrigenna said. "He's been too good of a horse to try to race him in cheap claimers. I called Billy and told him it was time to retire him."

Rocky broke his maiden at Rosecroft Raceway with Betsy Brown (sister of Bill) driving in October of 2000. His last victory, with Troy Boring in the sulky, was in February of this year, at Buffalo Raceway.

“Rocky was a perfect horse to be around, you never had to worry about him hurting anybody,” Arrigenna said.

His daughter, Mandy, referred to Rocky as "her Saturday night date at the track.”

Rocky was owned by both Bill and Betsy Brown. Betsy trained him at Rosecroft until he came to the Western New York circuit at age four.

"He was so use to a [five-eighths mile] track that when he left the gate at Buffalo, he had the seven hole, he didn't know how to make the first turn," Arrigenna said. "I thought he was heading out the outside fence.”

“He had talent and the rest is history. I never thought when we got him he would have made over $200,000, the hard way in overnights and most of it before slots. He won Opens at Batavia, Buffalo, Vernon and Monticello for us, and of course the Kane."

“He was a pleasure to have in our Opens,” racing secretary and track announcer Joe Zambito said. “You always count on him to put on a good show and from an announcer stand point he was fun to call because he was a fan favorite. He would be charging home every week.”

On Saturday he'll merely be jogging when he leaves the Batavia Downs oval one last time, taking with him a lifetime of memories for so many.

(Batavia Downs)

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