A Year Since Tragedy

A year ago today, there were several inches of snow on the ground, and everywhere you looked.

One of those roofs was on the barn at . On that day, two horses died, but two others, Moni Maker and Gladiator Lindy, survived the collapse.

Today, the barn has been rebuilt and Moni Maker, 19, is enjoying her peaceful life.

According to Barbara Livingston, a blogger for DailyRacingForm.com, Moni Maker was a prolific racer in her day. She raced all over the world and beat almost all of her competition. With earnings of over $5.5 million, she retired as the world’s top-earning Standardbred of all time. More than a decade later, she is still its top female earner.

Livingston said that Moni Maker was Horse of the Year twice, Trotter of the Year for three consecutive seasons and the Trotting Mare of the Year from 1997 to 2000. She was called the “Queen," and among her 67 victories over five years was the grueling Prix d’ Amerique, considered by many the greatest race in the world. For her career finale, as the icing on the cake, she set a world record under saddle - with top jockey Julie Krone in the irons.

To read more about Moni Maker, and her brush with death, read Livingston's blog.