T.C. Westmeath Stud Farm owner John Carey said Old Forester, who stood at his farm since entering stud in 2007, would get "a little mouthy" when he saw him coming.
"He was a little different toward me than anybody else because I took him mostly to the breeding shed," Carey said.
It is just part of the relationship between man and horse that Carey will remember about Old Forester. The sire of 2017 Canadian Horse of the Year Pink Lloyd died Nov. 17 at the farm near Mulmur, Ontario, Canada. He was 23.
"He meant everything. He was my best stallion," Carey said.
Racing from 2 to 5, the chestnut son of Forestry was 6-11-2 from 22 starts, earning $462,632. He won his only graded stakes in the 2006 Cliff Hanger (G3T) at The Meadowlands but finished second in three other graded contests. Bred by Robert Berger in Kentucky and owned by Live Oak Plantation, Old Forester was trained by Bill Mott.
However, Old Forester made his mark in the breeding shed. He was a five-time leading Canadian sire by progeny earnings (2010-12, 2015, and 2017). He had 603 foals from 16 crops—15 of racing age—and 25 black-type winners. All told, Old Forester's children have banked $35,666,085 in earnings.
"He was a good horse. You certainly knew he was a stallion all right," Carey said. "He was a great breeding horse, and he bred three mares consistently every day. ... When he knew he'd go to the breeding shed, he was down to business."
Old Forester's most famous offspring is Pink Lloyd, who was bred by Carey. His six-year racing career included a 29-3-2 mark from 38 starts and $1,884,584 in earnings, eight Sovereign Awards, and 12 graded victories.
One of the qualities that Old Forester passed down to his offspring, according to Carey, was his intelligence. Carey said Old Forester would observe everything happening around him on the farm.
Speaking of the sire's progeny, Carey said, "They are very intelligent. I think some of them out-minded their riders. .... The guys are breaking in some of his yearlings right now; they're lovely to be around. They are strong-minded and full of intelligence. I think they're very smart horses, and (Old Forester) seems to have passed that on more so than the mares."
As for Old Forester's legacy in Canada, Carey said he was an "out and out sire of sprinters" but that's not all he was able to do.
"He was able to get some horses to go a mile and a sixteenth, and then a few horses ran a mile and a quarter," Carey said. "So I would have to think he was a very versatile horse."
