Rakti

[my miss storm cat]

It's about 4 am here and it's been hours since someone told me Rakti had died but I still can't find anything.

One of my absolute favorite horses of all time in a way I'm afraid to go to sleep cause I don't want to wake up to headlines if it is, indeed, true.

For anyone who doesn't know, he is - hopefully not was - a multiple G1 winner.

Derby Italiano
Premio Presidente della Repubblica
Champion Stakes
Prince of Wales's Stakes
QE II
Lockinge Stakes

Although he's been retired for a few years now the thing about Rakti is his personality.

"Ratki loves Ascot, but he is a horse of moods and I was delighted to get here today and find that he was in one of his better ones. He can get very wound up at the races. He's like an elastic band. You know he is going to snap, and it's just a matter of waiting and praying."

There's a multitude of great stories and lines from his trainer, Michael Jarvis. and hopefully there will be more from his years at stud although he apparently has calmed down a lot.

Temperamental, nuts, mad, volcanic, bully, schizophrenic... he's been called many things and some of them pretty terrible.

His most infamous display of ,well, his nuttines was probably what transpired before the Queen Anne Stakes when some lady made a clicking sound as he was being led out and he got very veerrrrry wound up and ended up showing his displeasure in a dramatic and most memorable display of craziness.THis after his jockey, Philip Robinson, begged her to stop.

No Chance... did Yarmy have to come and soothe him in the gate in every start of only a few times? I"ve always wanted to ask (but forgot till now) if he acted as crazy before that idiot Italian jockey Mirco Demuro hit him on the head when he refused to load.

Jarvis has said that Rakti is the greatest horse he ever trained...

When he was bad he was a terror but when he was good (past tense used as in he is retired and not any other reason, I hope) he was the best.

A true great.

I appreciate your telling me but here's hoping it's not true.

I don't like posting rumors of any kind but this is too important to wait on so in the event anyone hears or sees anything else please post it.

Hopefully this was bad information and he's off somewhere being a holy terror.

I love this horse.