Fonner Park in Tonight Rainbow’s Future
The Grasmick Stakes, for three year old horses and older, will be run on the 21st of February 2009 over a distance of four furlongs at Fonner Park. With a purse of $10 000, there will be many favorites entering this racing event. More precisely, everyone at Fonner Park is expecting the return of Tonight Rainbow, who will be going up against younger horses that are hoping to dethrone one of the Kings of Fonner Park. As Tonight Rainbow heads towards the final stretch in his horse racing career, it seems likely that Fonner Park will become the venue of his final race.
As with the Fonner Park legend, Leaping Plum, Tonight Rainbow has left his mark on this racecourse and on the Grasmick Stakes. Leaping Plum won this horse racing event eight times, and Tonight Rainbow was there challenging Leaping Plum until he finally prevailed and won. Tonight Rainbow’s trainer, Jobie Caster explained that even though beating Leaping Plum was a victorious moment, it was bitter sweet, as everyone respected Leaping Plum and knew that the defeat signaled the end of a magnificent racing career. Leaping Plum was retired at the age of thirteen. And as Tonight Rainbow chased victory over Leaping Plum, so other contenders will try to defeat Tonight Rainbow.
At Fonner Park, Tonight Rainbow has won four Grasmick Handicap events and nine stakes victories in total. He has earned $344 911 during his career and Caster hopes to make it $400 000 before his racing career comes to an end. Tonight Rainbow will be making more than one appearance at Fonner Park this year, kicking off with the Graswick Stakes and then looking at other possibilities thereafter. Tonight Rainbow only has three years left until he reaches the age of twelve, where after the State Racing Commission needs to give a horse special permission to continue racing. Caster has not made any decisions regarding the future of Tonight Rainbow or anticipated his retirement age, as Tonight Rainbow has always been a sound horse. But there is one thing Caster is sure of, and that is where he will finish, “You know, this horse is kind of getting to the end of his career. I want him to finish his career there at Fonner.”
