This Week in Horse History - December 28th Through January 3rd

December 29, 1945 – The record for the slowest winning time for a steeplechase race was set by a horse named Never Mind II. Never Mind refused the fourth fence during a two mile steeplechase and his jockey, assuming they were defeated, returned the horse to the paddock. The jockey was then informed that every other horse in the race had either fallen or been disqualified. On learning this, the jockey brought Never Mind II back out to the field and finished the race in a time of eleven minutes and twenty-eight seconds.

Information courtesy of: The Ultimate Book of Sports Lists
Steeplechase photo courtesy of: Pioneering Stem Cell Research in Race Horses Will Help People

January 1st, 1972 – The American Miniature Horse Registry first began accepting registrations for miniature horses. This was the first registry created for the American Miniature Horse. The registration guidelines specified that the horses must not exceed 34 inches when mature. Registration of the miniature horses continued until December 31, 1973, after which only horses produced by horses already registered with the organization were eligible to be registered themselves.

Photo and information courtesy of: Miniature Horse History

January 2nd, 2009 – A man made history when he became the first self-made millionaire in the sport of virtual horse racing. The man, whose online stable name is Pillbutt, started racing on Digiturf.com back in 2001. He bought and sold virtual horses to other trainers online and won thirty three Championship race titles available through Digiturf.com. Pillbutt became the first millionaire in virtual horse racing when a $15 horse he had purchased won a race on January 2nd. Digiturf.com allows its players to own, train, and race their horses against those of other trainers. The winnings are real – even though the horses aren't.

Information courtesy of: Virtual hobby creates new millionaire
Photo courtesy of: Trezza Stables