Lost in the Fog

Thoroughbred racehorse infobox
horsename = Lost in the Fog


caption = The Fog in the paddock prior to the Breeders' Cup Sprint on October 29, 2005
sire = Lost Soldier
dam = Cloud Break
damsire = Dr. Carter
sex = Stallion
foaled = 2002
country = United States (Florida) flagicon|USA
colour = Dark Brown
breeder = Susan Seper
owner = Harry Aleo
trainer = Greg Gilchrist
record = 14:11-1-0
earnings = $978,099
race= Arizona Juvenile Stakes (2004)
King's Bishop Stakes (2005)
Carry Back Stakes (2005)
Swale Stakes (2005)
Riva Ridge Breeders' Cup Stakes (2005)
Bay Shore Stakes (2005)
Ocala Stud Dash (2005)
Golden Gate Breeders' Cup Stakes (2005)
Bay Meadows Speed Handicap (2005)
Aristides Breeders' Cup Stakes (2006)
awards = U.S. Champion Sprint Horse (2005)
honours = Lost in the Fog (Sprint) at Golden Gate Fields
He is buried next to Silky Sullivan in the infield at Golden Gate Fields, the only two horses to be so honored.
updated = June 16, 2007

Lost in the Fog (February 4, 2002 - September 17, 2006) was an American thoroughbred race horse. Bred by Susan Seper and born in Florida, the Fog's sire was Lost Soldier, (sire so far of 10 stakes winners), a son of Danzig (himself the son of Northern Dancer ranked at #43 by The Blood-Horse in their top 100 U.S. thoroughbred champions of the 20th Century). His dam was Cloud Break, a Dr. Carter mare.

(Unraced, Cloud Break is proving a successful broodmare, having also produced the stakes-placed How About My Place, by Out of Place. In foal to Speightstown, Cloud Break was acquired by WinStar Farm in 2005's Fasig-Tipton Kentucky November mixed sale for $600,000. In 2006, she was sold to Charles Deter.)

"The Fog" was a $13,000 weanling and a $48,000 yearling. Not reaching his reserve in the 2004 two-year-old Ocala, Florida Breeders' Sale in March, he was sold privately for $140,000 to Harry Aleo, and throughout his short career was trained by Greg Gilchrist.

His Florida breeder, Susan Seper, says he was named the day she literally lost him in the fog.

In 2005, Lost in the Fog, competing solely in stakes company (with the exception of his maiden), won the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Sprint Horse. He won 10 straight races by impressive margins, although his hopes of becoming the 2005 Eclipse Award for Horse of the Year winner were dashed on October 29, 2005 when he finished seventh in the Breeders' Cup Sprint. Prior to that, as said, he was unbeaten...with a string of 10 strong sprint performances (short races; 6 or 7 furlongs) on the dirt). Because of his great success, he never went off at long odds; indeed, he was favored in every lifetime start.

After the Breeders' Cup, Fog took six months off.

Races

Note: The Ocala Stud Dash Stakes is also known as the Sunshine Millions Dash as part of the Sunshine Millions series for Florida-bred and California-bred horses.

Lost in the Fog comes back

The colt lost his first 2006 start, finishing second behind Carthage in the April 22 Oakland Tribune Golden Gate Fields Sprint.

On June 3, 2006 Lost in the Fog returned to his winning ways, for the final time by taking a sharp victory in the 6 furlong Grade 3 Aristides Breeders' Cup Handicap at Churchill Downs (named for Aristides, the little horse that won the very first Kentucky Derby). Carrying a high weight of 124 pounds and ridden by Russell Baze, the Fog won $69,024 as the winner's share of the purse and set a new stakes record. The Aristides was his 10th stakes victory.

Lost in the Fog's final start was the Smile Sprint Handicap at Calder on July 15th, 2006. He finished 9th. This puzzling result suggested to many observers that something was wrong with the great sprinter.

Lost in the Fog's home track was the San Francisco Bay Area's Golden Gate Fields. Lost in the Fog's career earnings were $978,099.

Complications

In August 2006, believing the horse to be suffering from a mild bout of colic, Lost in the Fog's handlers took him to the California-Davis veterinary school. Performing a biopsy on the horse, the doctors discovered what they believed to be a cancerous mass on his spleen - a lymphoma "about the size of a cantalope." The doctors thought that surgery was likely, a rare operation but possibly one that could have given Lost in the Fog a full life.

Gilchrist, his trainer, had thought that his horse's recent poor performances—winning only one of three starts this year—might have been due to quarter cracks. "It turns out he's been running with this thing inside him this year," he said. "It shows you what kind of warrior this horse is." He also said that owner Harry Aleo was extremely concerned about his star. "We will do anything we can for the horse. It's almost a Barbaro-type situation."

Cancer diagnosis

On August 18, however, the situation went from bad to grave, to terminal. According to the report given by [http://www.bloodhorse.com The Blood-Horse] , "Two additional tumors were discovered. The first, the size of an egg, was located in the membrane that suspends the spleen. The second, (...) as large as the growth found originally on the spleen, is beneath (the horse's) spine along his back, very intimately against the body wall. It could not be removed surgically." ("Source: [http://news.bloodhorse.com/viewstory.asp?id=34925 The Blood-Horse] ")

Lost in the Fog was vanned back to his stall at Golden Gate Fields, where he was pampered for his remaining days.

"We'll keep him in the stall for a week or 10 days," the trainer said. "This would be the best thing to do, get him back with his groom. I just couldn't leave him up there (at Davis) to be euthanized and thrown in the bone yard."

Given the circumstances, Gilchrist said it would not be proper to extend Lost in the Fog's life beyond the horse's comfort level or subject him to chemotherapy or extensive surgery.

"We're fine with a week, 10 days, maybe two weeks," he said. "But you get beyond that, his quality of life wouldn't be good. This way we'll let the people who have always been around him take care of him. We'll bring him home and make him as happy as we can for a while." ("Source: [http://news.bloodhorse.com/viewstory.asp?id=34925 The Blood-Horse] ")

Battle over

On September 17, 2006, the Fog was quietly euthanized. He'd been grazing, as he'd done twice each day since the discovery of his cancer, when Gilcrist saw he was in obvious distress. True to his word, the trainer did not allow him to suffer. He said that Lost in the Fog was happy and peaceful until the end.

On September 30, 2006, Golden Gate Fields held a celebration of his life.

Lost in the Fog's remains were cremated. There had been discussion of them going to Greg and Karen Dodd's Southern Chase Farm in Williston, Florida where he was raised. However, [http://drf.com/news/article/79755.html Per Harry Aleo] arrangements were made for the colt's ashes to be buried at Golden Gate Fields, where he was stabled. He now rests next to Silky Sullivan.

A post-mortem necropsy on Lost in the Fog revealed that the cancer was much more widespread than previously thought. In an excerpt from an article published on 10/18/2006 in the [http://news.bloodhorse.com/viewstory.asp?id=35873 Blood-Horse] : "Located directly below his spine, one inoperable lymphoma ran almost the length of the colt's back. Doctors at University of California at Davis, where the necropsy also was performed, originally thought that tumor to be about one foot long.

"It went all the way from his pelvis to invade and erode his diaphragm and chest cavity," said Dr. David Wilson, director of UCD's large animal clinic, who was part of a large team of veterinarians and specialists who worked with the horse. "It also involved his arteries, kidneys and intestinal organs. It actually invaded one kidney and compressed both.

"It came right up against his aorta," Wilson added. "He had experienced swelling in his hind legs and that was no doubt caused by the tumors pressing on blood vessels."

In earlier tests, the large tumor had been partially hidden from view by other organs. In addition to the gigantic growth, Lost in the Fog also carried a tumor the size of a football in his spleen.

...

Aleo remained astounded that Lost in the Fog could perform at such a high level before his cancer was diagnosed. Doctors told the owner that the tumors could have been growing for up to a year. Yet just weeks before his death, Lost in the Fog continued to record bullet workouts at Golden Gate."

Lost in the Fog Stakes

In 2007, Golden Gate Fields hosted the inaugural Lost in the Fog Stakes, a five furlong sprint for two-year-olds.

Popular Culture

A documentary on Lost in the Fog's life was produced by John Corey for release in 2008: [http://www.lostinthefogthemovie.com www.lostinthefogthemovie.com] . The film made its world premiere at the CineVegas Film Festival in June 2008 where it won the Audience Award for Best Documentary.

References

* [http://www.pedigreequery.com/lost+in+the+fog2 Lost in the Fog's pedigree]
* [http://www.ntra.com/stats_bios.aspx?id=18859 NTRA bio]
* [http://news.bloodhorse.com/viewstory.asp?id=34925 Article on Lost in the Fog's terminal diagnosis at Blood-Horse]
* [http://www.brisnet.com/cgi-bin/editorial/article.cgi?id=5375 Article on Lost in the Fog's terminal diagnosis at Brisnet]
* [http://www.drf.com/news/article/77723.html Article on Lost in the Fog's terminal diagnosis at Daily Racing Form] (free registration at DRF required to read)
* [http://www.sfweekly.com/Issues/2005-10-26/news/feature.html SF Weekly profile of Lost in the Fog]
* [http://news.bloodhorse.com/viewstory.asp?id=35433 Article on the Fog's owner, Harry Aleo]
* [http://news.bloodhorse.com/viewstory.asp?id=35434 Article on Greg Gilchrist]
* [http://www.lvrj.com/sports/19884064.html Article on Lost In The Fog Documentary]
* [http://www.projo.com/movies/content/lb_lostinthefog_08-06-08_DJB2PQT_v8.2ba05bd.html Review of Lost In The Fog Documentary]