Re:Rare Thoroughbred Twin Born

www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles...f-healthy-twin-colts

Coteau Grove Receives 'Gift' of Healthy Twin Colts


Staff at Coteau Grove Farms in Louisiana received the gift of a lifetime April 3 when their mare Villa d'Este foaled not one, but two healthy colts by Gift Box  .

In the months leading up to the birth, broodmare manager Jacob Cyprian said the mare's size had them questioning her due date.

"We've been looking at her since January, we knew she wasn't due until the beginning of April ... We were like, 'Man, she's so big,' so we just started keeping an eye of her and started watching her," Cyprian said. "We never knew it was twins. When she got in foal, we always thought she was just having one."

"(We thought) the date could be wrong so we started backtracking, trying to see what was going on, and we were right (about the due date). When she started getting close, we just kept an eye on her and she was just getting real slow and real heavy. I said, 'Well, she's going to go soon.'"

When the mare went into labor, Cyprian was there, along with the farm's assistant manager. 

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"The first one came ... then the assistant manager said, 'She's got another one,'" Cyprian said. "Sure enough, we saw the front hooves were coming out and she (delivered) the second foal. We were all just shocked.

"I got on the phone with the vet and when I told him he was like, 'What?' I said, 'Yeah, we've got twins.' He said 'Really?' I'm like, 'Really, we've got twins.'"

Twins!
Villa had two colts early this morning. Both standing and nursing

Sire is Gift Box!#coteagrovefarms pic.twitter.com/XEGoA8OzNC

— Coteau Grove Farms (@CoteauGrove) April 3, 2022

To Cyprian's amazement, both foals came out healthy and got to their feet quickly. The mare also recovered well. 

"The (good) thing about it was that both of them were strong. Both of them were fighting to stand up real quick. It shocked us all because it went smooth," Cyprian said. "Mama was a little weak, but after that she popped up and everything was good. We've been having a crazy season, and this just adds to it."

Cyprian said that farm staff will keep an eye on the mare and make decisions according to how she feels over the coming days, as decisions may need to be made to ensure that both colts get the nutrients they need while also keeping the mare in good health.

"What we're going to do is monitor and see (if she can take care of both foals)," he said. "If she can't, we're going to get a nurse mare for her to help her get some relief. We're going to try to make sure she gets everything she needs and we're going to make sure we keep these babies healthy."

Though this rare occurrence turned out with a happy ending, it is not typical of twin pregnancies in horses.

According to Dr. Chris Newton, DVM and shareholder at Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington, Ky., these situations can be very dangerous and usually involve veterinary intervention. 

"The rate at which mares twin is about 14%, meaning about 14% of pregnancies will have twins," Newton said. "Most of the time we reduce that, by manually ablating (removing) one fetus prior to 16 days ... And almost always if not checked, the mare will result in aborting the pregnancy (or) end up with a severe dystocia (slow or difficult birth) which could result in the death of both the mare and foals."

Cyprian and others at the farm are grateful to have their surprise twins healthy and in good order.

"When I tell you healthy, they're strong, nice boned," Cyprian said. "One of them was a little smaller than the other, but it wasn't any worse than a maiden mare with a baby. Definitely, they will make it, and will be some really nice colts."

Photo: Jacob Cyprian

Villa d'Este and her twin Gift Box colts


Coteau Grove Farms, in Sunset, La., was founded in 2008 by Keith and Ginger Myers.  

Villa d'Este is booked to the farm's homebred No Parole   for the 2022 season. Cyprian said he is looking forward to the match but that they'll be giving the mare ample time to recuperate before she heads back to the breeding shed. 

"It's kind of a big deal for us," he said. "No Parole was our first grade 1 winner for the farm. That's our first baby that we raised to be a grade 1 winner ... We're going to give her time to recover ... What we'll do is monitor her real good and the vet is going to make a decision. When he feels like she's ready, then we'll go with it."

Was Teal, a Durban July winner, a twin?


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Deleted

Are you sure this wasn’t an April 1st spoof?
Mares are scanned regularly and twins would show up. The chances of healthy twins in horses is minuscule which is why one is squeezed early on.

PeterD wrote:

Are you sure this wasn’t an April 1st spoof?
Mares are scanned regularly and twins would show up. The chances of healthy twins in horses is minuscule which is why one is squeezed early on.

The article was in Bloodhorse and Paulick Report. Both reputable media sites. As you mentioned, scans will normally pick it up. Comments on the social media sites for these articles mentioned sometimes it might go unnoticed. If a scan does pick it up a procedure is done to remove one of them from the comments I read and you being a breeder will know ins and outs of foaling.

Here is a picture. I always copy the link of the article from the source. Thanks.

www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles...f-healthy-twin-colts

Mac wrote:

Was Teal, a Durban July winner, a twin?


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e

.....no....but his very well bred mother Northern Banner was a twin.....she was unraced as was her twin brother Bandsman who was also sold to other unwitting breeders in Trinidad where he sired 5 Trindad Derby winners between 1988-1993.....

Muhtiman wrote:

Mac wrote:

Was Teal, a Durban July winner, a twin?


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e

.....no....but his very well bred mother Northern Banner was a twin.....she was unraced as was her twin brother Bandsman who was also sold to other unwitting breeders in Trinidad where he sired 5 Trindad Derby winners between 1988-1993.....

Before my time but read about Hawaii. I see he sired an Epsom Derby winner and a second. Also a sire of a Kentucky Oaks winner. He also appears in both sides in the pedigree of American Triple Crown winner, Justify. Hawaii was voted American Turf Horse of the Year. On these exploits surely one of the best or if not the best to grace the turf of South Africa.

naresh wrote:

Muhtiman wrote:

Mac wrote:

Was Teal, a Durban July winner, a twin?



.....

Before my time but read about Hawaii. I see he sired an Epsom Derby winner and a second. Also a sire of a Kentucky Oaks winner. He also appears in both sides in the pedigree of American Triple Crown winner, Justify. Hawaii was voted American Turf Horse of the Year. On these exploits surely one of the best or if not the best to grace the turf of South Africa.

Xxccccxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Definitely not... Naresh.
Hawaii is credited as the only SA bred horse to have won 3 Guineas in the country.
However he only managed to run 4th in the Durban July of 1968.
He did win the Clairwood Winter Hcap which was the prized race at Clairwood Park.
For some reason he did not contest the Queens Plate and Cape Met nor the Summer Cup.
Probably because his American owner exported the 4 yold to the States.
In my opinion Politician did win 3 Guineas, Cape, SA Guineas and the Dingaans although not in the
Gosforth Park Guineas lineup.
Politician also won the Cape Derby and the SA 2000 at Greyville.

Add to those wins the Durban July as a 4 yold, Champion Stakes, Queens Plate, Cape Met
Hawaaii Stakes.
He ran 3rd beaten a half length in the Holiday Inns under a big weight after wandering around in the closing stages.

Then repeated the Queens Plate and Cape Met double as a 5 yold.
There are more feature races he won.

Hawaii is currently the greatest SA bred sire to perform at stud in the world.

PS Stats courtesy of Wiki.

@ Mikesack. I also noticed that Hawaii ran second to his brother William Penn in the Champion Stakes. My late Dad was a fan of William Penn.

Yes, I voted for Hawaii for the SAhall of fame, only to be beaten by Horse Chestnut and another I think, who in my opinion were streets behind Hawaii both on the track and at stud. I was not around when Hawaii was here but I was when Horse Chestnut was around.
But Hawaii did breed the Empsom Derby winner Henbit(I was there 1980), a 2nd place Hunza Dancer (who went to stud in Japan) and a 3rd place Hawaiian Sounds.
I remember listening to Rhodesian radio taking live commentary of Hawaiian Sounds’ race won by I think Shirley Heights for the 100th anniversary of the Derby. In those days the Derby was run on a Wed.

Thanks Mhutinan and Naresh. This is far better than reading tips and results. Ouch, what have I just said.


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Mac wrote:

Yes, I voted for Hawaii for the SAhall of fame, only to be beaten by Horse Chestnut and another I think, who in my opinion were streets behind Hawaii both on the track and at stud. I was not around when Hawaii was here but I was when Horse Chestnut was around.
But Hawaii did breed the Empsom Derby winner Henbit(I was there 1980), a 2nd place Hunza Dancer (who went to stud in Japan) and a 3rd place Hawaiian Sounds.
I remember listening to Rhodesian radio taking live commentary of Hawaiian Sounds’ race won by I think Shirley Heights for the 100th anniversary of the Derby. In those days the Derby was run on a Wed.

Thanks Mhutinan and Naresh. This is far better than reading tips and results. Ouch, what have I just said.


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We only have memories and nostalgia about the past. We will be the last generation.

Horse Chestnut did win in his only run in America on the dirt. He also the damsire of a Classic winner, Star Catcher. He also sired I think a Grade 1 winner in America and might be the damsire of about four International Grade 1 winners.

Interestingly, Wolf Power, is the damsire of American Horse of the Year, Wise Dan. Wolf Power also before my time. I was five years when he was in his prime and have seen videos of Wolf Power.

I was also quite young and should ask my Dad to take the grey horse when he asked what our picks were for the Met and July...