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Originally published November 6, 2010 at 5:54 PM | Page modified November 6, 2010 at 9:12 PM

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Tattoo links rescue horse to Secretariat

Every morning, Laurie Weaver brushed and groomed Heather, a sick Thoroughbred. But she always wondered about a black tattoo on Heather's...

By CHRISTIN ERAZO

Scripps Howard News Service

PALM CITY, Fla. — Every morning, Laurie Weaver brushed and groomed Heather, a sick Thoroughbred. But she always wondered about a black tattoo on Heather's lip.

Weaver is a volunteer at the Palm City Equine Rescue and Adoption Foundation, where Heather has lived since September 2009. Weaver looked up the tattoo, a mark used to identify racing Thoroughbreds. The tattoo, inside her upper lip, spells out: A03802.

What Weaver found in a jockey-registry database shocked her.

The 13-year-old mare's great-great-grandsire was Secretariat, the 1973 Triple Crown winner. And her name wasn't Heather: She was born Empire Lady.

"I personally freaked out," said Weaver, 48. "At first, I questioned if there was another Secretariat, because I couldn't believe it. She has some nobility in her lineage."

Secretariat was an American Thoroughbred that took the horse-racing circuit by storm when he set records — still standing — at the Kentucky Derby and the Belmont Stakes in 1973.

The new Disney film, "Secretariat," starring Diane Lane and John Malkovich, chronicles the horse's journey.

"I had just seen the movie and Laurie had just blown us away with that information about Heather,"said Jerilyn Gemberling, 65, the rescue foundation's board president.

Records handed over to the rescue foundation show Heather never raced competitively, despite the tattoo and famous lineage. The horse — a chestnut-brown Thoroughbred — was entered in jumping and cross-country events.

Records also listed that she was born in New York. Heather was surrendered to the nonprofit Equine Rescue and Adoption Foundation after developing a severe infection that started in her hoofs and covered her belly. It made it difficult for her to wear a saddle or bear a rider.

Weaver said the horse's owners surrendered her to the shelter because they couldn't cover her expenses. They could not be reached for comment.

Heather had to be retrained after being nursed back to health.

Volunteers are training Heather to be less pushy and less sensitive. "The infection put her through a lot of pain that caused her to be difficult to handle."

The foundation's goal is to find her a good home.

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