Bruins’ Charlie Jacobs, others team up to find homes for horses
By Brion O’Connor Globe correspondent
For a five-week stretch starting in early May, the Greater Boston horse-racing community was captivated by Wicked Strong as he and owner Donald Little Jr. took aim at the Triple Crown.
The pride of Beverly-based Centennial Farms finished fourth in the Kentucky Derby, and then tied for fourth in the Belmont Stakes. On July 26, Wicked Strong broke the million-dollar mark in winnings with his victory at the Jim Dandy Stakes at Saratoga Race Course in New York. He now is prepping for the $1 million Travers Stakes on Aug. 23 at Saratoga.
But for every success story like Wicked Strong, there are thousands of Thoroughbreds that are too slow to earn their keep. Along with other breeds that are abandoned by their owners, some former racehorses end up at Nevins Farm, a Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals facility in Methuen.