Maine Perspective Front Page
UMaine's Venus of Milo Winning the Hearts of Students, Fans
UMaine has its own Venus of Milo - a race horse.
The 4-year-old standardbred takes its name not from the famous marble statue in the Louvre in Paris, but from the rising star in the women's tennis world.
This race season, it has earned purse money and set for itself a new lifetime mark.
Tom Kole of Milo, executive director of the Maine Harness Racing and Promotion Board, donated the horse to the University a year ago in recognition of UMaine's budding partnership with the harness racing industry. Since then, Venus has lived up to the stature of its name, earning three first-place, seven second-place, and four third-place finishes for the University. The filly also has a new best record with a 1:59.1 mile.
"Two minutes is the magic mark. If you've got a two-minute mile, you've got a fast horse," Kole said.
Venus raced successfully as a 2- and 3-year-old, but Kole believed she'd better serve as a racing ambassador for UMaine.
When the University decided to race Venus this spring, she was trained by UMaine alumna Valerie Grondin, who earned a bachelor's degree in animal and veterinary science in 1994.
Venus, who now has quite a following down at the track, has won nearly $5,000 in prize money this season. Its winnings cover training costs, and help support UMaine's equine program.
Venus came to the University through the efforts of Dr. Robert Causey, veterinarian and assistant professor of biosystems
science and engineering, who contacted breeders, trainers and owners associated with the harness racing industry in the hopes of identifying retired race horses for the University's teaching and research programs.
It is estimated that Maine has more than 3,000 harness racing horses that compete from ages 2 to 14. However, most can only turn a profit for about six years, according to Fred Nichols, general manager for the Bangor Raceway. After they've passed their prime, the horses quickly lose value.
Pedrine, a stallion, was the first retired race horse to arrive at Witter's Horse Cooperative Barn in June 1998. With Kole, and Robyn Cuffey and Jaye Winkel of the Standardbred Pleasure Horse Organization (SPHO) contacting potential donors, the barn was at capacity by last November housing donated horses and student-owned equines.
Industry donors continue to offer the University more horses, according to Al Kezis, associate dean of the College of Natural Sciences, Forestry, and Agriculture.
"It seemed to me that we could raise the public's conception of harness racing by working with the University," says Kole, who helped secure a $2,000 donation to UMaine from the Maine Harness Racing Promotion Board.
UMaine students involved in the equine program learn horse management, reproduction and training; internships in the equine industry also are available. The animals earn a second chance. Students train the retired racers to be pleasure horses under the supervision of Sandy Welsh, the University's trainer, and offer them for sale to the community, with proceeds returning to the equine program.
University horses, ridden by students, recently won ribbons at The Paul Bunyan show at Bass Park and at the SPHO sponsored show at the Witter Center. Most recently, in the SPHO show at the Common Ground Fair in Unity, a University horse named Jade was in-hand Grand Champion.