Saratoga
is hosting a Mid-Summer St. Patrick’s Day celebration today, but for Forever
Together - the 2-1 morning-line favorite to win Saturday's Grade 1 Diana
for the third straight year - any day is a good occasion to have a pint of
Guinness.
“Guinness used to use the slogan ‘Guinness is good for you,’
and apparently it is,” said Forever Together’s Hall of Fame trainer, Jonathan
Sheppard. “My grandmother died 20 years ago at the age of 96. She lived in a
small town in the country [in England],
and there was a doctor who made house calls. When she wasn’t feeling well, the
doctor would come over. He recommended that she have a pint of Guinness a day.”
And Guinness has been good for Forever Together, too. The
mare used to overheat because she wouldn’t sweat, but the mare has perspired
properly ever since Sheppard started adding the stout to her feed. The tactic
has worked brilliantly as Forever Together received Champion Female Turf Horse
honors in 2008 and has earned nearly $2.9 million to date.
“It’s a good additive,” said Sheppard of Guinness, which
consists of malted and roasted barley, hops, water, and yeast. “It definitely
helps horses who don’t sweat properly, and I think it helps their appetite,
too. Usually darker foods and liquids are richer. The lager type beers are
basically like ginger ale.”
And Guinness will give Forever Together extra incentive to
win Saturday’s Diana.
“If she doesn’t run well,” said Sheppard, “I’ll punish her
by giving her Budweiser or Bud Light!”