Artic Storm Cat Spell This Horse Story P-E-R-F-E-C-T

WRITTEN BY L.A. SOKOLOWSKI | PHOTOS BY NATALIE LOIZZO PHOTOGRAPHY UNLESS NOTED

THERE’S A CERTAIN APPEAL TO RACEHORSES WITH MISSPELLED NAMES, A REMINDER THAT GOOD THINGS DON’T HAVE TO COME IN PERFECT PACKAGES.

Think Triple Crown champion, American Pharoah, who will never have to worry about winning a spelling bee to assure his place in racing history.

Now meet an extraordinarily rare, white eight year-old Thoroughbred, named Artic Storm Cat (Bluegrass Cat x Princesspatseattle), whose own phonetic misnomer (the purposeful registration choice of original owners Augie and Patricia Renzinie) appeared five times in Belmont and Saratoga Daily Racing Forms in 2017 -- thrice in the money -- before the homestretch led instead to a real-life winner’s circle: a forever home with a Long Island mother and daughter.

“Artic is my first horse,” says Alison Galeotafiore, of Setauket, NY. “Artic Storm Cat is his Jockey Club [registration] name. Everyone knows him as Artic, so I just couldn’t change it!

“I wished and hoped for a horse for as long as I can remember. I just turned 50, but will always be a ‘horse girl’ at heart.” Her childhood dream came true four years ago, when a nearly magical white horse unexpectedly entered her family’s life.

"For years, horses weren’t on the radar because life got busy with college, marriage, and kids. So everything I’m learning now is from him or,” she grins, “from my favorite school horse, Maggie.” She and her youngest (14) daughter, Maddie, have been training with Nicole Mancuso at Island Hills Stable, with the goal of becoming the riders their dream horse deserves.

“In the grand scheme of things, I’m a newbie,” Alison says. “I had a handful of lessons when I was 10, did some trail riding in college, and took about a dozen lessons before buying Artic.”

Since then, she’s been “consistently lessoning” for about three years. After all, her best possible incentive is waiting at the barn.

NOT JUST ANY HORSE

Every horseman starts out a beginner, but not every beginner starts out with a horse like Artic. In fact, the odds are about one in 10,500.

Andrew B. Chesser, manager of registration services for The Jockey Club, and secretary general of the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA) says that, in the more than century-old history of The Jockey Club and 2.1 million horses it has registered, less than 200 white Thoroughbreds have ever been registered. He would know better than most. The Jockey Club is the keeper of the American Stud Book, where Chesser’s role includes working with owners to register and name all Thoroughbreds born in the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico.

So when Artic, owned and bred by Hollywood Star Stable, LLC, in Port Jefferson Station, NY, came into this world in late January 2014, the little white colt was already destined to be a standout.

“I’m not sure I really knew what a Thoroughbred was when I was a kid,” says Alison. “But I can tell you that I always gravitated toward slender, athletic types of horses.”

Since owning Artic, she’s had a crash course in genetics. The white gelding wasn’t just rare by Jockey Club standards; at the time of his birth, she says, “To boot, he was only the thirdever New York-bred white Thoroughbred registered!”

Genetically speaking, Artic has a White Spotting 22 (W22) mutation gene that, when combined with a W20 gene that many Thoroughbreds carry, the result is his nearly white coat.

“Would you believe, I learned this from a Hungarian fan of Artic’s, who specializes in horse genetics, and reached out to me to ask permission to include Artic in her university studies?,” she adds. “Crazy, huh?!”

“I always especially loved white horses, like Silver from The Lone Ranger. I’m pretty sure that was the very first horse that ignited my passion. I thought Silver was the epitome of what the most perfect horse should look like. I even had a replica of Silver to show for it!”

Look familiar? Alison Galeotafiore in Artic Snow Cat's former racing silks.

HI-YO & AWAY

Alison wasn’t shopping for Silver replicas when the white gelding arrived one day five years ago at the stable where she and Maddie took lessons. She can still remember the first time she saw Artic in his stall.

The horse had been racing under two-time NYRA Trainer of the Year and record-setter (159 NYRA wins) Gary Contessa when, in October 2017, after finishing third at Belmont in a mile and a furlong under jockey Christopher DeCarlo, a knee injury led to Artic’s fifth career appearance also becoming his last.

“Thank goodness, his owners had his knee repaired at Cornell Ruffian Equine Specialists,” Alison says. The stateof-the-art center in Elmont, NY, extends the reach of Cornell Equine Hospital and brings internationally renowned specialists in horse medicine together with colleagues at institutions including Cornell College of Veterinary Medicine to provide horses like Artic with topnotch specialty care.

Artic went to Island Hills Stable to recuperate where, one February day shortly after Valentine’s, Cupid’s bow struck Alison right between her horse-loving eyes. She and Maddie had arrived early at the barn, before Maddie’s weekly lesson, to say hello to some of the privately owned horses boarded there.

“I know it sounds crazy but I was instantly drawn to Artic,” Alison says. “In that moment, my infatuation began. I thought he was the most beautiful horse I ever laid eyes on. I still feel that way. There was something about him and I knew we were meant to be together. He had such a gentle look in his eyes and although he had been confined during recovery, he was still sweet and had a good disposition.”

Over the months, she learned the recovering racehorse was going to need a new home: “After lots of soul searching, and begging on my part to my loving husband, Angelo, we decided to make Artic part of our family.”

Stall recuperation had cost Artic weight and muscle tone so their trainer at the time, Kristin Hlavac-O’Brien, put extra time into helping the gelding, and showing Alison and Maddie how to help him, too.

“She walked us through all our ‘firsts’ with him: first time grooming him, sitting on him, riding him, everything. He was a goofy four year-old who only wanted to run fast.”

Alison watched as Kristin patiently introduced the young Thoroughbred to a new language and encouraged Artic to relax his track mentality.

“She was just as patient with us,” she says. “We were so green, with zero experience in ownership. Sadly for us, Kristin moved to Arizona but thank goodness, we were blessed with a new trainer, Nicole Mancuso, who has also been patient with us! Maddie has learned how to handle a young OTTB and has started jumping courses on Artic. It’s quite different than riding a school horse!

“Her goals are to jump in a show with him by the end of the summer and hopefully next year, make their debut at the Hampton Classic [the prestigious end-of-summer show on Long Island). My goals are simpler. I’m happy safely toodling around on Artic and just spending time together. I want to provide him with the best life I possibly can.”

Maddie & Artic earned 4th place in Walk Trot Pleasure last year (2021). Photo courtesy of Alison Galeotafiore.

ARTIC WARMS UP

“Perhaps any initial bumps in getting to know one another had more to do with me than him. I was the inexperienced one,” says the first-time owner. “I had no idea how much time and work goes into rehabbing a young former racehorse coming off extended stall rest after arthroscopic knee surgery.

“But I can tell you this, it most definitely takes a village!”

Today, the white horse with the natural ‘eyeliner’ sports a stylish English show bridle and is learning to jump, not race, his courses.

The horse born to run is learning how to take it slow. “Artic is loving his new career. He will jump a course now without racing and rushing around the ring,” she says, adding with a grin, “For the most part.”

Artic’s personality has also grown.

“He’s more confident and comical and, I believe, very happy. He loves almost everyone he meets, two- and four-legged, a trait brought out I think by his time at the track, when so many people visited him.”

During his racing career, Artic Storm Cat inspired a Facebook page (See sidebar, Lighter Shades of Pale) and now more than 2,000 fans follow his adventures daily on Instagram at @articstormcat.

“He enjoys daily naps and absolutely loves peppermints. He’ll do just about anything to earn those! He enjoys carrot tops, and secretly loves when I kiss him all over his nose, and scratch the sides of his muzzle or rub his ears.”

“Artic is my once-in-a-lifetime horse. When I think back to how much we have learned and grown together, it makes me so happy and proud. Diane Keegan (manager at Island Hills) truly helped set the stage for success for us.

“We are well on our way to an amazing life together. I hope others will be inspired by our story and know that they too can give an offtrack racehorse a new lease on life.”

What you have to gain, she spells out, is unbridled fulfillment.

Lighter Shades of Pale

At your next après races party, try these fun facts for icebreakers!

• There are no albino horses. Horses lack the genetic factors for albinism.

• Horses have six different dilution genes that lighten coats differently: cream, champagne, dun, mushroom, pearl and silver.

• Artic is related to two of the white horses ridden by Johnny Depp in Disney’s 2013 film, The Lone Ranger.