SCOTLAND, S.D. (Dakota News Now) – As some of the top horses in the world prepare for the famous Kentucky Derby on Saturday, a former racehorse in Scotland, South Dakota, is looking to grab some attention, too.

Delegate It is a 23-year-old thoroughbred with impressive size and, as you can imagine, speed.

After a few rough years, he ended up in Scotland at South Dakota’s largest horse rescue and sanctuary, Gentle Spirit.

The former Derby horse is looking for a new place to call home in his life after racing.

From the track to South Dakota pastures, Delegate It has lived an eventful life.

“He knows he’s a star. He only won one race in his entire career, but it doesn’t matter. Twenty-seven times he went out there and gave it his all,” said Gentle Spirit Executive Director Tiffany Ring.

He may only have a few top-three finishes in his career races in Arizona and California, but born in Kentucky, he has bloodline connections that you might recognize.

He’s a distant descendant of Bold Ruler and a distant cousin to Secretariat.

But how does a horse of his background end up here? At Gentle Spirit Horses Rescue and Sanctuary, it isn’t exactly common to see a former racehorse.

One of his previous owners in Utah passed away and the other couldn’t care for him due to health complications.

He was getting pretty thin and needed a change.

“He’s gained a ton of weight back, but he’s still gaining. Now that he’s gained the weight, we see more of this playful, very active personality and he’s just a lot of fun to be around,” Ring said.

Now, Delegate It is back to his spunky self. A new home will give him a place to be loved.

“May is National Adopt a Horse Month. At 23, he still has a lot of life left in him as he’s shown,” Ring said.

Caring for Delegate It until he finds a new home has been a challenge. Non-profits have seen a decline in donations over time, making it more difficult for horse sanctuaries like Gentle Spirit to put on programs or even to buy necessary supplies.

“He gets almost eighteen pounds of senior feed and a bag of senior feed, a fifty-pound bag, is almost thirty dollars, so it costs a lot to help him and the approximately sixty other horses we have in our care at any time and we’re struggling quite a bit. We need support to continue to be able to help. Any help we can get is great,” Ring explained. “We’re feeling the pinch of a tough economy and rising hay costs due to ongoing drought conditions.”

There’s no finish line in sight, but Gentle Spirit pushes forward because they believe horses like Delegate It deserve to live a happy life.

“Obviously in rescue, we see a lot of heartbreaking things and Delegate’s story is heartbreaking. It’s really difficult to face that kind of thing day after day, so when we see a horse who is thriving and recovering, that just makes it so much easier and so much more rewarding,” Ring expressed.

When they find a new home for one of their resident horses, they said there are tears, but it’s a bittersweet occasion.

If you want to find ways to donate, volunteer or learn more about what they do, you can go to GentleSpiritHorses.org.

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