"Those who can’t do, teach.” It sounds like a left-handed compliment. But it’s often totally accurate – as in the case of Pajama Pants, the stable pony for Bruce Jackson’s Fair Hill Equine Therapy Center in Elkton, Md., the past three years.
The 15-year-old chestnut gelding made it back to his Mid-Atlantic roots. He was bred by Equivine Farm in Coatesville, Pa., a little less than a half-hour of Fair Hill. His sire, champion Thunder Gulch, had an illustrious career with wins in the 1995 Fountain of Youth-G2, Florida Derby-G1, Kentucky Derby-G1, Belmont Stakes-G1, Swaps-G2 and Travers-G1 for D. Wayne Lukas. He finished third in the Preakness-G1 behind stablemate Timber Country and Maryland hero Oliver’s Twist.
Pajama Pants’ name is a slight nod to his dam, the Cozzene mare Cozy Lace. Also a Pennsylvania-bred, she won seven races (including a stakes) in 42 starts.
Part of the Charlton consignment at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic fall yearling sale at Timonium, Md., in 2010, Pajama Pants sold for $22,000 to trainer Dove Houghton. He ran for Fast Enough Stable VI in four starts as a 3-year-old in 2012 at Pimlico, Laurel and Penn National. He broke his maiden at the latter in his second start June 22 – his solo highlight in a short career with $25,410 earned in those four starts.
He transitioned to a career as a track pony with Sarah O’Brien. From there, Pajama Pants landed a sweet assignment at Sam-Son Farm with Peter and Kim Brette, who were then based at the Ocala, Fla., property. That connection eventually put him on the road back home.
Bruce and Amy Jackson’s stable pony, Emory, was a revered and recognizable gray who kept order at Fair Hill from 2011-18. He worked until nearly the end of his life, passing away at age 30. In a June 2012 profile in this space, Amy Jackson spelled out Emory’s impact.
Amy Jackson and her husband Bruce trained a small string of horses at Laurel Park. One, a colt by Capote, was so rank and dangerous to handle that Amy decided it was time to invest in a pony – and a good one.
Amy heard of a pony for sale at Ben Feliciano’s barn and went for a test ride. She hopped on Emory and headed toward the track with the Capote colt in tow. Within seconds, the colt was on two legs; and just as quickly, Emory reacted. “He grabbed the colt by his nose and shook him violently. He said, ‘Listen up, buddy!’ And you know, that colt never said boo to a goose after that.”
At Fair Hill, Emory is as much a part of the scenery as the clockers’ stand. Fillies adore him; Amy calls him the mare magnet for his ability to calm them down. But stud colts are his thing.
“They’ll act up and start their stuff, and I’ll say ‘Sorry about your lot. Meet Emory,’ she said. “He’s a legend . . . He still works five to six sets per day, except Sundays. He’s my best friend and a savior to many an exercise rider in difficulty. He’s taught me more about horses than any human ever could.”
It took three years for another pony to pass muster. While some solid candidates were on temporary loan, a few simply couldn’t handle the on-the-job training during extended auditions.
That changed when the couple’s daughter Katelyn Jackson was in Ocala for a sale in June 2021.
“Katelyn tried him out while she was in Ocala for the sales,” said Michelle Hurley, assistant to Bruce Jackson at Fair Hill Equine Therapy Center. “Kim Brette was working for Sam-Son Farm at the time, and we heard that she had a pony. So Katelyn went over and rode him. She called back and said ‘Get him. He’s a workhorse.’ Kim had even told us that he loved to work and needed a job. We said, ‘OK great, we have a job for him.’”
Pajama Pants boarded a northbound Brook Ledge van after the sale, arrived at Fair Hill June 14, 2021, settled in seamlessly and took to his new duties.
While a stable/track pony’s job is physical and demanding, Pajama Pants’ position does have some unusual perks – rather like the golf pro at a country club. Should the need arise, the gelding has the therapy center’s various modalities at his disposal. And the clientele can be high profile.
“He has escorted In Italian (GB), Aunt Pearl (Ire), Shantisara (Ire), Dynamic One, Pleasant Passage and Vequist, along with many others,” said Hurley, rattling off a string of graded stakes winners. “His current plus one is Goodgirl Badhabits, who has done very well on the Maryland circuit. She loves Pajama; she goes right to him. She knows ‘I’m going to the track, and this is my pony.’”
While Emory was more sheriff and disciplinarian, Pajama Pants’ demeanor provides a calming influence.
“The fillies love him,” Amy Jackson said. “They love him.”
Consistent work has proven key to keeping Pajama Pants calmly ticking over. Faced with downtime, he becomes a bit of a powder keg in his first few days back on the job.
“When he’s not working, he does not act like a pony horse at all,” Hurley said. “Meaning, he can be a handful. But when he has a horse on the strap, he knows he’s working. He’s not distracted; he’s pretty focused on what he’s doing.”
Well, there is one peculiar exception. Another trainer at Fair Hill has a palomino pony who holds a rather odd fascination for Pajama Pants. He snorted and shied upon his first few sightings years ago, and to this day he’ll fixate on that horse. The palomino goes about his job unaffected, but Pajama Pants will stop and stare any time he’s not ponying someone to and from the track.
“He’ll see him from across the field and will not stop watching him,” Hurley said. “His ears go up, and he’ll turn his whole body to watch him. I don’t know what that pony ever did to him.”
Though faced with a tough assignment, Pajama Pants has proven worthy of carrying Emory’s torch and earned the stamp of approval from the squad at the barn. Ridden most often by Hurley and Katelyn Jackson, he can be trusted to pack the occasional intern around.
“He’s fun to ride, and always quiet except when he’s out in the paddock,” Hurley said. “When he wants to come in for feed time, he yells – and then he will drag you into the barn for dinner. He’s on senior feed and doesn’t get the sweet feed that the racehorses get, so he’ll dive into the feed tubs on his way past their stalls.”
Just one more cool perk of the job.
