Hall Of Fame - Every Now And Then

Original article written by Nathan Klein posted 3 years 0 weeks ago

In year 57 Ohio Charmer reached a new high as a sire. Initially, that doesn't make much sense he had been dead for six sim years what else was there for him to achieve. Well, it came in the form of the Hall Of Fame. He was already mounted on the Hall Of Fame but that year he got his first offspring to stand aside with him. Every Now And Then was not just standing alongside her father. She was also standing beside her mother Paint Champion Three Year Old Female and successful broodmare Eclipsed Heart. It was a match made in heaven visually but there was some worry.

The two had already paired to create Steward's Cup Paint Ladies Sprint winner Honeymoon Finale but you can't expect the same results even if you do everything right a second time. And this still holds true for Every Now And Then. But instead, she managed to outclass her older sister in earnings and credentials being the only of her three full siblings to get into the Hall Of Fame. Her burst of speed was at its best in her early years. She broke quickly but would start midpack. Then she'd quickly get up to max speed as she reached the finish line. Sometimes she was a nose ahead sometimes it was a whole three-parts of a length. All that mattered was she was the best there was at the age of two.

She raced six times, all in stakes company and never once faltered. She won her first three by no less than half a length which is impressive for races that are less than a quarter of a mile. She would have to fight for her second half but she still never lost, winning her first Grade 1, the Tulsa Paint Juvenile Fillies by a nose. Then she took a second successive Grade 1 the Steward's Cup Paint Fillies Dash by a neck. Two Grade 1's and just one season of racing was more than enough for her to win Paint Champion Two Year Old Female.

Going into her three-year-old season she seemed ready to do it all over again. She racked up three more wins all by a neck including the Grade 3 New Mexico Paint Sweepstakes. She had a rocky ending as she failed to deliver in both her Grade 1 showings. Finishing third in the Painted Oaks and then sixth in the Steward's Cup Paint Ladies Sprint. Still, she was able to sandwich a win in the Frou Frou Stakes in between those losses.

Despite a first time out of the money, she came back as a fighter as an older horse. Even with an imperfect record she always made sure to get a slice of the cake. Just like before she would race exactly six times and she made sure to better herself from her three-year-old season. She only lost her first and last race and got a four-race winning streak going. With two being by an impressive half a length margin. She then finished the year off with a gut-wrenching nose defeat in the Steward's Cup Paint Ladies Sprint to Lilac Sparks. But it was her last start at her peak. She went on to race at the age of five but didn't perform as well. She continued to have game effort after game effort and living up to her name Every Now And Then got a victory. But she seemed to always be just short. Losing her first three races by heads and noses.

But as a last stand, she came through with another mini streak taking the Funny Little Spots Stakes by a neck. And then the Decemberists Stakes by a head. Both nice performances leading up to the Steward's Cup Paint Ladies Sprint. But she concluded with an anti-climax as she finished eleventh for the first time in two sim years she had finished off the board and her worst performance on the track. Although it wasn't a great conclusion to her career she still found success off the track as a broodmare. While she wasn't as good as her mother she still broke 1 million dollars in progeny earnings.

With her best offspring being Acarus. A horse who won the Grade 1 Painted Derby at the age of three. As well as that he won the Ohio Charmer Stakes a fitting race for a grandson of Ohio Charmer to win. He concluded his career with exactly $500,000 flat, an oddly specific yet impressive feat to have. And a fitting conclusion to the career of Every Now And Then. Dual Grade 1 winner, Steward's Cup winner. Always a horse who ran six races a year, and a millionaire broodmare. It's hard to match that many career achievements in a sim lifetime.

---

Back to Hall of Fame articles