Welder moved to Old Friends

Welder, who is scheduled to be inducted into the Oklahoma Horse Racing Hall of Fame, has taken up residence at Old Friends in Georgetown, Ky., according to a press release from Remington Park.

Welder holds the track’s record for Remington wins with 16. He retired from racing in 2021 and has moved to Old Friends, as his base of Ra-Max Farms in Claremore, Okla., is closing down operations, according to the press release. Clayton Rash, who co-owned the farm, died in January 2022.

Welder arrived at Old Friends on Monday morning and will be in quarantine for the next two weeks before joining the general population. There are a total of 265 horses under the care of Old Friends, according to the press release from Remington.

“Welder arrived at 10 a.m., nice, cool, and collected,” Barbara Fossum, manager at Old Friends, said in a press release. “He looks fabulous and is remarkably calm.”

Welder won 27 races from 44 starts for earnings of more than $1.2 million. He is 10. His many fans include Michael Blowen, the founder and president of Old Friends.

“Michael is a horseplayer and has known of Welder for a while,” Fossum said. “I mean, 27 career wins! Michael keeps track of specific horses that might be a fit at Old Friends and Welder is one of them. He truly admires horses like Welder, a hard-knocker and a horse that is a superstar in his region.”

The inductions for the Oklahoma Horse Racing Hall of Fame will be held Sept. 23 at Remington.

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