Bonnie's Poker 1982 - 2010
by Poker—What a Surprise by Wise Margin

I wouldn't presume to know if a horse's life flashes before their eyes in the moment of death, but I do know that their lives flash before mine. This afternoon, as Bonnie's Poker spent her last breath feeling the pain drift from her 28-year-old body,  I remembered the first afternoon in 2004 when I saw her in an enormous field at Nicole Hammond's December Farm in Midway. Bonnie's owner, Kris Jakeman, who nursed Bonnie back after she almost died foaling a Fusaichi Pegasus colt, led me into the pasture. Bonnie wanted nothing to do with either of us. She was a tough old gal. If an actress, she would have played one of Cagney's molls...no nonsense, tough as nails. She wasn't pretty. But her self-confidence and strong will made her who she was. How many racehorses win 3 races in 10 days at Aqueduct? Bonnie did. Earlier this summer, at Saratoga, jockey Robbie Davis confirmed what Marianne Haun wrote in her book "The X Factor." "She was all heart," he said. "One day she was getting tired heading into the stretch and was about to get passed so I started hitting her. She practically stopped. As soon as I put away the whip, she took off again and won. I wanted to buy her. I wasn't at all surprised that she gave us Silver Charm." Jakeman wasn't surprised either. And, when it came time for Bonnie to be retired, Jakeman dug in with the same tenacity as her mare. Bonnie became part of a bankruptcy and National City Bank was demanding $25,000 for her. Jakeman, through many letters, begged the court to allow Bonnie to retire. After months of wrangling, Jakeman and Bonnie prevailed. Bonnie won her hard-earned retirement. It's never easy when they go. At least, for us. But, as she gently fell for the last time, she did it without a whimper...dying as she lived.