Fosta: Marathon MasterIf nature had taken its course, Fosta would never have lived. But thanks to quick and loving intervention, the plucky little foal did survive. In the first few moments of his life, he was stolen from his dame by an expectant mare. When she had no milk to give him, he had to be fostered by a third “mother” since his own refused to take him back. From the very beginning, his chances of amounting to anything were horribly slim. Added to that, it didn’t look as if he would ever be big enough for racing. Yet Fosta has become one of the best-known horses ever to run Australia’s grueling “ultimate endurance test,” the Shahzada. For five days, the toughest and fastest horses compete internationally to cover four hundred kilometers of rugged terrain. The motto of the event is “To Finish is to Win,” and Fosta has finished an incredible ten out of eleven starts, making him one of the most consistent and enduring horses of all time. Here is his story, told so that readers will feel they are atop Fosta as he attempts to earn his last completion buckle. |
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Adele affectionate afternoon ahead Alan decided Alan Lindsay Albans award base camp Best Conditioned Bindo bred brown snake buck Cathy challenging chance climbs colostrum colt completed the test Cowra David Parkins earned easy eighty-kilometer endurance horses endurance rides entered Fosta final finished foal Fosta and Alan Fosta and Helen Fosta passed Fosta seemed four hundred kilometers front-runners hard Helen and Alan Helen Brown John John Robertson Kintamani Fosta Kintamani Stud Lisa little bay gelding little horse looking Louise loved MARATHON MASTER mare Mark Miskeen months moved muscles night Nina Nowra once pasture Pony pulled push race rest riders Robert Ward rode saddle Saddleback Mountain Shahzada test Sherwood Park shotgun start Silver Shadow slow snakebite soon spent sport of endurance stop stringhalts Susan teams thoroughbred tired top-ten tough traffic trot True HORSE Stories vetting station walk Walkers Wandandian younger horses