There Was Something About Alan

Lucy and Randy Edwards (pictured here with Bertcha dam of Birdbirdistheword) are the breeders of Birdbirdistheword.

Birdbird did not always have such a long name. When being raised on the Edward's farm, which they call The Gambol, he was called Alan. The Gambol and sits on 17 1/2 acres about 20 miles northwest of Ocala and 5 miles south of Williston, Florida.

Lucy and Randy Edwards both work full-time jobs, Randy at Ocala Breeders Sales (OBS) while Lucy is a medical technologist with Florida's Blood Centers in Ocala. They have no employees and the work at The Gambol is split with Randy feeding in the morning and Lucy in the afternoon. When the foals arrive, they work together to handle them every evening. During breeding season their vet accommodates their schedules by coming early before Randy goes to work at OBS. A very dependable neighbor takes the mares to be bred.

Alan (center) and Bertcha (right)

The Edwards have eleven mares, up from nine last year as they bought two in October. One has foaled and there are eight more to go. They sold five foals in the October OBS sale and have just two yearling colts aimed for the August sale. They still own (with Sharon Biamonte) Berchta's two-year-old by Drewman who is going to OBS' April 2YO sale. Sharon preps and sells all their horses. While the amount of work isn't great (except when a horse(s) is sick or injured) it is relentless and tends to keep them home most of the time. When they travel, a another very dependable neighbor helps out.

The Edwards were kind enough to answer a few questions posed by Larry Green of Team Bird about themselves and life with Alan.

Q: Where did the nickname Alan come from?

A: The first thing that came to mind was Alan. Because he was so mild mannered and such a smart guy. Randy said: He seemed very intelligent and so the name.

Q: Did Alan stand out as a baby?

A: He really did stand out on the farm. He was long legged, graceful and moved so well.

Q: Was Alan independent or did he stay by his mares side?

A:: He was fairly independent and very inquisitive.

Q: How many horses do you have?

A: 11 broodmares.

Q: How long have you been in the horse business?

A: We bought 1/3 interest in a broodmare at the sale in 1996. Then in 1997 I bought some property and it took a while to clear it off. In 1999 we started buying our own brood mares.

Q: How did you pick Pure Prize to breed your mare to?

A: We bought the Berchta already in foal.

Q: What made you pick this mare?

A: We always look for mares that have raced and won or who are closely related to them. Berchta was a bonus as she was full sister to a G3 winner. I really did not know much about Pure Prize until I researched him prior to the sale and I really was impressed by his breeding. So we really felt that we had something special even before Alan was born. And Berchta was the only mare in the sale in foal to Pure Prize.

Q: Do you still own Berchta?

A: Yes. She is currently in foal to Lido Palace and is due any day now.

Q: What are your future plans with Berchta?

A: We definitely plan to breed her back to Pure Prize.

Q: Who are your all time favorite race horses?

A: Definitely Birdbirdistheword and I would say Secretariat.

Q: Do you race horses?

A: No we do not but may in the near future.