Posted on 08/26/2004 12:22:42 PM PDT by IN Farm Girl
Just a tiny break from the Swift Boat fun...
Let's hear it for the mule!
By ADAM COATES Banner-Graphic Staff Writer
INDIANAPOLIS ‹ When the Energizer battery company chose a drum-toting white rabbit for its mascot, they obviously hadn't heard of Greencastle resident John Hood and his famed mule, "Old Grey."
At the ripe old age of 18, Old Grey never ceases to amaze his beloved owner who has ridden the animal to victory at the Indiana State Fair's annual mule race for the past nine straight years.
But sadly, Hood has announced that next year will be his last.
"He's gettin' old. I'm gettin' old. And it's time to retire," Hood told the Banner-Graphic.
Hood thought his chances to win the race this year were slim because Old Grey took sick in the days leading up to the race. But that all changed when Hood and his amazing mule entered the arena.
"I wasn't sure when I took him up there, but as soon as we got to the starting line he came to life," Hood said.
In fact, the mule is so full of energy, Hood has to turn him backwards when the race begins so he won't leave the starting line too early. That energy has carried Old Grey to the end of the 300-yard racetrack for the past nine races.
"When we get to the end, he's really just gettin' started," Hood remarked.
If there were any secrets to raising a champion mule like Old Grey, Hood would be smart to keep them a secret. With that said, he attributed Old Grey's "superanimal" strength strictly to genetics.
"When he gets on that track he just wants to win," he said.
Old Grey's racing career has taken him to victories across the Midwest over the years, but time is taking its toll on Old Grey and Hood says he's grown weary of traveling from Illinois to Ohio with the mule.
And the prize money isn't anything to write home about either. Hood only received $50 for winning the state fair race.
"But that's OK. He's famous up there and everybody wants to beat him," Hood said. "He's my buddy."
Is it my imagination or is there a ton of stories that have the word MULE in the title today, and is it an attempt to thwart searches for 2000 mules?
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