Click here to donate to Need For Speed's surgery fund.
From the Need For Speed's Surgery Fund GoFundMe page:
Need For Speed captivated Michigan’s horse racing fans as one of the state’s top Arabians during his on-track career, and is now utilizing his rich bloodlines as one of the region’s most promising young stallions.
Now, the stunning gray faces his greatest test, a life-threatening sinus infection that could require multiple serious surgeries to remove the mass causing the illness. Long-term antibiotics are helping sustain his current condition, but the... decision will soon have to be made to operate or put him down. We are looking to raise monies toward Need For Speed’s surgeries to return him to his stud career, or at least live comfortably.
Need For Speed, a 12-year-old son of Aransas HF, was foaled at the Morley, Mich. farm of Nicole Holst-Ruvalcaba, out of her cornerstone mare Bristol Breeze. Holst raised “Speedy” and took him to the races at Mount Pleasant Meadows in Central Michigan, where she trained him throughout his award-winning career. Need For Speed now resides on Holst’s farm after beginning his stud career in Texas. His first foals were born in 2012 and will begin on the racetrack in 2016.
The horse raced for three seasons, winning seven of 17 starts. He was named 3-Year-Old of the Year and Michigan-Bred of the Year by the Association of Racing Arabian Breeders (A.R.A.B.) of Michigan in 2007, highlighted by a victory in the Michigan Arabian Juvenile Stakes. Need For Speed was once again named Michigan-Bred of the Year in 2008 and secured 4-Year-Old of the year honors with an 8 ½-length win in the Michigan Derby.
Despite his accolades, Need For Speed flew under the radar during the 2009 meet, and scored an upset victory in the Arabian Racing Cup Midwest Maturity Open Stakes at odds of 13-to-1. The effort helped Need For Speed earn Claiming Horse of the Year in his farewell season.
Need For Speed is a Polish-rooted outcross for 12 of the top 15 broodmare sires by earnings of 2015, including Burning Sand, Haffir El Rimal, ZT Ali Baba, Dormane, Wilkolak, Seyvilla Triumph, NF Proof, Nivour de Cardonne, Brusally Orlen, Ala Croixnoire, Line Dancer, and Baco du Cassou.
Contributing toward Need For Speed’s surgery will ensure racing Arabian breeders have an opportunity to send their mares to a stakes winner without concern of breeding too close to the stallion in an ever-shrinking gene pool. Additionally, his bloodlines are also proving to excel on the endurance trails.
His dam is the multiple stakes-winning Wiking mare Bristol Breeze, making him a full sibling to 2011 Michigan Horse of the Year Wicked Breeze (now an accomplished endurance horse) and allowance winner Breezin Bye, and a half sibling to stakes winner Whatabreeze and allowance winner It’s a Hemi.
From Owner/Trainer/Breeder Nicole Holst:
"Surgery can start after the first of year. At this time, the estimates for each procedure are between $1,200-1800. He will have a 3-5 day hospital stay, where they will unde go what is called, Sinus Flap Surgery. He has a 25% chance that the first will work with full recovery. More likely, he will need two, with approximately 5 weeks to see if the first worked, with a possibility of three needed. We can only hope and pray one is all he will need.
"I have spent many months contemplating putting him down. It has honestly been one of the most heartbreaking issues within my racing career. He is so happy and full of life, despite what must be must be feeling. Always happy to greet and show off for company. How can you destroy something full of life?"