“Pirate” is an Illinois-bred Thoroughbred who had 10 starts on the track with very small earnings of $3,840. I happened upon him in 2005 at a training facility when my mother was shopping for a student. I knew from the moment I saw him I needed him, just something about him. I was 16 years old and did not ‘need’ another horse but I finally convinced my Mom it would be a good resale. Thankfully my Dad recognized his talent at a young age and he was never sold. I produced him all the way up the levels of eventing with our most notable finishes at the highest level (5*). As a team we were shortlisted for the 2014 Normandy World Equestrian Games where we got to travel to France in preparation. As a backup plan, we went from France to England to compete at the prestigious Burghley 5*. Pirate completed the Kentucky 3-Day event 5* three times with our most notable finish of 12th place. Also in 2013 on behalf of a USEF traveling grant, we went to England to compete at Blenheim Palace 4* and finished 11th. He is a fierce competitor and is one of the most loyal horses I know I will ever get the chance to sit on. He provided me with miles and miles of experience at the highest level of competition and gave me opportunities I never imagined. He was plagued with an injury in 2015 and once healed I handed over the reins to my student Emily Shilling to gain some invaluable miles at the lower levels. After a couple years of that, he earned the retirement of a king and lives out in a big beautiful field on my Virginia farm with his friends. He is my horse of a lifetime! I owe him my career and look forward to sharing my incredible experience from him with many other top athlete horses. Thank you Pirate!” – Meghan O’Donoghue, Owner
Pirate’s Gold Star
Bay Gelding, 28 March 2002
Pirate Stronghold – Stars Heir, by Risen Star
Bred by Marion M. Boone
10 – 1 – 0 – 2 $3,840
Leah Clark Rudy
Leah Rudy is an artist working out of Denver, Colorado for the past year. Her artwork typically consists of figurative abstract wild horse portraits in acrylic on canvas, but more recently she has been exploring the medium of pen and ink with watercolor. Leah’s background is in Thoroughbred racing, having graduated from Southern Illinois University with a degree in Equine Science in 2008 and graduating from the esteemed Godolphin Flying Start Program in 2012. She has worked for multiple Grade 1 winning trainers such as Wayne Catalano and H. Graham Motion as an assistant trainer before pursuing her art career full time in 2013. While developing her art career, she continued to follow her passion for horses, working to rescue and rehabilitate horses seized by law enforcement from cruelty situations. She has worked for the Lollypop Farm Humane Society of Greater Rochester New York as well as the Dumb Friends League Harmony Equine Center in Colorado, training and rehabilitating horses for adoption. Leah and her husband Mike welcomed their first child, daughter Eden, in July 2020.
To see her full portfolio or to contact the artist herself, please visit her website at www.lclarkartist.com, or contact her via her social media accounts on Facebook @lclarkartstudio or on Instagram @lnclark_artist.