It is with a heavy heart that I announce the retirement of Obliging Zgreat from Kallor stable. I've mentioned him many times before, too many probably, but he's really been the identity for my Vermont stables.

Named after the person responsible for bringing me into the sim and this residency, OZ was bred originally as a joking tribute to the now dearly missed Zgreat. He had jokingly commented that the then new unknown sire Testa Rossa (AUS) was one that I would probably use.

I didn't know anything about the sire, the pedigree or his record, but I couldn't let that pass. So I paired him up with a quality dam-sire in Silver Ghost and Grey Dawn II in the DDS slot. I was just hoping to get a competitive allowance level horse so he'd have a nice career and I could tweak Zgreat's nose about it. I got much more.

He went on to a record of 53 races-11/10/3 (with one more race this week) and won just over a million dollars for my stable. He was clearly in love with the turf, winning the very first time he set hooves on it, way back in 2002. He went on to win four stakes in his 3 yo campaign, including the 2000 Guineas in 2003, the first leg of the English Triple Crown, and nearly winning the second leg later that season. The highest accomplishment I have achieved in the sim to date.

He lost some form soon after, and never raced in a stakes race again starting with his 4 yo campaign. But he remained very competitive in alllowances that year and 2005 winning several. But starting with the last race of 2005, he was showing that he had enough. He hasn't won in nearly a year, and has not been competitive in his last several allowances. Painful to watch really.

But I kept running him until I had breeding points to use that magical sim medicine to breed him to a top sire. Took every last BP, but got the sire this week.

Obliging King/Queen, 2 yo colt/filly

Kingmambo X Testa Rossa X Silver Ghost.

Zgreat was surely the King of the sim there for a while at least in my eyes, so I'm glad the new name will remind me of both him and the horse that brought me such good memories. I know I'm being overly dramatic for a file in a computer program, but OZ represents why I've stayed with the sim for going on my sixth year now-a great game and an even greater community here at Vermont and the other places I hang out at because of the sim.

So hopefully you'll forgive me for the drama and wish Obliging Zgreat's baby a career as great as his/her dad's.

Dan