Raised on Indian Ridge Farm in Frankfort, a retired racehorse named Angus is getting a second chance at life, one he's using to promote the sport he once excelled at."He does have quirks. He sits on his haunches like a dog and h e will do that often," trainer Buff Bradley laughed.Sitting like a dog isn't the only distinguishing factor for Angus. When he was born in 2013, Bradley noticed he lay on the ground for hours at a time. Initially, the unusual tics made Bradley nervous."We sent him to the clinic a couple times because we thought something neurological was wrong with him, but he was fine. The vet finally told me, he said 'Buff, stop sending this horse over here, there's nothing wrong with him, he's just quirky,'" Bradley said.Bradley and co-owner Carl Hurst, along with a growing Facebook fan club, fell in love with the horse and his quirky personality, which made him that much easier to root for. In 2017, "The Player," as he's known on the track, won the Fayette G2 at Keeneland."He was a great race horse and I think he was just getting to where he should've been when he fractured his leg," Bradley said.In 2018, Angus suffered a catastrophic injury, sustaining broken front sesamoids and torn tendons."I was just sick about it, and when it happened I just ran to himhe's my buddy," Bradley said.Bradley was faced with the hardest call in horse racing: how to move forward given the severity of The Player's injuries."The vet suggested we put him down, it was the most humane thing to do, not because they can't fix it, but because of the after care," Bradley said.However, Bradley saw Angus' quirks as an advantage. While most horses stand, Angus was prone to lying, which was ideal for recovery."I showed them all the pictures of him sitting and his antics and they said 'Okay let's try it,'" Bradley said.Angus received plates and screws, spending six months recovering at LSU's Equine Hospital. Though he would never race again, Bradley pitched him to the Kentucky Horse Park as a thoroughbred ambassador.That's where you'll find him today."I was honored the Kentucky Horse Park took him because that's a place that gets a lot of visitors and we want young people to know his story. Not everything is bad," Bradley said.Kentucky Horse Park President Lee Carter said Angus is a tremendous addition to the facility."For us to be able to share his story, to talk about horses after care and the relationship horses have with people, he's just the embodiment of everything we talk about here," Carter said.Bradley, who lives only a few minutes away, stops by often to check on his companion. To see him getting a second lease on life is a gift for both Angus and Bradley."I can't tell you how happy I am, it just chokes me up thinking about it," Bradley said. ...read more read less