'Cursed' Horse Loses 1987 Kentucky Derby

Demons Begone #6 by Anne Eberhardt: Source

Back in 1987, a three year old colt by the name of Demons Begone won the Arkansas Derby. The horse with the interesting name, owned by John Ed Anthony and trained by Phil Hauswald, had won all three of his previous races and was the clear favorite for winning the upcoming Kentucky Derby.  Unfortunately, fate would step in and rob the horse of its predicted victory.

Before the race was halfway through, it was apparent there was a major problem with Demons Begone. Walked off the track by jockey Pat Day, and inspected by veterinarian Gary Lavin, it was discovered that Demons Begone had begun bleeding from the nostrils. Another horse ended up in the winner’s circle of the Kentucky Derby, but that didn’t mean Demons Begone was out of the spotlight just yet.

The whole incident had caught the attention of C. Mitchell Bedford. Bedford was a self-proclaimed horse psychic and equine exorcist. He owned a horse farm just outside of Winchester, KY called the Rising Star Horse and Health Farm where he spiritually treated horses with the help of psychic healing, facilitated by former vets who were now in the spiritual realm themselves. And, by spiritually treating horses, I mean he was on record for having treated two horses, Sam and Rocky. 

C. Mitchell Bedford at Rising Star Farm Lexington Herald-Leader 06 May 1987

Bedford was convinced that Demons Begone was, by some measure, possessed by actual demons. You see, his very name was a personal affront to the demon world. Demons be gone? Well, those demons would show humanity just how ‘gone’ they were by….well, I guess…causing a horse to lose the Kentucky Derby. 

Bedford offered to exorcise Demons Begone to really make the demons be gone, a process by which he apparently just sternly but politely asked them to leave. He stated in the local paper that the owners of the horse had nothing to lose and everything to gain by letting him have a shot at cleansing the equine’s demons. However, it doesn’t appear as if Anthony ever took him up on the offer. 

Luckily, Demons Begone was able to recover from his health problems. He lived to race again, but never quite achieved his former glory. In 1989, he was put out to stud at the Claiborne Farm near Paris, KY. In 1997 he was moved to El Dorado Farms in Washington state, where he spent his final days. He passes away on July 4, 2001 due to a ruptured aorta. 

It is unclear whether Demons Begone really ever bid his demons be gone. 

Sources and Further Reading:

Washington Stallion Demons Begone Dead. Blood Horse July 8, 2001

Demons Begone Wins Southwest Stakes. Blood Horse February 21, 2019

Ventura County Star 03 May 1987

Lexington Herald-Leader 06 May 1987