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Proceeds from Sale of Ag School Foal Named for Emily Beazley Go to Charity

By Howard Ludwig | September 1, 2015 7:45am
 Olivia Beazley named the foal pictured here Emily Strong in honor of her late sister, Emily. The Standardbred filly was born at the Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences on May 5. Her mother, Basic Brown, has had two other foals at the magnet high school in Mount Greenwood.
Olivia Beazley named the foal pictured here Emily Strong in honor of her late sister, Emily. The Standardbred filly was born at the Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences on May 5. Her mother, Basic Brown, has had two other foals at the magnet high school in Mount Greenwood.
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MOUNT GREENWOOD — A foal named for Emily Beazley will be sold next summer, and the proceeds will support Emily Beazley's Kures for Kids.

Emily's sister Olivia named the foal born on May 5 Emily Strong — a nod to her late sister, who died on May 18 after a four-year battle with non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Emily Strong was the fourth foal born at the Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences in Mount Greenwood, according to Maggie Kendall, an animal science teacher at the Southwest Side high school.

The foal's mother, Basic Brown, also gave birth to Downtown Aggie Brown in May 2013 and Bye Bye Byrdie in May 2014. All of the foals born at the school have been fillies, or females, Kendall said in an email on Monday.

 Emily Strong was born on May 5 at the Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences. The Standardbred filly was named for the late Emily Beazley. Basic Brown will have another foal in late May or early June.
Emily Strong was born on May 5 at the Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences. The Standardbred filly was named for the late Emily Beazley. Basic Brown will have another foal in late May or early June.
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The foals birthed at 3857 W. 111th St. are Standardbred horses bred for harness racing, according to Principal William Hook.

Kendall added that most of the Ag School's horses have gone to auction and sold for about $1,200. However, Chitown Aggie, born May 2011, was sold as part of Super Night at Balmoral Park in south suburban Crete for $3,400.

This sale was viewed as more of a charitable donation, and Hook believes a similar situation for Emily Strong could fetch upward of $5,000 for the charity Emily Beazley dreamed would someday cure her disease.

"Regardless of how we sell her, we will involve the family," Hook said.

Nadia Beazley, Emily and Olivia's mother, said Hook reached out to her family through Ald. Matt O'Shea (19th) in July. He offered the family an opportunity to name the horse and within minutes Olivia chose Emily Strong.

The name will remain with the horse throughout its life as the filly has been registered with the Illinois Harness Horsemen's Association as Emily Strong. Hook expects the horse to draw strong interest from the racing crowd.

Most harness racing horses are purchased as yearlings and receive one year worth of training before making their debut on the track at age 2, Hook said.

Nadia and Olivia Beazley visited Emily Strong on Sunday during Mount Greenwood Fest. Nadia Beazley said the foal followed her mother everywhere — a bond was reminiscent of what she had with her late daughter.

"This is just another example of how great of a community this is," said Nadia Beazley of the promised donation.

Emily Beazley's Kures for Kids will also host a kids fair fundraiser from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sept. 20 at Ag School. It will include food vendors, carnival games, inflatable bounce houses and more.

Admission is free. For more information, visit the Emily Beazley's Kures for Kids website.

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