An obituary for the famed racehorse Alphabet Soup, who, after retirement, sired a generation of horses who were also named after soup—including Egg Drop, Italian Wedding, I’m Just Souper, and No Soup for You.
The saddest donkey in northern Kentucky is a little knock-kneed fellow named Gorgeous George, who is grieving the recent loss of his dearest companion, the famed racehorse Alphabet Soup . At the time of his death, Alphabet Soup—who went by Soupy, Alfie, or, most often, Alphabet—was the oldest living winner of the Breeders’ Cup Classic.
Sometime after he turned four, Alphabet had a revelation. Hofmans was schooling the horse in the paddock one day when Alphabet suddenly looked up and stared at the grandstand. It was as if in that instant something clicked. From that moment on, Alphabet was less of a goofball and more of a yeoman, determined to win. His tenacity and work ethic had him beating horses that were, in terms of size and talent, better than him. “He was a high achiever,” the jockey Chris McCarron said recently.
Alphabet’s earnings ticked up to almost three million dollars, topped off by that crazy win at the Breeders’ Cup, with McCarron onboard. Alphabet retired the following year and became a stud, siring a generation of horses that included many who were also named after soups, including Egg Drop, Italian Wedding, Bless My Soup, Damascus Soup, Noodle Soup, I’m Just Souper, and No Soup for You.
Alphabet, shy at first, soon came into his own as a lazy pensioner. He was so easygoing, Blowen said, that you could lead him around with dental floss. Life got even better in 2020 when, by chance, the farm manager, who had inherited his father’s donkey, put the creature in a paddock adjacent to Alphabet Soup. By all accounts, the two animals locked eyes and sent each other telepathic messages about hanging out together for eternity.
Afterword is an obituary column that pays homage to people, places, and things we’ve lost. To propose a subject for The New Yorker to cover in an Afterword piece, write to us at
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