When Leslie and Anthony Arcuri lost their beloved horse Ghazi in October, the grief was intense. Ghazi had been part of their family for 30 years and had been through life’s highest highs and lowest lows with the couple.

Gucci, a 30-year-old Thoroughbred that the Arcuris adopted in 2004 from the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation (TRF) in Montpelier, Va., was grieving, too. Ghazi had been Gucci’s best friend for two decades. It quickly became clear that Gucci needed a new friend. Gucci was TRF’s first successful adoption from their Montpelier location.

Sally Hamlin, then President of the Virginia Thoroughbred Project (VTP), learned of Ghazi’s passing and soon contacted the Arcuris. She was also aware of a Virginia-bred mare recently rescued from a vulnerable situation and needed a safe and permanent home. The mare was being quarantined and evaluated before she was allowed to transfer to Montpelier, and Sally thought it might be the perfect fit for the couple.

Courtesy of Leslie Arcuri

The mare’s name was Gonandunit, nicknamed “Noni,” and she came with quite the backstory. She was part of a large group of broodmares caught in the middle of a bitter estate dispute. When the owner passed away, a legal battle between the family and a business partner led to the horses being put into a dispersal sale. Thankfully, a network of kindhearted people, including Virginia Thoroughbred Project, sprang into action to secure safe homes for every mare.

Noni had a short, unsuccessful racing career and later served as a broodmare in Canada. She raced 25 times between 2011-'14 and earned just over $12,000; she only won one race.

On Jan. 14, as soon as Noni was released from quarantine and sent to Montpelier, Leslie and Anthony made the drive to meet her. “She didn’t seem to care we were there,” Leslie recalled. Noni was content to continue grazing with her pasture mate until farm manager Crystal teased them over with a little grain. A few pats and treats later, the Arcuris had made up their minds. The very next day, they brought Noni home.

The introduction with Gucci could not have gone better. “She aloofly swaggered toward him,” Leslie laughed. But any hesitation was gone in moments and within five minutes of being turned out together, Gucci and Noni were eating from the same feed bucket.

Over the winter, Noni became more than just a companion. She was easy to blanket, blossomed under the Arcuris’ care, and quickly revealed a love for attention. “If you put your hand on her flank, she stops walking and waits for more scratches,” Leslie said. “She’s just that sweet.”

Noni’s gentle spirit became even more apparent when Leslie and Anthony’s daughter came to visit with her 5-year-old twin boys. One of the boys fell and began to cry and “Noni stopped eating, listened to the cry and went straight over to them to console the cry[ing child],” remembered Leslie.

“This big bay mare is a sweet, gentle giant,” Leslie said. “Just this morning I was combing her mane and she bent her neck to look at me and we nuzzled face to face.” Thanks to a well-timed call, Noni found her forever family.

The Jockey Club supports many aftercare initiatives including the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance, the only accrediting body in aftercare, and Thoroughbred Incentive Program (T.I.P.), which encourages the retraining of Thoroughbreds into other disciplines upon completion of careers. View all of the initiatives supported by The Jockey Club.