Former Colts Neck Stables Runner Takes Talents to RRP

While Thoroughbreds are bred to run, most are natural competitors at heart in whatever discipline they pursue. This bravery, drive, and athleticism so central to the breed makes the Thoroughbred an ideal horse for a variety of different riders and fields of work. At the 14th annual Thoroughbred Makeover, sponsored by the Retired Racehorse Project, former racehorses, both stakes winners and maidens alike, get the opportunity to put their new talents on display for the world to see.

One such horse is the Colts Neck Stables homebred Town of Gold. The 6-year-old gelding is one of three horses previously trained by Colts Neck trainer Jorge Duarte Jr. Besides Town of Gold, former Duarte trainees include Colt's Neck Stable homebred On Prepared, a son of the stable's grade 1-winning mare Tannery, and the Super Saver  gelding In the Loop. Duarte has the highest number of former trainees competing in this year's Thoroughbred Makeover, a testament to his program.

"Aftercare is very important to us at Colts Neck," said Duarte. "We always try to do the best we can as a barn to rehome all of our horses. We work very closely with (aftercare organization) Second Call. When we rehome a horse, we do a very thorough screening and make sure the horse is OK and follow up on them a lot. For us it's very satisfying to see them compete in a second career."

Colts Neck Stables, located in Colts Neck, N.J., is sponsoring this year's $8,000 Grand Champion prize at the Horse Park of New Jersey's Thoroughbred Showdown. The event, sponsored by Second Call and Turning for Home, takes place Nov. 2-3.

Town of Gold could represent his former stable and trainer in the Thoroughbred Showdown, but the Makeover is the first task on the docket. When he arrived at Colts Neck Stables as a 2-year-old, there were high hopes for the Kentucky-bred son of top sire Speightstown. He was produced from the Medaglia d'Oro   mare Spunderful, herself a half sibling to multiple graded stakes winner Fed Biz  .

Specializing in turf sprints, Town of Gold broke his maiden at fourth asking and placed in the Atlantic Beach Stakes at Aqueduct during his 2-year-old season. He won in allowance company as a 3-year-old but failed to find the winner's circle in his remaining 11 starts. While a sound horse physically, Town of Gold frequently struggled with heat stroke, especially during the warmer months.

No one was more familiar with Town of Gold during his racing career than Britt Hughes.

"I was working as a vet for Colts Neck Stables when Townley (Town of Gold) came in as a baby," Hughes said. "You try not to get attached to horses working with them but I just liked this horse a lot. He had such a personality. He liked to lay down in his stall and have you just put his feed tub on the ground next to him.

"When I had left Colts Neck to take another job, I told Colts Neck if they ever retired him I would really like him, and I always thought he'd be a good jumper because he's so handy and compact. The only issue he ever had was the heat stroke. He was a sound horse."

Hughes would get her wish in July of 2023. Town of Gold ran his last race July 1 at Monmouth Park, finishing off the board in a $12,500 claimer. Colts Neck Stables retired him immediately, and Duarte informed Hughes they would cover the cost of vanning the gelding down to her in North Carolina.

Once Town of Gold arrived with Hughes, the gelding settled immediately into his new life.

"He's really done great converting to a hunter-jumper. I've done six shows with him so far and nothing really deters the horse," Hughes said. "We go in the warmup ring and he's like let's go and we go in the arena and he's all about his job. He's pretty brave. He really enjoys it and I think he likes the jumping because it's something different than just running in circles."

Hughes, who has ridden hunter-jumpers since she was 10, said that while riding Town of Gold came easily, she initially struggled with finding a good farrier for him.

"Just because you have a farrier that's good with warmblood feet doesn't mean it's going to be good shoeing a Thoroughbred," Hughes said. "They're very thin-walled and they can be more sensitive with their feet. Some farriers aren't accustomed to dealing with that. One time he got hot nails in his feet and got pretty crabby. So it took us a bit to sort that out."

Hughes had always dreamed of participating in the Thoroughbred Makeover since attending the University of Kentucky.

"When I was at UK for undergrad, they had the World Equestrian Games at the Horse Park and I also volunteered for the RRP," Hughes said. "It wasn't the first year but it was still in its early stages of being established as an event. And I always thought it would be cool to get an off-track Thoroughbred and compete in it."

Since July 1 is the cutoff day for a Thoroughbred's eligibility to compete in the Makeover, Hughes came to the conclusion that if Town of Gold's retraining process took more time, she would wait until next year's competition.

"But he was doing so well this year I figured we would go and get the experience," Hughes said. "It's a big goal. I'm a very goal-oriented person and I like having a goal to work toward. And projects are always kind of fun."

Town of Gold and Hughes will compete in both the Show Hunter and Competitive Trail divisions. The latter class is slated for Oct. 9 while the Show Hunter class will begin Oct. 10. Both start at 9 a.m.

As a former racehorse veterinarian, Hughes is outspoken about the value Thoroughbreds can offer outside of the racetrack.

"These horses are truly bred to be athletes. Not all Thoroughbreds are meant to be racehorses necessarily, but they all inherently have physical abilities," Hughes said. "A lot of people think that when a trainer retires a horse it's null and void and injured and can't be used, but really Thoroughbreds have so much potential as second-career horses. Some of them just aren't fast, just like people. It varies on the individual. I've run a marathon but I have some friends that can't even run a mile.

"Thoroughbreds really want a job and RRP is a great opportunity for these horses."

Hughes said the most common issues she sees with racehorses exiting the track involve the joints, either chips or arthritis. She said that without the stress of racing, most of these old injuries become much more manageable over time.

"It's very rewarding having a Thoroughbred because they will give their heart and soul to you," Hughes said. "These are intelligent animals. Being on the track they are used to one person really taking care of them, their groom. And they get close to that one person. I tell Townley I want to do this and he's like OK, and he tries. I'm his person. That's something incredibly rewarding about Thoroughbreds compared with other breeds out there."

Preliminary competition at The Thoroughbred Makeover and National Symposium begins Oct. 9 and concludes Oct. 10. Click here to view the complete list of the entries. The Finale Championships are Oct. 12. For more information, visit Retired Racehorse Project’s website.