Program Spotlight: The Jockey Club’s Thoroughbred Incentive Program

CDCTA Dressage at Morven Park High Point Thoroughbred Rudy Valentino poses with rider Josepha Phillips and owner Darcy Farley and their T.I.P. awards. (Photos courtesy of The Jockey Club’s Thoroughbred Incentive Program unless otherwise noted)
Started in 2012, The Jockey Club’s Thoroughbred Incentive Program (T.I.P.) had been on the minds of multiple people in The Jockey Club for a few years before being approved by the Board of Stewards in 2011.
“Back in 2009, a program like T.I.P. was something I envisioned as a part of [The Jockey Club’s] comprehensive efforts in Thoroughbred aftercare,” said Kristin Werner Leshney, The Jockey Club’s legal associate. “In 2011, Dell Hancock, a Steward at the time, brought the idea up with the Board of Stewards. The program was approved as a pilot program for 2012, joining our ongoing efforts in the area of aftercare, including the Retirement Checkoff Program, Tattoo Lookup and Thoroughbred Connect.”
Since its first season in 2012, the T.I.P program has seen a few changes with prizes and approved classes getting tweaked for the 2013 and 2014 award seasons. In 2014, the program also designed new ribbons to make them more unique to the program, a move that proved to be popular with competitors.
A FEW OF THE PRIZES T.I.P. GIVES OUT

Another award program introduced by T.I.P in 2013 was the self-reported year-end award. The “Performance Award” allows horses to earn points at non-T.I.P affiliated shows.
The Performance Award, which proved to be so popular in 2013 that it was brought back in 2014, gives those who don’t have access to T.I.P shows a chance to earn points for year-end awards. The program also gives separate awards for Thoroughbred-only shows, another type of show that has gained popularity over the past few years. Outside of the Thoroughbred-only shows, for a horse to get points at a non-T.I.P. affiliated show the show much be recognized by an international, national, state, or local organization and open to all breeds and riders.
The show horse industry has embraced T.I.P. in the two years that it has been running with the program seeing a rise from 150 T.I.P.-approved shows in 2012 to over 500 shows this year. T.I.P has encouraged participation from other groups since its creation with a long-term goal of having country-wide awards for each discipline in addition to the existing overall Thoroughbred of the Year award.
“I envision the program becoming a national effort spearheaded by state or local Thoroughbred groups, giving The Jockey Club the ability to not just recognize the best Thoroughbred at a given show but the best Thoroughbred in each discipline in the country,” said Werner Leshney.

While The Jockey Club is known mostly as a racing affiliated registry, its T.I.P program brings attention to the fact that Thoroughbreds are more than just speedy racehorses. In addition to awards in the English disciplines of hunters and eventers, T.I.P also acknowledges the Thoroughbred breed’s success in western disciplines and polo with awards.
“Thoroughbreds are versatile athletes suited for any number of disciplines beyond the racetrack,” said Werner Leshney. “T.I.P. was established to help showcase and reward the Thoroughbred’s many talents at all levels of competition and to encourage the retraining of Thoroughbreds once they have finished their racing or breeding career.”
For horse show organizers who are interested in getting their 2015 shows approved for T.I.P awards, applications close on Sept. 30. For those who show Thoroughbreds and want to know more about how they can make their horses eligible for awards, they can visit http://tjctip.com and visit T.I.P.’s Facebook page.