Thoroughbred Makeover Now Open For Entries

Icabad Crane and Phillip Dutton were the winners of the 2014 Thoroughbred Makeover. (Megan Stapley Photography)
Edited press release
Retired Racehorse Project (RRP) officially launched the 2015 Thoroughbred Makeover today, announcing a projected $100,000 in cash and prizes to the top placed horses in 10 equestrian disciplines.
Professional, amateur, and junior trainers can enter any horse with an identification tattoo, as long as it raced or trained to race in the last two years and has not begun second career training.
After five to nine months of training for a second career the horses will perform at the Thoroughbred Makeover and National Symposium on October 23-25 at the Kentucky Horse Park. The weekend includes seminars, demonstrations, a sponsor fair, a marketplace of the Makeover horses, and special activities presented by a host committee of Thoroughbred industry leaders.
One eager trainer is Rosie Napravnik, who announced her retirement as a jockey at Breeders’ Cup last fall and is expecting her first child in June. “I wouldn’t miss this event for the world,” said Napravnik, who is serving on the organizing committee. “Throughout my career I’ve seen and ridden some really nice horses that I’d love to get my hands on, and I’m so excited to finally have the opportunity to transition one into a second career myself!”
RRP President and three-day-eventer Steuart Pittman suspects that Rosie is not alone in her excitement.
“My friends who ride and train Thoroughbreds outside of racing have been eagerly awaiting the launch of this Makeover for months,” he says. “We expect a frenzy of horse shopping in the coming weeks and a flood of entries from some of the biggest and some of the smallest players on the equestrian scene.”
RRP is encouraging trainers to use its online Resource Directory, its Horse Listings, and its Direct From Racing sources, including CANTER USA affiliates, to find eligible horses for the competition. Each trainer will be given a web page to report progress, and the one who attracts the largest following will win the Thoroughbred Ambassador Award.
The first meeting to plan the weekend’s activities attracted representatives of central Kentucky’s top breeding farms, veterinary clinics, academics, aftercare organizations, and Thoroughbred sale companies.
“It’s no surprise that the racing industry is embracing this event,” said Dan Rosenberg, organizing committee member and president of Thoroughbred Charities of America. “It is a brilliant way to restore demand for Thoroughbreds, and restoring demand is the most effective strategy for securing the futures of our horses.”
Pittman adds, “We are thrilled to be showcasing the talent and trainability of these animals in the state where so many are bred. Doing it on the weekend before Keeneland hosts Breeders’ Cup spreads the message worldwide. It is the right event at the right time in the right place.”
Contestant guidelines and entry forms are posted at retiredracehorseproject.org. Entries close on June 1.