Breanna Moore and Raines Gammon both found immediate success in their first forays in the TAKE2 Junior Rider Program, presented by Thoroughbred Charities of America. Moore led all Junior Riders in the Hunter division of the TAKE2 Thoroughbred League, and Gammon was the high-score Junior in the Jumper division.
In addition to trophies for the champions and saddle pads for the top five in each division, TAKE2 this year added a $500 award to the high-score Junior Riders.
“Congratulations to Breanna and Raines for taking the top honors in the TAKE2 Junior Rider categories,” said Erin Halliwell, executive director of TCA. “We are thrilled to once again support TAKE2 as they work to offer incentives to Hunter Jumper riders to select a Thoroughbred as their next mount. TAKE2 successfully highlights the versatility of former racers and the success that they can find after their racing careers.”
Moore, the regular rider of 8-year-old Nickel Ride (registered as Candy Major by The Jockey Club), picked up 950 points this season. She finished fourth overall in the 2024 TAKE2 Thoroughbred League Hunter Standings, and was the Reserve Champion against 23 rivals in the $10,000 TAKE2 Hunter Finals at the Kentucky National Horse Show Sept. 22.
Nickel Ride (aka Nicholas), a $100,000 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Yearling Sale purchase, is an unraced son of the stallion Candy Ride (Arg). Adopted from New Vocations in 2019 by Jamie Barkau, the Florida-bred was subsequently purchased by the mother and daughter team of Brooke and Breanna Moore.
“It's been a really amazing experience,” Moore said of her first experience with Take2. “It's nice to have that Thoroughbred connection and be competitive and broadcasting that to everyone else that Thoroughbreds can be competitive after their racing careers. It's been awesome.”
With the help of veteran The Girl Next Door (registered as A P Jet Stream by The Jockey Club), Gammon also capped off the 2024 season as the divisional leader, heading the Junior Jumpers with 316 points, 118 points clear of her nearest competitor.
“We were looking for something for me to do and we came across [TAKE2],” explained Gammon. “I had fun, so we just did it for the rest of the year. It really worked out.”
The 14-year-old Maryland native joined forces with 'Dinky' in October of 2023. Leased from West Coast-based Patty Arnett, the 21-year-old mare stands just over 14 hands.
“It took me a little bit to figure her out. She's very opinionated,” Gammon said of the New York-bred. “She knows her job and she likes to do her job, but it just took me a little time to figure out how to ride and work with her.”
Created for the 2018 season in partnership with TCA, the TAKE2 Junior Rider Award recognizes the juniors competing on Thoroughbreds in nationwide TAKE2-affiliated Hunter and Jumper classes. In addition, all who are enrolled for the award and compete in TAKE2 classes are eligible for a drawing for a $1,000 scholarship grant from TAKE2. The grant can be used to pay tuition and expenses for higher education anywhere in the U.S.
Individuals are eligible as TAKE2 Junior Riders until the end of the TAKE2 season in which they reach the age of 18.
“Since we joined forces with TCA to start this program, it has grown every year, with the young horsewomen and men getting more and more interested in riding Thoroughbreds,” said TAKE2 Executive Director Andy Belfiore. “That's no surprise, as they are fun and exciting to ride. Congratulations go out to Breanna and Raines, and all our Junior Riders.”
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