Retired Racehorse Project

The third annual Thoroughbred Aftercare Summit will take place Tuesday, Oct. 12 as part of the Retired Racehorse Project's Thoroughbred Makeover and National Symposium, presented by Thoroughbred Charities of America. The aftercare summit will included four panel discussions: "Proper Financials and Reporting"; "Best Practices for Rehabbing and Marketing Horses Retired Due to Injury;"; "How the Pandemic Has Changed the Face of Fundraising"; and "Navigating Common Challenges Aftercare Organizations Face."  Confirmed panelists include Dr. Stuart Brown, DVM, Vice President of Equine Safety at Keeneland; Anna Ford, program director at New Vocations...

Keeneland will return as the sponsor of the Arrival Exam and Finale Jogs at the combined 2020 and 2021 Thoroughbred Makeover, the Retired Racehorse Project announced Wednesday. First instituted at the 2019 Thoroughbred Makeover and National Symposium, presented by Thoroughbred Charities of America, the Arrival Exam requires each horse to have proof of current vaccinations, vitals (temperature, respiration and heart rate) within a normal range, be scanned for a microchip that has been registered with The Jockey Club, pass a walking soundness exam, and score a four or higher on...

The Retired Racehorse Project (RRP) has expanded the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) Makeover Marketplace catalogue to include adoptable Thoroughbred Makeover prospects eligible for the 2022 competition. The catalogue also will continue to feature sport horse prospects who are offered for sale by their trainers at the conclusion of the Makeover process. The expanded catalog is expected to include hundreds of transitioned and restarted Thoroughbreds, most of which will compete at the 2020-21 Thoroughbred Makeover this October at the Kentucky Horse Park. Up to 100...

The Retired Racehorse Project (RRP) and The Jockey Club Thoroughbred Incentive Program (T.I.P.) will hold the inaugural T.I.P. Barrel Racing Championships at the Thoroughbred Makeover and National Symposium this October at the Kentucky Horse Park. The annual T.I.P. Championships features competition in disciplines including hunters, jumpers, English pleasure, Western pleasure, and classical and Western dressage. The 2021 T.I.P. Barrel Racing Championships will feature prize money and additional prizes for the top horses. "Thoroughbreds have made their presence known in recent years in Western disciplines, particularly barrel racing, so we are...

   Ashleyluvssugar (Game Plan), a five-time Grade II-winning 10-year-old gelding, made a splash- quite literally- on social media this week in a post from After the Finish Line, where he was seen taking an enthusiastic wade through a stream in the North Carolina mountains. The fan-favorite California-bred is now owned by Allie Conrad, who has worked with hundreds of ex-racehorses over the years, but said this one is truly one of a kind. "This was his first off-the-farm trip where we took him camping up in the mountains," Conrad shared....

Edited Press Release The Retired Racehorse Project (RRP) has welcomed 484 accepted applications, representing 480 unique trainers and teams, to the 2021 class of the Thoroughbred Makeover and National Symposium, presented by Thoroughbred Charities of America. The Thoroughbred Makeover is the world's largest and most lucrative retraining competition for ex-racehorses, and the 2021 class combined with 322 trainers from the postponed 2020 competition year will make this the biggest Makeover yet. "After the pandemic forced the cancellation of the 2020 Thoroughbred Makeover, it was important to us to preserve the...

Vivien Goodman Malloy, the Thoroughbred breeder who owns and runs Edition Farm and racing stable in Hyde Park, New York, has recently published a memoir detailing her family's against-the-odds journey from modest roots in Havana to the high life in New York City and beyond. Central to the 88-year-old entrepreneur's family history is a deep appreciation of horses, and Malloy is donating a portion of the proceeds from My Life as a Long Shot: From Cuba to Rye to benefit the Retired Racehorse Project (RRP). Two of the book's 13...

Applications are now open for the 2021 competition year of the Thoroughbred Makeover and National Symposium, presented by Thoroughbred Charities of America. Applications will be accepted through Jan. 15, 2021 and accepted trainers will be announced Feb. 15, 2021. As the 2020 Thoroughbred Makeover was postponed to 2021 due to the impact of the global COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021 edition of the Retired Racehorse Project's banner event will include competition groups both for horses that would have competed in 2020, as well as those entering for 2021. The two groups...

The National Thoroughbred Racing Association and Protequus, the company behind the NIGHTWATCH smart halter, are teaming up for a holiday promotion benefitting the Retired Racehorse Project. Now through Dec. 31, members of NTRA and approved affiliates will receive a 25% discount on their purchase of a NIGHTWATCH smart halter with a portion of the proceeds benefitting the RRP. The NIGHTWATCH smart halter is an equine distress and wellness monitor that promotes early referral and intervention among horse owners while fostering more informed decision making by veterinarians and trainers through noninvasive...

OTTB United, a mobile app that unites sellers, buyers, and shippers of Thoroughbred ex-racehorses and gives back to the Thoroughbred placement community was released by the Retired Racehorse Project and OTTB United Tuesday. The app is also designed to give back to the Thoroughbred placement community: a portion of the premium subscription fee is donated to the Retired Racehorse Project. Subscribers can select from a list of aftercare organizations and for-profit resellers to receive an additional contribution. "We are so fortunate to partner with the Retired Racehorse Project," says OTTB...

The Thoroughbred Education and Research Foundation (TERF) awarded $108,000 in grants to nine organizations. With the vision and mission of bettering the life of Thoroughbreds, TERF primarily aims to support students in pursuit of education in equine medicine and to fund research efforts which better the life of the Thoroughbred horse. In 2020 to fund scholarships and education $10,000 was awarded to the Belmont Child Care Association, Inc., $12,000 to Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, $2,000 to the MidAtlantic Horse Rescue, $4000 to the Retired Race Horse Project, $10,000...

The silent auction portion of the Retired Racehorse Project (RRP)'s fundraising for the 2021 Thoroughbred Makeover opened Thursday. The online auction will close Saturday, Oct. 10, at 4:00 p.m. ET. Racing memorabilia, experiences or services, artwork, jewelry, and equestrian items are among the items up for bid. Halters worn by Authentic (Into Mischief), Tiz The Law (Constitution), Catholic Boy (More Than Ready), English Channel (Smart Strike), and Get Stormy (Stormy Atlantic) are among the items included. "Although we'll certainly miss gathering at the Kentucky Horse Park for the Makeover and...