Thoroughbred retirement

Group winner Gold Round (Ire) (Caerleon-Born Gold, by Blushing Groom (Fr)), a half-sister to three-time GI Breeders' Cup Mile heroine Goldikova, and Mystery Trip (Belong to Me-Weekend Surprise, by Secretariat), a half-sister to Classic winners A.P. Indy and Summer Squall, have been retired to Old Friends, the Thoroughbred Retirement facility based in Georgetown, KY. Represented by Alex Solis II and Jason Litt of Solis/Litt Bloodstock, the Roth family--Larry, Nanci, and Jaime-the owners of LNJ Foxwoods approached Old Friends about securing aftercare options for several broodmares. LNJ has donated the construction...

Considering his age and all he accomplished in his career, Green Gratto (Here's Zealous) would have seemed to have earned a cushy retirement. Instead, he is scheduled to run in a an optional claimer--in for the $20,000 tag--for New Jersey breds Sunday at Monmouth, his first start since Apr. 19, 2018. It's the latest twist in a controversial story that began when he returned to the racetrack in November, which caused an uproar on social media from critics who felt it was improper and too risky to run the horse...

Owing to a grant from the ASCPA, the Retired Racehorse Project will continue to produce the Makeover Marketplace as a means to promote transitioned Thoroughbreds as premier sport horse prospects online. The ASPCA Makeover Marketplace catalog will once again be offered in print as well as digitally. Sign-ups are now open to receive the catalog, which will be printed in the Fall 2020 issue of Off-Track Thoroughbred Magazine. "The ASPCA Makeover Marketplace has become one of the country's premier horse shopping and adoption opportunities for equestrians looking for well-started sport...

After spending many years helping to teach incarcerated inmates life skills and equine care, a lot of 10 retired Thoroughbreds boarded a van July 23 bound for Pasture of Point Lookout, a Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania-based sanctuary farm founded by world-renowned artist Jamie Wyeth in memory of his late wife Phyllis. On the anniversary of her passing Mr. Wyeth turned to longtime friends, Graham and Anita Motion of Herringswell Stables. "To honor my late wife, Phyllis Mills Wyeth and her Belmont Stakes winner Union Rags, I am transforming our farm into...

The Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation (TRF) will hold a drive-thru BBQ at the Saratoga Winery Aug. 11. Within the context of the ongoing pandemic, the event has been re-imagined as a drive-thru experience, featuring a drive around the grounds complete with miniature ponies, racing celebrities, and a special appearance by Joey, the TRF Herd Ambassador, who will be returning to Saratoga from the TRF Second Chances Program at Wallkill. "In this summer unlike any other, the TRF is committed to keeping our mission and our horses in the minds of the...

Aftercare of Charles Town (ACT) was founded in 2013 under the corporate name of Equine Encore Performance at Charles Town. ACT's stated purpose is the rehoming, repurposing and retirement of Thoroughbreds that have raced and trained at Charles Town Races located in Charles Town, WV. The program was started with a fund from the Charles Town Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association and is supplemented with a paddock fee (start fee) of $5 per start. Until last fall, the paddock fee contribution was $2 per start. In 2019, ACT assisted 43...

Ashford Stud has donated a halter won by its resident Triple Crown winner American Pharoah for an upcoming online auction to benefit Hope After Racing Thoroughbreds (HART), an Iowa-based aftercare organization. The silent-auction fundraiser will be held exclusively online beginning at noon Friday, June 26 and will conclude Friday, July 3, at 8:30 p.m. Central time. The auction features other memorabilia, services, photos, paintings, tack and more. All the proceeds go to HART's care, rehabilitation, retraining and rehoming of retired racehorses from Prairie Meadows Racetrack and Casino. Those wishing to...

Beginning Monday, June 15, Old Friends Thoroughbred Retirement Facility in Georgetown, KY, will reopen to tourists on a limited basis and with COVID-19 protocols in place, the organization announced Monday. In light of the spread of the virus, Old Friends shut down their daily walking tours Mar. 15, but it has opted to reopen to private groups (five people or fewer) while observing the protocols mandated by the Commonwealth of Kentucky Department of Public Health. Guided tours are generally 90 minutes and will feature select Old Friends residents, including Kentucky...

The Retirement Assistance and Care for Equines Fund, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization established in 2004 and TAA accredited, will launch its 2020 fund drive with an online auction on eBay starting May 22 at 8:00 p.m. EST and ending May 29 to help raise funds for racehorse retirement and rescue. Featured items include: halters of the following: 2003 Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner Funny Cide, 2012 and 2013 American Champion Female Sprinter Groupie Doll, 2013 Breeders Cup Classic winner Mucho Macho Man, 2014 Florida Derby winner Constitution, 2014 Holy Bull...

Officials at the Retired Racehorse Project (RRP) have made available a bill of sale for download and encourage any horsepeople who are being forced to retire horses prematurely due to the COVID-19 outbreak to make use of it as they attempt to arrange for new homes for their retirees. A bill of sale protects both buyer and seller, and provides proof of ownership for the buyer. The Bill of Sale page also links to The Jockey Club's Retired From Racing Form, which ensures a horse will not return to the...

Old Friends, the popular Thoroughbred retirement facility located in Georgetown, KY, debuted the first in a series of virtual farm tours Monday that will allow visitors to continue to monitor the activity of the farm's over 100 equine retirees during this time of the COVID-19 quarantine. "Monday Mornings With Michael," is, as the title implies, hosted by Old Friends founder Michael Blowen and will feature brief visits with a handful of horses each week. Old Friends is posting the clips across its social media channels and also at the Old...