Nominations for the reimagined Thoroughbred Makeover Ambassador Award for 2024 are now open, the Retired Racehorse Project (RRP) said Monday.
Any Thoroughbred Makeover graduate, regardless of whether the registered horse actually competed, is eligible for the award, regardless of its current owner. Nominations will be submitted via an online form at TheRRP.org, which includes fields to describe the horse's post-Makeover competitive career, achievements and general updates.
“The RRP has identified tracking and recognizing the accomplishments of Thoroughbred sport horses in a comprehensive way as being crucial to furthering our mission to increase demand for the breed, so we're starting in earnest with Makeover graduates,” said RRP Executive Director Kirsten Green. “We know Makeover graduates have gone on to compete at the upper levels of sport, contribute to sport horse breeding programs, serve as faithful trail mounts, and everything in between – and it's time to better capture and celebrate those accomplishments.
The Ambassador Award has been tweaked many times since 2015, but since 2022, it has served as an award to honor chief steward Bill Kraatz, recognizing exceptional horsemanship exhibited by a trainer during Thoroughbred Makeover week. The award will continue as the Bill Kraatz Thoroughbred Makeover Ambassador Award, and is now designed to recognize a Thoroughbred Makeover graduate horse which has gone on to serve as an ambassador for the athleticism and trainability of the retired racehorse in its career beyond racing.
Nominations will remain open through July 1. The winning horse will be announced in September and will be honored at the Awards Party Friday, Oct. 11 at the Kentucky Horse Park.
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