Kentucky Horse Park

Champion and dual classic winner Funny Cide (Distorted Humor), who passed away July 16 at age 23, will have his life and racing achievements celebrated with a Saratoga Send-Off party Aug. 16 at Siro's in Saratoga Springs. The event will be a tribute to "The Gutsy Gelding" who captured the hearts of racing fans and continued to be a fan favorite during his 15-year retirement at Kentucky Horse Park. Presented by Sackatoga Stable, the evening will feature a tribute video and a panel discussion emceed by Retired Race Caller Tom...

Edited Press Release Some 512 trainers have been accepted to the 2023 Thoroughbred Makeover and National Symposium, presented by Thoroughbred Charities of America, officials with the Retired Racehorse Project (RRP) have announced. The event takes place Oct. 11-14, 2023, at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington and offers prize money in excess of $100,000. "On behalf of TCA, we congratulate all of the trainers accepted into the 2023 Thoroughbred Makeover," said Erin Halliwell, executive director of TCA. "We appreciate the time and resources trainers dedicate to transitioning Thoroughbreds into their...

Applications for the 2023 Thoroughbred Makeover and National Symposium, presented by Thoroughbred Charities of America, are now open for submission, the Retired Racehorse Project announced Tuesday. The application period closes at 5:00 p.m. EST on Jan. 20. Accepted trainers will be announced no later than Feb. 15. Interested applicants can start the application process now by logging on to Retired Racehorse Project website. Entering its ninth year at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, horses and trainers will compete for more than $110,000 in total prize money, plus the coveted...

In this new TDN column, Christie DeBernardis will tell the stories of accomplished and/or popular former racehorses who are now enjoying second careers as show horses, track ponies, etc. Champion sprinter Whitmore (Pleasantly Perfect) and Laura Moquett's relationship goes back to when he was just a 2-year-old who refused to go around the racetrack without some coaxing. Fast forward seven years and that cantankerous juvenile is now an Eclipse winner and Breeders' Cup winner and has been retired from racing as Moquett's personal riding horse. On Thursday, less than 13...

Stakes winner Get Western (Get Stormy--Marquetessa, by Marquetry) has joined the retirees at Old Friends in Georgetown, Kentucky. The 7-year-old gelding won the 2019 Old Friends S. at Kentucky Downs for trainer Charles LoPresti and owner Ward C. Pitfield. The "Win for Life" contest guaranteed him placement at Old Friends upon retiring from racing. Eventually transferred to J. Reeve McGaughey's barn, Get Western's last race was at Turfway Park in February of 2022. He was transferred to the Secretariat Center, located at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, for retraining...

The Jockey Club Thoroughbred Incentive Program (T.I.P.) Is hosting two championship shows in 2022, both held this month. The T.I.P. Championships & Eastern Dressage Championships are taking place Oct. 6-9 in Aiken, South Carolina, and the T.I.P. Western Championships & Central Dressage Championships are scheduled for Oct. 12-15 in Lexington, Kentucky, in conjunction with the Retired Racehorse Project's Thoroughbred Makeover. Nearly 350 Thoroughbreds are slated to compete in 38 divisions. Each division will be awarded $2,000 in prize money with awards through 10th place and special classes will be held...

Edited Press Release The Thoroughbred Aftercare Summit, a joint effort of the Retired Racehorse Project (RRP), Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (TAA), The Jockey Club Thoroughbred Incentive Program (T.I.P.), and Thoroughbred Charities of America (TCA), returns to the Thoroughbred Makeover Oct. 11, 2022 at the Kentucky Horse Park. The summit will be held from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM in the TCA Covered Arena Lounge, one day prior to the start of preliminary competition at the Retired Racehorse Project's Thoroughbred Makeover and National Symposium, presented by Thoroughbred Charities of America. The 2022...

With a little less than a month to go before the 2022 Thoroughbred Makeover kicks off Oct. 12 at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, connections of retired racehorse entries planning to attend may be wondering how to find more information on their particular horses. With that in mind, Erin O'Keefe, Development Director for the Retired Racehorse Project, spoke about a new feature at this year's event: Connections Corner. "Former connections of competing horses will be able to come to the booth, located in the TCA Covered Arena, to find...

The Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (TAA) once again enters as a sponsor of the Retired Racehorse Project's Thoroughbred Makeover. In conjunction with sponsoring the makeover, the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance High Point Award will continue to be offered to the highest-placed Thoroughbred adopted from or is owned by a TAA-accredited organization. The showcase of recently retrained off-track Thoroughbreds will take place at the Kentucky Horse Park Oct. 12-15. Of the 377 horses entered across 10 divisions, 57 contestants are eligible to win the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance High Point Award, including a $1,000...

Each year since 2010, as Thoroughbreds across the country face the end of their racing careers, the team at the Maryland-based Retired Racehorse Project step up with one purpose: "furthering founder Steuart Pittman's vision to increase demand for Thoroughbreds after racing and restoring their prominence in the equestrian world." With this goal in mind, the RRP created the inaugural 'Thoroughbred Trainer Challenge' in 2012--an event which gave four trainers just 100 days and an opportunity to showcase what a recently retired racehorse could do in a potential second career. That...

Hats off Day, presented by Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital, will celebrate the impact of the horse industry with a day of free admission to the Kentucky Horse Park July 30. Now in its 19th year, Hats Off Day offers family-friendly activities beginning at 3 p.m., including horse and pony rides, interactive educational booths, and a Grand Prix show jumping competition. Free hats, provided by area horse farms and businesses will be distributed at the entrance, while supplies last. Sponsored by Central Bank and other industry leaders, Hats Off Day...

Editor's Note: Go for Gin, winner of the 1994 GI Kentucky Derby and a former Bonita Farm stallion, died this week at age 31. In 2011 my partner in Go for Gin, Joe Cornacchia, who was a true pillar of the sport and the old-style owner who, like myself, cared about the retirement of his horses, asked that I contact the Kentucky Horse Park about his placement there. Many thanks to the Park for his care during his last 10 years. Ironically, he lived next door to another stud at...