Carajillo and Isabela de Sousa. Photo courtesy of RRP.
Three-hundred Thoroughbreds recently retired from 64 different tracks took to the Kentucky Horse Park a couple weekends ago for the 2016 Thoroughbred Makeover and National Symposium. The $100,000 competition, in which trainers take less than a year to transform a racehorse into master of up to two equestrian disciplines, demonstrated the breed’s versatility and showcased its athleticism.
Organizer Retired Racehorse Project has just posted videos of winning rides from the various disciplines, including performances by the winning horses in the Hunter division and the Show Jumping division.
The winning pair in the Hunters was Tyler Weith and Greeley’s Magic, a 2013 bay mare who last raced less than a year ago at Turfway Park. She had three starts and earned $256 before finding a new career where she appears to be bound for great things.
The winner of the show jumper division was junior rider Isabela de Sousa and Carajillo, who beat out professionals and adult amateurs alike to take the top prize.
Carajillo is a 2012 gelding who was trained for racing by Todd A. Pletcher, to the tune of 7 starts, 1 win, and more than $30,000 in earnings. After his final racing performance in August of 2015, he shifted gears and proven to have loads of promise in the jumpers, beating out 61 other competitors.
The title of America’s Most Wanted Thoroughbred was won by the winning horse in the dressage division, Fairway King, trained and ridden by Lauren Turner.
View complete final scores here.
Who out there is throwing their hat in the ring for 2017?
Go OTTBs, and Go Jumping!