The Retired Racehorse Project announced today that applications are open for the 2020 Thoroughbred Makeover, presented by Thoroughbred Charities of America. Applications will be accepted through January 15, 2020, and accepted trainers will be announced on February 15, 2020.
Now in its sixth year, the Thoroughbred Makeover features competition in ten disciplines for recently-retired Thoroughbreds in their first year of retraining for a second career after racing. Disciplines include barrel racing, competitive trail, dressage, eventing, field hunters, freestyle, polo, show hunter, show jumper, and ranch work.
Horses and trainers will compete for more than $125,000 in total prize money, plus the coveted title of Thoroughbred Makeover Champion, at the Kentucky Horse Park on October 7-10, 2020. The Thoroughbred Makeover and National Symposium includes not just the competition, but educational seminars, a vendor fair, the Makeover Marketplace horse sale and the Makeover Master Class featuring demonstrations and insight from leading trainers. The Finale features the top five horses in each discipline and will be livestreamed for viewers at home.
“The Retired Racehorse Project was created to drive demand for Thoroughbreds after racing as sport horses, and the Thoroughbred Makeover is one of the most successful executions of this mission,” describes the RRP’s executive director Jen Roytz. “Each year the event has grown in both size and scope and we’re seeing more and more Makeover graduates representing the breed on the national stage.”
The Thoroughbred Makeover is open to professionals, amateurs, juniors (ages 12 and older) and teams. Applicants are required to provide information about their riding and competition background as well as references, including one from a veterinarian. Applicants are encouraged to provide links to riding video, which is a requirement for first-time competitors. Competitors do not need to have acquired their horse at the time of application, though must declare their horse no later than July 31, 2020.
Approved trainers may acquire eligible Thoroughbreds through whatever source they choose, or can ride under contract for an owner. Eligible horses must have raced or had a published work on or after July 1, 2018 and must not have started retraining for a second career prior to December 1, 2019 other than a maximum of 15 allowable rides. The 2020 Thoroughbred Makeover Rulebook outlines all rules and information relevant to the competition, with changes for 2020 marked in red and clarifying information marked in blue.
2019 Thoroughbred Makeover Recap
▪673 trainers were accepted to compete in 2019. The accepted trainers represented 44 states and four Canadian provinces.
▪474 horses were entered by the Aug. 15 registration deadline. Taking into account last-minute scratches, 359 horses completed.
▪The most-raced horse entered in the competition had 150 starts. The highest money-earner had career winnings of $1,050,400.
▪Total number of horses entered in each discipline, as of Aug. 15: Barrels, 31; Competitive Trail, 80; Dressage, 177; Eventing, 93; Field Hunters, 26; Freestyle, 44; Polo, 16; Ranch Work, 29; Show Hunters, 178; Show Jumpers, 136.
▪Approximately 150 horses were entered in the ASPCA Makeover Marketplace.
▪More than 115 volunteers helped staff the competition.
▪50+ companies were Makeover sponsors.
▪70+ vendors took part in the Sponsor Fair.
The Thoroughbred Makeover, produced by the 501(c)3 non-profit organization Retired Racehorse Project, is made possible each year by the generosity and support of sponsors and donors. In addition to the Makeover, the RRP publishes Off-Track Thoroughbred Magazine, maintains the Retired Racehorse Resource Directory, the online Thoroughbred Sport Tracker (the only user-driven database for Thoroughbred bloodlines in second careers), and a library of educational materials online, and produces educational demonstrations around the country at clinics and expos, all with the goal of increasing demand for Thoroughbreds in second careers.
Photo: 2019 Thoroughbred Makeover Champion Cowboy Swagger, trained by Fallon Taylor. Photo by CanterClix
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