By Stefanie Grimm
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 out ride times, ring locations, and stabling information, as well as be directed to those locations if needed,” said O'Keefe. “We want to encourage anyone who was involved with the Makeover horses (breeders, consignors, trainers, former owners, etc) to come out and see these horses thriving in their second careers, and possibly even meet their new connections.”
“Whether members of the Thoroughbred industry are highly involved in aftercare and retraining, or want to learn more about how horses transition out of racing, there is something to be gained from seeing the incredible work so many trainers put in over the last 10 months to retrain these remarkable athletes,” O'Keefe continued. “Aftercare is a multifaceted issue, and there are many approaches needed to fully address ensuring these athletes can thrive in all phases of their lives. The Makeover showcases one piece of the aftercare puzzle, and is a great opportunity to learn more about Thoroughbreds after racing and cheer on former connections once again.”
“Everyone smiles in the winner's circle, but I would encourage former connections (and any industry participant) to come out to the Makeover and see another side of the successful Thoroughbred. It might be different, but I bet they'll still end up smiling.”
For more information about the 2022 Thoroughbred Makeover, please visit: https://www.therrp.org/.
Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up for the daily PDF or alerts.
