Thoroughbred Makeover

This season, The Retired Racehorse Project (RRP) will unveil Graduate Classes during its Thoroughbred Makeover and National Symposium, presented by Thoroughbred Charities of America. The Graduate Classes will provide an opportunity for Thoroughbred Makeover alumni to return to the Kentucky Horse Park and compete once again as part of the Thoroughbred Makeover experience. The Graduate Classes are open exclusively to any horse that was registered for the Thoroughbred Makeover in previous years, including those that are under new ownership or were withdrawn prior to the competition. This program provides an...

Edited Press Release Officials from The Retired Racehorse Project (RRP) have announced today that Vendor Fair applications for the 2026 Thoroughbred Makeover and National Symposium, presented by Thoroughbred Charities of America, are now open. The Vendor Fair will run throughout the competition from Oct. 7-10 at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington. The Vendor Fair will return to Jay Trump Drive, overlooking the Stonelea Arena in the Hunter/Jumper Complex, in the middle of the action at the Thoroughbred Makeover. After a successful debut of the 10-discipline Makeover Championship format in...

Friday, Apr. 3 was my last day at my dream job. After seven years with the Retired Racehorse Project, a 501(c)3 non-profit, I stepped away from the role of managing director and an incredible team of passionate individuals working towards a simple goal in a complicated landscape: increasing demand for Thoroughbreds beyond racing. It was the perfect job for someone who grew up horse-crazy, blessed with a way with words but lacking the talent to make it as a full-time horsewoman in any aspect of the industry. I started in...

The Retired Racehorse Project has unveiled its 2026-2030 Strategic Plan which is designed to help the 501 (c)3 charitable organization expand support services, strengthen the Thoroughbred Makeover, and deepen collaboration across the racing, equestrian and aftercare sectors. The plan includes three priorities, which represent the RRP's commitment to building a more informed, unified, and sustainable future for the Thoroughbred aftercare community: Strengthen capacity through Thoroughbred Makeover refinement and renewed focus on supportive programming for anyone involved with the breed; Build and amplify the RRP's brand identity as a leading non-...

The ASPCA Right Horse Scholarship will return for the 2026 Thoroughbred Makeover and National Symposium, presented by Thoroughbred Charities of America thanks to funding by the ASPCA Right Horse Reimagining Racers Grant, the Retired Racehorse Project announced Tuesday. The scholarship will fund the costs of one stall and first discipline fee for up to 50 eligible horses competing at the 2026 event, a minimum value of $405 per horse. The grant also funds $4,000 in additional prize money for the Former Broodmare division, awarding $400 to second-place finishers in each...

Five new members were elected to the Retired Racehorse Project (RRP) board and four to the advisory council, at the organization's December meeting, the RRP announced Monday. The five elected to the board are Vanessa Coleman, who succeeds Sarah Williams as Treasurer; Amanda Chance; Anne Guillory; Audra and Gary Mandella (sharing one seat); and Rosie Napravnik. The group will also replace the directors who completed their terms of service at the conclusion of 2025: Richard Lamb, Sissy Wickes, and Sarah Williams. Board members may serve up to two consecutive three-year...

Ten champions were crowned Saturday in Kentucky at the 2025 Thoroughbred Makeover and National Symposium, presented by Thoroughbred Charities of America. The event offered over $139,000 in prize money awarded out across 10 equestrian sports. The winners included: Barrel Racing: Battle Born (More Than Ready), trained by Elizabeth King (Junior), bred by WinStar Farm, owned by Robert D. Shelburne. Competitive Trail, sponsored by Godolphin: Vestal's Gap (Bullsbay), trained by Nathan Bowers, bred by Sterbenz Racing LLC, owned by Sterbenz Racing LLC. Dressage, sponsored by PTHA's Turning For Home: Patou Road...

Chanel Minnifield is not typically one for tempered expectations. She moved to Los Angeles from Kentucky with actorly aspirations, and last year appeared in the Oscar-nominated movie, "Rustin." Minnifield started riding when she was a child and now, as a professional showjumper, has her sights set on competing at the 2028 Olympic Games. She has a book coming out; produces a podcast. But when earlier this year Minnifield applied to the California Retirement Management Account's (CARMA) Messineo Makeover Scholarship, she hoped it would help pay for a trip to the...

Donations of items and experiences are now being accepted by the Retired Racehorse Project's Thoroughbred Makeover Silent Auction. The annual auction raises funds to support the production of the Thoroughbred Makeover and the advancement of the RRP's mission to increase demand for Thoroughbreds beyond racing through education, inspiration, and service. Popular contributions to the auction in the past have included experiences such as polo lessons or fox hunting, racing memorabilia such as stallion halters and shoes, equestrian or racing artwork, tack and stable items, and hotel stays or race day...

The nomination period for the 2025 Bill Kraatz Thoroughbred Makeover Ambassador Award is now open, the Retired Racehorse Project (RRP) announced Monday afternoon. Named in the memory of chief steward Bill Kraatz, the award recognizes a Makeover graduate horse who has gone on to serve as ambassador for the athleticism and trainability of retired racehorses beyond their racing careers. Eligible horses include any Thoroughbred Makeover graduate who was registered for the retraining competition--even if he or she ultimately did not compete--regardless of who now owns said horse. Nominations, which will...

Claiborne Farm and Lane's End Farm will return as the co-sponsors of the Former Broodmare division at the 2025 Thoroughbred Makeover and National Symposium Oct. 8-11 at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington. The Former Broodmare division offers a competition avenue at the Makeover for recently retired broodmares to compete alongside the traditional retiring racehorse division in all 10 offered disciplines. Broodmares are pinned and recognized separately, competing for their own pot of $10,000 in prize money. "At Claiborne, we've always believed in supporting the full journey of a horse--from...

On March 3, 2019, Happy Farm (Ghostzapper) was claimed by trainer Jason Servis for $30,000 at Aqueduct. The dark bay gelding would remain in that barn for an entire year where he'd go on to finish no worse than second in seven starts - highlighted by a victory in the 2019 GIII Fall Highweight Handicap. Within days of Happy Farm's second-place finish in the GIII Tom Fool Handicap on March 7, 2020, Servis was arrested and charged following a multi-year investigation overseen by the FBI that identified over 30 people...