Photo via Retired Racehorse Project on Facebook.
OTTB lovers everywhere, rejoice! It’s time for the Retired Race Horse Project’s Thoroughbred Makeover! Samantha Clark already brought us a preview of the event featuring several of the competitors that will be there this weekend. Now, the big weekend is upon us at the Kentucky Horse Park and EN’s got the lowdown on what’s happening each day of this spectacular event. You can keep up with the results all weekend by following the live scoring.
Don’t forget, roughly half of the horses competing in the Makeover are also for sale, so if you’re in the market for your next competition partner then this is the place to be. You can view a list of the horses for sale here, and RRP has put together this guide about buying a Makeover horse.
Thoroughbred Makeover Links: [Website] [Schedule] [Ride Times] [Live Scoring] [Live Stream]
Thursday & Friday, October 5-6
The preliminary competition takes place all day on Thursday and Friday so make sure to check the schedule to see what’s taking place where. The RRP has created a very handy guide to the ride times where you can view lists of times based on rider name, horse name, competitor number, or by discipline (Psst … eventing ride times are here!)
A variety of really cool seminars will also be taking place these days, so there’s plenty to keep you busy in addition to watching the competition. Here are a few that may be of special interest:
- Rosie Napravnik (who is also competing in the Makeover), winningest female jockey in history, will be discussing her background in Pony Club, eventing, and racing. Come with questions or come to listen to her stories! [Thursday, October 5, 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. Club Lounge]
- The USEA is sponsoring a Young Event Horse Trainer Certification. If you’re interested in getting certified as a Young Event Horse Professional Trainer then this is the place you’ll want to be. [Thursday, October 5, 12 – 1 p.m. Club Lounge]
- A variety of trainers, including eventers Elisa Wallace and Ian Roberts (both also competing!), will be participating in a Q&A forum moderated by Tik Maynard. [Thursday, October 5, 1 p.m. – 3 p.m. Club Lounge]
Saturday, October 7
The competition’s final showdown will take place at Saturday’s finale and will feature the top five scoring horse and trainer pairs from each discipline, one of which will be crowned the fan-favorite title of America’s Most Wanted Thoroughbred and awarded $10,000. It’s sure to be a fun and exciting showcase that you won’t want to miss!
If you’re in the area then you can buy your tickets to the Saturday finale here. If you can’t be at the Kentucky Horse Park in person, don’t worry! The grand finale on Saturday will live streamed at this link. Live streaming will begin at 9 a.m. EST and will continue into the evening. At 5 p.m. a number will be made available for you to cast your vote for the winner.
Sunday, October 8
Though the competition will have concluded at this point, the fun don’t stop there. Sunday will see a variety of clinics which competitors can participate in and spectators are welcome to audit free of charge and to not need to register to attend.
Two of the Sunday clinics may be of particular interest to EN readers:
- Nick Larkin, Adelaide CCI3* winner and Rolex Kentucky CCI4* winner, will be hosting two sessions of cross country schooling in the KHP Steeplechase Infield; 10:30 am -12:00 pm and 1:30 pm – 3:00 pm.
- Tik Maynard, Advanced level eventer and all-around excellent horseman, will be hosting two sessions of Freestyle 101 in the Annex Ring from 9:00 am -10:30 am and 12:00 pm -1:30 pm.
Go OTTBs! Go Eventing!
