Steph Butts and Brazilian Wedding at Fair Hill last month. Photo courtesy of Lori Brown.
You may remember last year’s Retired Racehorse Training Project Trainer Challenge, which pitted several top trainers and some talented OTTBs in a competition to decide who had taken to their new career the best in a short amount of time. The lovely Brazilian Wedding, a gorgeous 6 year old gray mare, came out on top thanks to the eagle eye of Pat Dale, owner of Three Plain Bays, and Eric Dierks, the man in the saddle.
After winning the RRTP Trainer Challenge, Brazilian Wedding was sold to Lara Schwartz of Washington, D.C. The Chronicle of the Horse recently caught up with Lara as she embarks on a new journey with her new steal of a deal.
From the Chronicle:
Schwartz couldn’t get the video of the gray mare out of her head. “She was the whole package,” she said. “She has an uphill build and I really liked her gaits. I think the ‘x’ factor is incredibly important. What really nailed it for me was a moment in the video where she just stood for a conformation shot and she was looking out and she had ‘the look.’ She has very expressive eyes and ears.”
Lara kept tabs on the mare after the RRTP Trainer Challenge when she was returned to Three Plain Bays in Maryland for some more let down time. “Brazil,” as she is known around the barn, was then moved to her new home with Lara and trainer Stephanie Butts. Butts has competed the mare and both seem very pleased with their find, saying that the mare seems to be quite keen on her new career.
We all know my strong penchant for OTTBs, so finding stories like these is all the more heartwarming. Now, you’ll have to excuse me while I try to find my own stalk-worthy OTTB.
You can read the full write-up from the Chronicle on Lara and Brazil here.
