Retired Racehorse Project (RRP) announced today the launch of ticket sales for Thoroughbreds For All Saratoga, an exploration of how Thoroughbred racehorses are transformed into America’s best riding horses. The event takes place on Tuesday, August 4, at Traylor Stables and The Parting Glass in Saratoga Springs, New York.
The lineup of presenters includes retired jockey Rosie Napravnik, top owner Maggi Moss, and Kentucky Derby-winning trainer Michael Matz, also a member of the United States Show Jumping Hall of Fame. They will be joined by top three-day eventers Laine Ashker and Jennie Brannigan, dressage trainer Nuno Santos, and others who know both the racing and riding sides of the Thoroughbred world.
The daytime event will have a marketplace of ex-racehorses for sale or adoption, a preview of horses in training for this fall’s $100,000 Thoroughbred Makeover, and demonstrations with the following titles: Training the Thoroughbred for Second Careers; Selecting the Discipline and the Market for Your Retiring Racehorse; Soundness Standards for Second Careers; and What Jockeys Know that the Rest of Us Should Learn.
Participating horses include the offspring of Tapit, Giant’s Causeway, and Bernardini. Many were bred in New York and raced at Saratoga in the past.
A highlight of the day will be a demonstration by Laine Ashker on Anthony Patch, a scrappy Thoroughbred gelding who raced as Alex’s Castledream and later won the American Eventing Championships in 2013. Anthony Patch and Laine are flying to England in September to compete against the world’s best horses at the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials. A strong showing there will send a signal to the United States Team Selectors that this off-track Thoroughbred should represent our country at the 2016 Olympic Games. Retired Racehorse Project is encouraging Thoroughbred advocates to help finance this journey.
The evening session of Thoroughbreds For All Saratoga is titled the “Thoroughbred Training Forum” and takes place at The Parting Glass, Saratoga’s “Original Irish Pub.” The panel of experts from earlier in the day will explore a series of questions presented by moderator Steuart Pittman of RRP and from the audience. The purpose is to explore the techniques used by trainers to inspire the Thoroughbred horse to run, jump and perform in whatever disciplines we choose for it.
Tickets are $25 per person for the daytime event and a $10 donation per person for the evening event. For additional information and tickets go to www.RetiredRacehorseProject.org.
Retired Racehorse Project (RRP) is a charitable organization working to facilitate placement of Thoroughbred ex-racehorses in second careers by increasing demand for them in the marketplace and inspiring an army of equestrians to provide the training that secures their futures. RRP programs include educational resources, programs at major horse expos, the Bloodline Brag, the Retired Racehorse Resource Directory, and current listings of off-track Thoroughbreds available for sale or adoption. RRP organizes the $100,000 TCA Thoroughbred Makeover, presented by Thoroughbred Charities of America, October 23-25 at the Kentucky Horse Park. For additional information about RRP and the TCA Thoroughbred Makeover go to RetiredRacehorseProject.org.
