October in Kentucky means 'Keeneland' for many lovers of Thoroughbreds, but increasingly, it's also the season for Thoroughbreds jumping, prancing, and working cattle at the Retired Racehorse Project's Thoroughbred Makeover.
People who love riding OTTBs have followed the Makeover for years, but its popularity is growing among racing stakeholders, too.
This year, the RRP staff premiered an orientation table called Connections Corner, aimed at helping a horse's racetrack connections figure out where and how to see them strut their stuff in their new career.
The Thoroughbred Makeover is held at the Kentucky Horse Park, which is a sprawling, 1,200-acre facility with an overwhelming number of barns, arenas, and fields. The Makeover features horses competing in ten different types of equine sport all over the campus, so for someone who hasn't participated, it can be hard to figure out where to go or what you're looking at.
As of Wednesday afternoon, RRP Development Director Erin O'Keefe said there was a mix of people approaching the table, which is sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
“So far we haven't had a ton of race connections at this point yet who hadn't been out here yet,” said O'Keefe. “We've had race connections who'd been here before who are coming and checking in who are familiar with the event but still needed help with where and when.
“We've had a lot of racing fans who have come. Whitmore and Finnick the Fierce are the two we've looked up the most for people who want to know when they're riding and where they're stabled, which is conveniently right across from each other.”
Preliminary competition takes place Oct. 12 and 13, and O'Keefe had a lengthy list of racing connections planning to come on Thursday to catch their favorite OTTB. Then there are those who RRP staff have already corresponded with and given orientation information to who will be finding their way around without the help of the Connections Corner.
O'Keefe said one major commercial breeding farm had sent a professional photographer to capture some of its graduates in their new jobs for use on social media. Other connections who were interested but unable to attend have RRP staff shooting images and contacting them with scores and placings for their horse.
“In my opinion, to come out and see the size and scope of this event and the vast array of things these horses can do that first year off the track is just impressive,” said O'Keefe. “I think aftercare can be a really abstract concept to some people in racing. You have people who responsibly retire their horses, they may place them with an aftercare organization, they may resell them, responsibly and lovingly. They know the horse gets retrained for something, but they don't necessarily know what that looks like. It gives a whole other dimension and makes aftercare from this thing we check a box for to this whole other phase of a horse's life.”
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