Day 1 Of Thoroughbred Makeover Sees Early Leaders In Dressage, Show Jumping

The 2021 “Mega-Makeover” includes separate competition years to accommodate horses from the postponed 2020 Thoroughbred Makeover, as well as the scheduled 2021 event. While both 2020 and 2021 horses competed side-by-side in arenas today, their scores are ranked separately.

2020 Dressage: Elbow Room, trained by Helen Pianca

“He handled the atmosphere like a professional,” said Pianca, a professional from Granville, Ohio. “We had one little bobble in our demo ride, but other than that he felt pretty flawless. We lost some training time when I had a baby, so he had a few months off in the earlier part of this year, and I think he would have been just as good last year, honestly — he's been a professional since I got him. He's my first 'me' horse — now that I have kids, I want a horse for myself! For me personally, I can't beat a Thoroughbred.”

Elbow Room is a 2014 16-hand chestnut gelding, bred in New York by EKQ Stables Corp. He sold as a weanling at Keeneland November in 2014 for $40,000, then sold again as a yearling at Fasig-Tipton New York Saratoga Preferred New York Bred Yearling Sale for $75,000. He went on to make 23 starts with four wins, retiring in July of 2019 from Finger Lakes with earnings of $36,970. He'll return in the Freestyle on Thursday.

2021 Dressage: My Dad Louie, trained by Jaclyn Schellhase

Primarily a barrel racer, Schellhase, a professional from Canton, Ga., applied My Dad Louie's flatwork foundation from barrel racing to a new-to-her discipline.

“He's a great mover and he's very responsive, so I thought he could help me step out of my comfort zone and we could do this together,” she said. “In our demo, we started with just the same maneuvers as the test, but then added in some extended canter, which felt like it went beautifully.”

Schellhase has already connected My Dad Louie to new owners, who have come to the Thoroughbred Makeover to cheer their new horse on, with plans to make him an all-around horse. He is a 2015 16-hand dark bay/brown gelding, bred in Louisiana by Randy Davis & Associates Inc. He made 21 career starts with three wins, earning a total of $47,610. His last race was in August of 2020 at Louisiana Downs. He'll also compete in the Barrel Racing on Wednesday and Thursday, and roll his times to the T.I.P. Barrel Racing Championship.

2020 Show Jumper: Canton Comet, trained by Samantha Fawcett

“I purchased her as a 3-year-old from Kentucky with the goal of sending her to the 2020 Makeover; my intentions were actually to sell her then. I'm very glad that did not happen, because we've decided to keep her to develop her further in show jumping,” describes Fawcett, a professional from Alton, Ontario. “We kept everything really straightforward with the extra time and focused on her dressage. She really grew into herself and really started to blossom over the past winter. She's exceeded our expectations!”

Canton Comet is a 2016 16.3-hand black mare bred in Kentucky by Kirby Chua. She sold for $80,000 as a yearling at Keeneland September in 2017, and went on to make nine starts with one win. Her final start was in August of 2019 at Arlington, where she retired with $20,698 in earnings. She'll return in the Show Hunter on Wednesday.

2021 Show Jumper: Absolute Drama, trained by Emily Clayton

“I'm shocked, actually,” describes Clayton, a professional from Lafayette, Louisiana. “He's only four — I just wanted to give him a good ride. We focus on flatwork a lot at home, and a lot of work went in, but he's pretty easygoing and level-headed. Our first round was our best round.”

Absolute Drama already has a new home lined up after the Thoroughbred Makeover and will head to his new owners once he and Clayton return home. A 2017 15.3 hand dark bay/brown gelding, Absolute Drama was bred in Louisiana by EPIC Thoroughbreds, LLC and made four starts, never breaking his maiden. He retired with $450 in earnings from Evangeline, making his final start in July of 2020. He'll return in the Show Hunter on Wednesday.