TAKE2 Thoroughbred League | Horse Racing Free Tips

Nine Links, Beyond Comparison Named TAKE2 High-Score Champions For 2021

The TAKE2 High-Score Champions for 2021 are Patricia Hurter's Nine Links, trained by Joe Fargis, in the Jumper Division, and Jaime Gibson's Beyond Comparison, who repeated in the Hunter Division. The High-Score Reserve Champions are John Beebe's Gold Label (Jumper) and Kelly Fleming-Bentz's Purely Grateful. Beyond Comparison, an unraced 14-year-old mare by St. Alydar, dominated her division, winning by 774.5 points, but it came down to the wire in the TAKE2 Jumpers, with Nine Links finishing just 16 points ahead of Gold Label. New York-bred Nine Links was unplaced in seven starts at the racetrack, but has been a consistent performer in the show ring.

Hurter credited the success of “Niles” to riders Christina Severino and Claire Kelley, veterinarians Meredith Boulay and Joe Naranjo, and farriers Jason and Iaian Mulligan, with a special shout-out to “his Thoroughbred-loving trainer Joe Fargis.”

She added: “Niles has a huge team behind him. It takes a village to keep a Thoroughbred happy and healthy and fit and Niles has the best team ever. Everyone was super thrilled to hear the news! He has placed in the top 10 pretty consistently in the TAKE2 Thoroughbred League over the past few years, but this is the first time he's managed to come out on top.”

Hurter would encourage everyone to ride a Thoroughbred.

“They are lovely horses, so brave and fun,” she said. “And you can't beat their incredibly gorgeous fine coats and elegant look. There are so many lovely horses out there looking for a good home, it just seems like a great thing to do, and I love the way they are so sensitive and intelligent and forward. No kicking required!”

Click here for the Final Standings for the TAKE2 Thoroughbred League.

Maybe it's their shared youthful exuberance, but the compatibility of Thoroughbreds and Junior Riders is off the charts. Just ask this year's winners of the TAKE2 High-Score Junior Rider Awards, presented by Thoroughbred Charities of America (TCA). Alyssa Paulette partnered with Check the Label to win the TAKE2 Junior Rider Award in the Hunter Division, and SeaSea Dance captured the Jumper Division with Dandelion Dust.

This is the second TAKE2 Junior Rider Award for Paulette, who earned the honor with Always Drama in the Jumper Division two years ago. “Warmbloods are fun, but I still prefer the sports car ride of a Thoroughbred,” she said.

Dance, who also finished fourth in the Hunter Division of the TAKE2 Junior Rider standings on Dandelion Dust this year, has nothing but praise for the Thoroughbred.

“I've had the opportunity to show and train so many Thoroughbreds in my junior years, and I give these horses credit to helping me become the rider I am today,” she said. “I think every kid should work with this breed for at least one chapter in their journey.

“When you step into the ring with 'Dandy,' you feel her change, she truly has a competitive edge,” she added. “The more you challenge her, the better she gets. She's quick, brave, and has all the heart for this sport. I don't doubt for a minute that that's the Thoroughbred in her; they just have this drive in them that really brings so much to the ring.”

The TAKE2 Junior Rider Award, presented by TCA, was created to recognize the juniors competing on Thoroughbreds in nationwide TAKE2-affiliated Hunter and Jumper classes, and to encourage young horsemen and horsewomen to consider the Thoroughbred when looking for their next sport horse. The award is just one example of the many ways TCA supports the racing industry and retired racehorses.

“TCA is thrilled to once again support the TAKE2 program by sponsoring the Junior Rider Award,” said Erin Crady executive director of TCA. “TCA believes strongly in supporting not only the organizations that are rehabbing, retraining, and rehoming Thoroughbreds, but also organizations like TAKE2 that are working to create a demand in the marketplace for off-track Thoroughbreds. We congratulate Alyssa and SeaSea on their accomplishments this year and applaud their support of Thoroughbreds in the Hunter/Jumper rings.”

TAKE2 Executive Director Andy Belfiore said, “We're really proud to partner with Thoroughbred Charities of America to put the spotlight on the Junior Riders, who prove day in and day out that a Thoroughbred can be the perfect horse for riders of all ages. TCA has been a staunch supporter of TAKE2 for many years, and is helping us to fulfill our mission of ensuring happy and healthy lives for retired racehorses.”

The post Nine Links, Beyond Comparison Named TAKE2 High-Score Champions For 2021 appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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TAKE2 Finals Held Sunday in Lexington

A total of 32 horses representing 14 states traveled to the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington this past weekend to take part in the 2021 TAKE2 Hunter and Jumper Finals at the Kentucky National Horse Show Sunday afternoon. The $20,000 event was created in 2019 to honor late TAKE2 founder Rick Violette Jr. A chestnut named MVP, owned and ridden by Tess Fortune and trained by Chris Bennings, took the hunter final. Teenager Cyanea Robine rode Riley to victory in the jumper final.

“It is wonderful to see all these amazing Thoroughbreds and their enthusiastic owners, riders, and trainers demonstrating just what Thoroughbreds can accomplish after they leave the track,” said Andy Belfiore, executive director of the TAKE2 Second Career Thoroughbred Program. “The mission that Rick Violette set for us is to pave the way to happy and healthy second careers for retired racehorses. I think he would be gratified at the support our program receives from both the show horse and the racing communities.”

The post TAKE2 Finals Held Sunday in Lexington appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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First Foal Of Zenyatta, Cozmic One, Joins TAKE2 Thoroughbred League

Cozmic One, the first foal out of the champion mare Zenyatta, has joined the TAKE2 Thoroughbred League, and will compete in the TAKE2 Thoroughbred Jumper Division at the Kentucky National Horse Show in Lexington Sept. 22-26. The 9-year-old could earn a wild card berth in the Sept. 26 $20,000 TAKE2 Hunter and Jumper Finals if he finishes in the top 5 in the Division.

The wildly popular Zenyatta, racing's Horse of the Year in 2010 and winner of 19 of her 20 career starts, foaled Cozmic One on March 8, 2012, at Lane's End Farm in Lexington. Before he was named, the royally bred young colt was the subject of media coverage and even had a Breyer horse model created for him (it now sells for $125 on Amazon).

While he did not live up to his bloodlines on the racetrack, Cozmic One became a fan favorite. He still has a following today, according to Sergio de Sousa, who now owns Cozmic One in partnership with Zenyatta's owner/breeders, Jerry Moss and Ann Holbrook, and his daughter, Isabela.

“It's pretty amazing, a lot of people really enjoy seeing what he is up to,” de Sousa said. “People love the mare, and they love him, too. We post things about him on social media – from the horse shows, but also Coz playing with his buddy, rolling in the mud, just being a horse. It makes people happy to see it, and it is simple for us to do that. We get letters, Christmas cards, cookies, birthday cards, you can go on and on. My daughter started it a couple of years ago, so people could follow him, make the connection with Coz, see how he was training. She got a lot of people to participate in his journey.”

Cozmic One retired from racing in 2017 after five unsuccessful starts, and joined the de Sousa family to start a second career as a show jumper. He competed in the Retired Racehorse Project's 2018 Makeover, finishing fifth, then was sidelined for the better part of 2019.

“His transition took a while,” de Sousa said. “He pulled a muscle [after the Makeover] and needed time off. His body was changing, he was learning to use himself, but now he is really coming together.”

While daughter Isabela gave Cozmic One a solid foundation for his new career, she is now off at college, and father Sergio has literally taken the reins. A native of Brazil, he has been a horseman all his life and is the managing partner of Hidden Brook, a full-service Thoroughbred farm outside of Lexington. De Sousa is new to the world of show jumping, but he enjoys the challenge of working with Coz.

“He's a charismatic horse, he has a fantastic personality, a very strong personality,” he said. “He definitely knows we work for him, but in a good way. He knows he's a big boy, you have to be strong with him, but you have to make him think anything new is his idea. He tests me, which is great. He makes me a better rider.”

The two competed together at the Split Rock Horse Show in June and the Robert Murphy Stable Horse Show in July. They have yet to win a ribbon, but that is not the end goal for de Sousa.

“It's the two of us against the course,” he said. “We hope to improve from the day before, we want to do well, but it is not about winning. It's about being in rhythm with the horse. Riding horses for me, it reminds me why I work with the horses. That partnership, that closeness, that's why I do it.”

As for Coz, de Sousa said, “This is his second career, but he really is retired, he is just having fun. He gets excited going to the shows, he loves to watch the other horses perform, he loves to watch the people go by. He's like a boxer, ready to go in the ring. But we're not looking to be in the Olympics, this is just for his enjoyment. He doesn't owe us anything.”

The classes for the TAKE2 Jumper division at the Kentucky National Horse Show will be held in the Walnut Ring at the Kentucky Horse Park on Sept. 23-25. The TAKE2 Jumper Finals will be the second class of the day in the Walnut Ring on Sunday, Sept. 26.

The TAKE2 Thoroughbred League, launched in 2015, offers $10,000 in year-end high-score awards to the Thoroughbreds competing in TAKE2-affiliated Hunter and Jumper divisions across the country. The $20,000 TAKE2 Finals are held every September. The program was created to promote second careers for retired racehorses.

“TAKE2, promoting Thoroughbreds for jumping, for hunting, it's fantastic,” de Sousa said.

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Zenyatta’s Cozmic One Joins TAKE2 Thoroughbred League

Cozmic One (Bernardini), the first foal out of Horse of the Year Zenyatta (Street Cry {Ire}), has joined the TAKE2 Thoroughbred League and is slated to compete in the TAKE2 Thoroughbred Jumper Division at the Kentucky National Horse Show Sept. 22-26. The classes for his division will be held in the Walnut Ring at the Kentucky Horse Park near Lexington. Cozmic One could earn a wild card berth in the $20,000 TAKE2 Hunter and Jumper Finals Sept. 26 if he finishes in the top five in the division.

Now a 9-year-old and with a huge fan following since his birth, Cozmic One made little impact on the racetrack and retired in 2017. He competed in the Retired Racehorse Project's 2018 Makeover and finished fifth for Isabela de Sousa. The college student owns Cozmic One in partnership with her father, Sergio, who now rides the horse, and Zenyatta's owners, Jerry Moss and Ann Holbrook.

“It's pretty amazing, a lot of people really enjoy seeing what he is up to,” said Sergio de Sousa. “People love the mare, and they love him, too. We post things about him on social media–from the horse shows, but also 'Coz' playing with his buddy, rolling in the mud, just being a horse. It makes people happy to see it, and it is simple for us to do that. We get letters, Christmas cards, cookies, birthday cards, you can go on and on. My daughter started it a couple of years ago, so people could follow him, make the connection with Coz, see how he was training. She got a lot of people to participate in his journey.”

De Sousa, the managing partner of Hidden Brook, competed with Cozmic One at the Split Rock Horse Show in June and the Robert Murphy Stable Horse Show in July.

“This is his second career, but he really is retired, he is just having fun,” said de Sousa. “He gets excited going to the shows, he loves to watch the other horses perform, he loves to watch the people go by. He's like a boxer, ready to go in the ring. But we're not looking to be in the Olympics, this is just for his enjoyment. He doesn't owe us anything.”

TDN won a 2018 Multi-Media Eclipse Award for a feature on Cozmic One in his second career.

The TAKE2 Thoroughbred League was launched in 2015 to promote second careers for retired racehorses and offers $10,000 in year-end high-score awards to Thoroughbreds competing in TAKE2-affiliated hunter and jumper divisions across the country, with the $20,000 TAKE2 Finals held every September.

The post Zenyatta’s Cozmic One Joins TAKE2 Thoroughbred League appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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