MVP In The Show Ring: Former Racehorse Stars In $20,000 TAKE2 Finals

He finished at the back of the pack in every race he ever started, but MVP beat all comers to win the 2021 TAKE2 Hunter Final at the Kentucky National Horse Show in Lexington Sunday afternoon. The splashy chestnut, owned and ridden by Tess Fortune and trained by Chris Bennings, was a model of consistency through the two rounds of the event to earn the championship sash over 15 competitors. Frank and Susan Seman's Irascibull, ridden by Jenna Drago and trained by Scott Petrie, was the reserve champion.

Riley, trained by Megan O'Dwyer Thiel and owned and ridden by 16-year-old Cyanea Robine, was the winner of the TAKE2 Jumper Final, going clear in the jump-off to nip Kathryn Currey's A Lil Evil.

The $20,000 TAKE2 Hunter and Jumper Finals were created in 2019 to honor the memory of TAKE2 founder Rick Violette Jr., who passed away in 2018. A total of 32 horses representing 14 states traveled to the Kentucky Horse Park to compete this year.

Based in Louisville, Ky., Tess Fortune only had to drive a little more than an hour to get to the Finals. She'd made the trip twice before, finishing second with MVP in the Finals in 2019 and 2020. The two have been a team for seven years, ever since the 10-year-old made two inauspicious starts at Oaklawn Park under his Jockey Club name of Kit's Captain, and was retired from racing through the Illinois Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association's Galloping Out program. Galloping Out has long been a supporter of the TAKE2 Program.

“He ran twice and he was slow,” Fortune said with a smile. “I watched the videos, and he was last in both; in one, he was very, very last.”

The young horsewoman connected with Captain, as he is known around the barn, by chance.

“My hunter was hurt, and I was looking for another, but on a very low budget,” she recalled. “I was working at a tack shop, and someone from Galloping Out came by with a flyer. I reached out, and they sent me videos of three horses. He had a lot of white, and he was by far my favorite.”

Fortune knew from the start she had something special in MVP.

“He looked like a hunter from the first day I tried him,” she said. “He's the best horse. He's very opinionated, and super picky – he'll eat peppermints and carrots, but he doesn't like weird snacks. But he's a very, very good boy.”

The two have won numerous championships in the TAKE2 and the Amateur-Owner Hunter divisions. They will head to Harrisburg next month to compete in the Zone 2 Hunter Championship. Fortune has a soft spot for the TAKE2 Thoroughbred Program.

“I love TAKE2,” she said. “I love that the horses don't age out of the program, you can develop a horse properly and continue to show in the division. With the Green Hunters, you feel rushed, and off-the-track Thoroughbreds are as green as they come. With TAKE2, you can take the time you need and use it as a stepping stone to other divisions. The program is fair and friendly to the horses.”

She added: “TAKE2 is absolutely increasing the popularity of the Thoroughbreds. You can see that the quality of the competition in the division is better every year. The program is encouragement to get the Thoroughbreds going again.”

Andy Belfiore, executive director of the TAKE2 Second Career Thoroughbred Program, was thrilled with the turn out for the Finals. “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,” she said. “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.”

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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.”

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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.

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TAKE2 Introduces Member Marketplace

TAKE2 announced the launch of the new TAKE2 Member Marketplace. TAKE2 Thoroughbred League Members can post horses or other equine-related items, including Thoroughbred Hunter or Jumper prospect, new or used saddles or bridles,  horse trailers or any other apparel, equipment or supplies, on the TAKE2 website (www.take2tbreds.com).

The TAKE2 Member Marketplace will be open to the public, however, only League Members can post items for sale. For more information, email take2tbreds@gmail.com.

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