The largest Thoroughbred retraining competition in the world for recently-retired racehorses is set to return to the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington from October 9-12 – and it is free for the public to attend.
With the tagline ‘Sport of Kings to Kings of Sport’, The Thoroughbred Makeover and National Symposium was created by the Retired Racehorse Project (RRP) to showcase the trainability and talent of off-track Thoroughbreds.
This year, 447 horses were registered, and 353 made final entry. Combined, the 2024 Makeover class won 1,030 races and earned more than $38 million while on the track. Now, they will be competing for over $100,000 in total prize-money.
“The Thoroughbred Makeover is meant to inspire more equestrians to get involved with Thoroughbreds, especially recently retired ones,” said Kristen Kovatch Bentley, RRP’s communications manager. “We do a lot more beyond the Thoroughbred Makeover, but it is the biggest culmination of everything we do.”
The RRP’s mission statement is clear: to facilitate placement of Thoroughbred ex-racehorses in second careers by increasing demand for them in equestrian sports and serving the farms, trainers, and organizations that transition them.
Grassroots origins
It began as a grassroots movement in 2009 when Steuart Pittman organized and moderated the Retired Racehorse Training Symposium. He recognized that warmbloods were gaining in popularity and that no one was marketing ex-racehorses as sport horse prospects.
The following year, the RRP, which was originally known as the Retired Racehorse Training Project, was formed as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
In 2012, the organization hosted the 100-Day Trainer Challenge at the Pennsylvania Horse World Expo. This was the precursor to the Thoroughbred Makeover, which was held for the first time the following year at Pimlico Race Course and featured 26 trainers and horses. In 2015, the Thoroughbred Makeover moved to the Kentucky Horse Park, which has hosted it ever since.
“Next year will be our 10-year anniversary in Kentucky, so we are planning come celebratory things around that,” said Kovatch Bentley.
“It made sense to put it in the cradle of the Thoroughbred industry. Breeders, owners, trainers, connections, and stallion farms can all come out. I think the racing industry is starting to appreciate and embrace what a big deal this is for the individual horses.
“The show itself has developed a reputation for being very friendly for competitors. It is a safe space to bring a green horse, enjoy themselves, and find a lot of like-minded people that are truly in it for the horse.”
Kovatch Bentley would know better than anyone. She became part of the RRP team in November 2018 after competing in that year’s Makeover with her first off-track Thoroughbred, Jobber Bill.
Accepted trainers – which encompasses everyone from professionals, amateurs, juniors and teams – applied in January with Jockey Club-registered Thoroughbreds who marked a workout or race after July 1, 2022 and did not have more than 15 retraining rides prior to December 1, 2023.
“It is open to horses in their first year of retraining, so you won’t see horses competing at the same level of the Kentucky 5*, but you are seeing a showcase of that versatility, athleticism, and especially the trainability of horses right after racing,” said Kovatch Bentley.
“A lot of folks in the racing industry come out, and they are so impressed at how these horses can transition. Some of them raced as recently as the spring of this year.”
“I was thought the show was cool,” she said. “Everyone is there to cheer for each other, and I had never been to a competition that felt that way. I guess I made a good impression because I was hired back right after the show to do communications.
“We are always joking that those results are not typical! Don’t go to the show and assume you are going to get a job also.”
Ten disciplines
There are 10 competitive disciplines offered during the Makeover: barrel racing, competitive trail, dressage, eventing, field hunter, polo, ranch work, show hunter, show jumper, and freestyle. Each horse may be entered in up to two disciplines.
“Some of these horses are turning into reliable trail partners, and others will go on to pursue an elite career in something a little more demanding,” said Kovatch Bentley. “We don’t want to pigeonhole the Thoroughbred into one particular track after racing. It is not just a question of getting them the best training and all of them can be Olympic horses.
“Some of them need a lower-impact career, and some of them want a lower-impact career. Not every horse has that athletic drive to be an upper-level horse. The Thoroughbred is so trainable and versatile, it is important to show a range of activities.”
Preliminary rounds will take place on Wednesday and Thursday of Makeover week, and the top five scores from each discipline will advance to the finale on Saturday. The finale is a separate championship event, and each discipline will name a champion. Then, the judges from all 10 disciplines will rank the discipline winners to crown the overall Thoroughbred Makeover Champion.
Additionally, on Friday, the RRP has added a day of clinics and guided schooling opportunities for participants.
Bucket list show
“There will always be people who show up who are planning to bring home that $10,000 check, but generally most people are there to celebrate the breed and have a bucket list show, a major goal to work toward,” said Kovatch Bentley.
“We have been able to build this fanbase for the breed through this particular event. It has become something people want to participate in. If they happen to win and bring home some money, so much the better, but they are just happy to be part of the movement.”
Those who compete in the Makeover must acquire their own eligible horse. They also have the opportunity to sell their horse during the event via the Makeover Marketplace, but they obviously are not required to do so.
The RRP staff tracks how participants source their horses, as part of the effort to measure how horses are moved to their second career. This year, half of the horses competing in the Makeover were acquired directly from their connections.
“That’s a big number,” said Kovatch Bentley. “They didn’t go through a middle man reseller, and they didn’t go through a non-profit. Someone, somewhere connected that Makeover trainer with the track connections, and they did that transaction directly. I would say the majority of people are still figuring out how to do their aftercare directly.”
Increasing value
Another key figure the RRP team tries to quantify is the value of a retiring Thoroughbred destined for a second career. The returns on the average cost of horses participating in the Makeover have been promising.
“One of the metrics we use to track success is the rising price of horses,” said Kovatch Bentley. “There is the argument that everything has gotten more expensive, and yes, we know that.
“But the average price for horses coming off the track, including adoption fees as well as purchases, has gone up from a little over $1,000 per horse in 2015 to a little over $3,000 now. The value for horses is going up.
“Some of these top-class barns don’t necessarily need $3,000 for their horses, and they are happy to donate them, but for the more working-class operations, it can make a big difference if they are able to sell that horse and have that horse pay his way.
“The trickle down is that we are hoping it is encouraging more connections to retire a horse sounder and younger because those horses have more value. It helps avoid the ‘one last race’ mentality, which can get horses and people into trouble. We see that increasing value as a pretty big boon to the industry.”
Helping to create connections between competitors and the Thoroughbred industry is another aspect of the RRP. In that spirit, this year it introduced the Makeover Champions program, inviting members of the Thoroughbred racing industry to demonstrate public support for former connected horses who are headed to the Makeover.
“The Makeover trainers are very invested in the fact that they have a former racehorse, and we are hoping the racing industry equally embraces it,” said Kovatch Bentley.
“Really the only requirement is that they share updates about their former horses on social media or their website through Makeover week. We would also love to have them come out and show them around.
“It is really meaningful to the Makeover trainers when a horse’s breeder or former owner comes out, and we are trying to formalize that process through Makeover Champions. We have a really good list of folks participating this year. Operations like Godolphin have really embraced it, which is huge.”
The racing ability of horses who compete in the Makeover runs the gamut. This year, they range from horses who had published works but never raced to King’s House, the ultimate warhorse who made 119 starts, to Breeders’ Cup competitors and graded-stakes winners.
“A long-term marketing goal is to keep building the idea of embracing a second career,” said Kovatch Bentley.
“These horses did not win the Kentucky Derby, and that’s okay. They are having productive lives, and they are loved. Come out, see the competition, and support and celebrate your former horses. Celebrate Thoroughbreds in second careers.”
• Visit the Thorouughbred Makeover website
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