Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association
Posted: Sept. 1, 2017
Turning for Home, the Pennsylvania Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association aftercare program, and New Vocations Racehorse Adoption Program will receive the inaugural TAKE2 Jet Run Awards created by the New York Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association.
Turning for Home, launched in May 2008 at Parx Racing in Pennsylvania, has provide safe retirement homes to more than 1,800 racehorses. New Vocations, founded in 1992, has re-homed more than 6,000 retired Thoroughbreds and Standardbreds.
The Jet Run Award was created to highlight the role of aftercare organizations in the successful second careers of retired racehorses. It is open to all TAKE2 Thoroughbred League members who are graduates of an aftercare program accredited by the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance, affiliated with a recognized horsemen’s organization, and/or approved for a grant from Thoroughbred Charities of America.
The Jet Run Award winners are from opposite ends of the retired racehorse spectrum. Southern Charm, a son of Curlin bred by Stonestreet Stables, never made it to the starting gate. Retrained and rehomed through New Vocations, however, he now excels in his second career as a TAKE2 hunter.
“We were thrilled to learn that a New Vocations graduate has won the Jet Run Award,” Thoroughbred Program Director Anna Ford said. “The New York Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association and the TAKE2 program have done an amazing job promoting Thoroughbreds at the highest level of competition in the hunter and jumper arenas, which is a true testament to how athletic and versatile these horses are.
“It also shows the importance of giving retired racehorses the right transition and placing them with knowledgeable adopters to better ensure a successful second career.”
Irish Sarah is a Florida-bred mare who raced without distinction at Parx, but found her niche as a show jumper after going through the Turning for Home program. Competing for Maureen Allen and ridden by her teenaged daughter Grace, she was not only the Jet Run Award winner this season, but led the standings as the year’s TAKE2 high-score jumper.
“PTHA’s Turning for Home is proud to support the TAKE2 program in the joint effort to raise awareness of the virtues of off-track Thoroughbreds, and we are more than proud of the heights that Irish Sara has reached for adopter Gracie Allen as the TAKE2 champion jumper,” PTHA Executive Director Michael Ballezzi said. “It seems fitting for her to win this award after reviewing Jet Run’s career: Irish Sara was also disappointing in her early childhood. She had a rocky start after dropping her rider and being sidelined from racing, she made only three starts and earned just $950.
“As Jet Run proved for many Thoroughbred enthusiasts, the sky is the limit when provided the opportunity by their connections and rehoming farms like Black Oak Farm. Her breeder, Pat Bosley, collects all Irish Sara’s photos, and says she is just as excited to see her win this award as if she had won a stakes race. Turning for Home makes it a priority to follow our horses’ careers, and competitive opportunities like TAKE2 help ensure that our OTTBs are safe and happy for decades to come.”
The TAKE2 Jet Run Award presentation will be held the evening of Oct. 7, 2017, at the Retired Racehorse Project’s annual Thoroughbred Makeover and National Symposium at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington.
“It is our honor to recognize two wonderful aftercare programs with the very first Jet Run Awards,” said Rick Violette Jr., president of TAKE2 and NYTHA. “Without their tireless efforts to provide the rehabbing and retraining necessary, it would be significantly more difficult to get retired racehorses on the path to thriving second careers. We applaud their work, and congratulate them on a job well done.”
The TAKE2 Thoroughbred League’s 2018 season starts this week with horse shows across the country, from Connecticut, New Jersey and New York to Pennsylvania, Virginia and Florida, and out to Ohio and Oregon. The qualifying period for 2018 runs from Aug. 28, 2017, to Aug. 26, 2018, for hunter and jumper divisions.
Created in 2015, the TAKE2 Thoroughbred League is a member-based initiative that offers participating hunters and jumpers the chance to win a total of $30,000 in year-end awards. Affiliated with more than 350 horse shows last year, the league had more than 300 members, representing 31 states, in its first three seasons.
TAKE2 Thoroughbred League members earn points in affiliated United States Equestrian Federation Thoroughbred hunter and jumper divisions at horse shows nationwide. The annual membership fee is $50 per registered Thoroughbred. To join or renew you’re a membership for 2018, go to www.take2tbreds.com/become-a-member/. The deadline for enrollment is one week following the final day of the competition at which points are earned.
All USEF recognized horse shows that offer the C-rated Thoroughbred hunter and jumper divisions are invited to partner with TAKE2. Horse shows must complete the application and follow the league specifications in order for points earned in those divisions to be counted toward the TAKE2 Thoroughbred League year-end awards. Click here to download the horse show application.