Aussie Prayer, a New York-bred mare who earned $216,441 during her career, landed one of the top prizes at the Retired Racehorse Project’s Thoroughbred Makeover this month in Lexington. Photo courtesy of Retired Racehorse Project.
By Tom Law
Parson Brown, an unraced son of champion and New York-based sire Big Brown; and Aussie Prayer, a mare by All American who won or placed in 23 of her 40 career starts over six seasons, led a strong group of New York-breds that competed in the recent Retired Racehorse Project’s Thoroughbred Makeover.
Created to show off the versatility of retired racehorses, the Thoroughbred Makeover featured 10 different competition disciplines. The 2020 Makeover was canceled and the 2021 event, held Oct. 12-17 at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Ky., was billed as a “Mega Makeover” combining the 2020 and 2021 classes. To be eligible for the Makeover, a horse had to have worked or raced after July 1, 2018 for the 2020 group and July 1, 2019 for the 2021 group.
Aussie Prayer, trained by Raechel Ramsey, took home first place in the 2020 Ranch Work division, and tied with fellow discipline winner Elbow Room for the Empire State Success Story Award for the competitions leading New York-bred. The New York Thoroughbred Breeders Inc. co-sponsored the $2,500 Empire State Success Story prize, along with the New York Racing Association and New York Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association.
Aussie Prayer also collected a Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance Award at the event, along with a Thoroughbred Charities of America Award and a Best Conditioned Award.
A 9-year-old mare bred by Michael Shanley foaled at Vinery NY at Sugar Maple in Poughquag, Aussie Prayer won seven of 40 starts with nine seconds and seven thirds from 2014 to 2019, racking up a bankroll of $216,441. She won at Saratoga Race Course, Belmont Park and Presque Isle Downs during her career, including a win in a $75,000 allowance turf sprint during the 2016 at the Spa.
Parson Brown, an unraced son of champion, dual classic winner and top New York sire Big Brown, took home an Empire State Success Story Award after finishing second in the Competitive Trail discipline at the Makeover. Photo courtesy of Retired Racehorse Project.
Parson Brown also collected an Empire State Success Story Award, in a tie with Ten Plagues for the 2021 class after finishing second in the Competitive Trail discipline for the 2021 class. Trained in his second career by Mandy Weissmann, Parson Brown also won a TAA Award and a Best Conditioned Award.
Bred by Crossed Sabres Farm and foaled at Hickory Hill Farm Thoroughbreds in Fort Edward, the 5-year-old out of the Maria’s Mon mare Summer Moon was unraced and an RNA at the 2017 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Eastern fall yearling sale in Timonium, Md. Parson Brown is a half brother to four winners, including fellow New York-bred Carradine, third in the 2016 Damon Runyon Stakes and second in the 2017 Gander Stakes during his career.
Elbow Room earned his Empire State Success Story Award after winning in Dressage for the 2020 class for trainer Helen Pianca.
Elbow Room earned an Empire State Success Story Award after winning in Dressage. Photo courtesy of Retired Racehorse Project.
Bred by EKQ Stables Corp., the 7-year-old by D’Funnybone out of the More Than Ready mare Show Me The Carats won four times in 23 starts and earned $36,970 over four seasons. A two-time graduate of the sales ring, including for $75,000 at the 2015 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga New York-bred yearling sale, Elbow Room won each of his four races at Finger Lakes.
Ten Plagues, trained in her second career by Jessica Frederick, finished second in the Barrel Racing discipline for the 2021 class to earn her tie with Parson Brown for the Empire State Success Story Award.
Bred and foaled at Sequel Stallions New York in Hudson, Ten Plagues made three starts in 2020 and 2021 after breezing in :10.1 and selling for $180,000 at the OBS March sale of selected 2-year-olds in training. A 3-year-old daughter of American Pharoah out of the unraced Harlan’s Holiday mare Corey’s Holiday, Ten Plagues is out of a full sister to New York-bred champion Notacatbutallama, stakes-placed producer Jazzminegem and 10-time winner Toque.
Sequel New York’s Mission Impazible came into the Makeover competition with the most New York-breds in the competition and Nucks, a 6-year-old son of the veteran Unbridled’s Song stallion, came away with two awards. Nucks earned a TCA Award in the Barrel Racing discipline and a Best Conditioned Award in Freestyle for the 2020 class.
Bred by and foaled at Dutchess Views Farm in Pine Plains, Nucks placed three times in 12 starts over two seasons and earned $12,013.
Ten Plagues, second in
the Barrel Racing discipline for the 2021 class, also tied for the Empire State Success Story Award. Photo courtesy of Retired Racehorse Project.
Five other New York-breds took home TCA Awards – World of Honor and Roziere in the 2021 class; and Appointment, Ragnar Lothbrok and Eloquent Ethel in the 2020 class.
World of Honor, a 4-year-old gelding by Honorable Dillon bred by and foaled at Hidden Lake Farm in Stillwater, competed in Barrel Racing. Roziere, a 5-year-old winning mare by Mission Impazible bred by Caliburn Farm LLC and foaled at Sequel Stallions New York, competed in Eventing. Appointment, a 5-year-old Freud gelding bred by Mosaic Stable and foaled at Stone Bridge Farm in Gansevoort, competed in Dressage. Ragnar Lothbrok, a winning 6-year-old son of Heavy Breathing bred by Sunrise Stables and Gary Tolchin and foaled at Dutchess Views Farm, competed in Eventing. Eloquent Ethel, a six-time winner and 8-year-old daughter of Justenuffhumor bred by and foaled at McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds in Saratoga Springs, competed in the Show Hunter discipline.
The Sheik of Araby, a 6-year-old gelding by Bridgetown bred by Anstu Farm Inc. and foaled at McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds, earned a Best Conditioned Award for his competition in the Field Hunter 2021 class.
No Mo Promises, a winning 6-year-old son of Uncle Mo bred by Dr. Jerry Bilinski and Harry Patten and foaled at Waldorf Farm in North Chatham; and Skeet Shot, a winning 7-year-old son of Trappe Shot bred by Bradley Browne Jr., Stephanie Browne and Elise Browne and foaled at Crescent Brook Farm in Hopewell Junction, won Turning for Home Awards for the highest scoring Makeover horse acquired through Pennsylvania Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association’s Turning For Home program directly or from one of its partner farms.
A full album of the award winners and more can be found here.
