I’m looking for information about which Thoroughbred retirement groups, if any, might be active around Penn National. I have been following a claimer who was racing for $40,000 in New York this summer, but has dropped rapidly to $5,000. He has a new owner, but it must have been a private transaction, since he was not claimed when he last raced for $10,000. I’m not sure what I can do for him; just trying to put out feelers to see if one of the retirement groups might have a connection in that area… I don’t want to see him slide farther down the pipeline to a bad end.
P.S. I only saw this horse one time, as he was leaving the paddock after finishing second in a turf sprint. He was a very striking gray gelding by Mizzen Mast (Cozzene) out of an El Prado mare. I thought he might make a lovely horse for somebody in a second career.
Thank you!
“Turning for Home” is based at PARX but probably would try to help you.
Good luck.
Thank you!
If you are interested in a horse who is descending the claiming ladder, it is not “necessary” to go through a “TB retirement” placement service. It’s OK to simply approach the trainer, and let them know that you might be interested in the horse, should the owner wish to sell him to a non-racing home. You CAN skip the middleman.
Thank you! Unfortunately, I am not in a position to be able to take the horse myself. I appreciate the input, though!
I now see that Penn National does have a TB aftercare program called New Start. Unfortunately, to qualify, a horse must have made the majority of his recent starts at that track. This horse has only raced there once.
Not quite a rescue group, but I know folks in Canter PA and they are great. And they work out of Penn National
Thank you, I will look into that. The horse just ran last night and looked all right, although he was well-beaten. Going long on the dirt is not his thing— he’s best in turf sprints. He’s just stuck in a place he shouldn’t be right now!
What lovely bloodlines! I hope he can end up in a sporthorse home. You could always try to get in touch with the trainer directly and see if they could keep you in mind if they decide to stop running the horse. I’ve done that a few times.
Unfortunately, I’m not in a position to buy him myself right now, so I the most I could do would be reach out to the trainer (whom I don’t know) and nudge him to offer the horse through CANTER, or another group, once he is ready to retire. This horse was a good second in a 30k turf sprint last summer, but last night he was not competitive going long for 5k on the dirt, which is not his surface. It’s just too bad, and I wish I could do something to get him into a spot where he might have a useful second career.
