The versatility of thoroughbreds was on display just a few miles from Keeneland Race Course from October 8 to 11, when the Retired racehorse project crowned 10 Thoroughbred makeover champions at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington.
After two days of preliminary competition, the new format of the event was showcased as 10 horses from each discipline continued to compete in the ring they had visited during the preliminaries before the championship round on Saturday.
Previously, only the top five in each discipline qualified for the championship, with the entire championship round taking place in the indoor arena.
While many competitors chose to focus on just one of the ten disciplines offered during the Thoroughbred Makeover for horses in their first year of retraining, each horse at the makeover had the opportunity to compete in up to two disciplines. This worked out well for many, as 10 of those finalists competed in two divisions.
Although no horse won both disciplines this year, the Amy Faison-trained Sekt impressed the judges enough in both disciplines to take home two top-five places. Sekt finished last in his only start as a racehorse and his racing owners soon decided he needed a new career. He found out just that when Faison picked him up Pasture place.
The gelding has done much better in this area, winning the eventing almost three points ahead of second place. He also finished fifth in show jumping, with Faison excited about what’s to come with the off-track Thoroughbred (OTTB).
“I’m so excited. I’m so proud of him. He’s only four and he’s come such a long way this year. He’s really grown up, even this week. He’s really figured out what to do. I couldn’t be more proud of him,” she told Retired Racehorse Project.
One name likely familiar to racing fans is Sibelius, who also stood out during the 2025 Thoroughbred Makeover.
Trained by Jerry O’Dwyer at the track, Sibelius won nine of his 27 starts and seven other top-three finishes, earning more than $1.8 million in earnings. His peak as a racehorse came in the 2023 Dubai Golden Shaheen, when he delivered his trainer O’Dwyer’s first Grade/Group 1 victory. A special horse to their family, Sibelius remained with the O’Dwyers after his retirement from racing to transition to a show career and was shown in two disciplines by Jerry’s wife, Allison, during the makeover.
Sibelius, the richest horse at this year’s Thoroughbred Makeover, scored a 45 in dressage – just six points behind the winner – and finished third in that event. By also adding Freestyle to his resume, Sibelius finished eighth in his second discipline.
Sibelius may not have won, but multi-level Street Ready represented the stakes well with a victory in the Field Hunter division.
Street Ready raced 31 times over six seasons, placing in both the Grade 2 Ft. Lauderdale Stakes and Grade 3 Transylvania Stakes as a racehorse while amassing $335,077 in earnings. He retired in November 2024 after a win and was acquired Second step by Kara Lee.
Field Hunter’s victory came down to the wire for Street Ready, with three horses scoring 138 and Street Ready’s 138.500 scoring just 0.167 better than second and 0.333 better than third.
“I’m overjoyed. It’s been surreal all week; this horse has shown up. I always knew he was special, but I’m just happy that I was able to show him and show other people how special he is. He means a lot to me and really came through this week and was great,” said Lee.
The other discipline winners were Battle Born in Barrel Racing; Vestal’s Gap in Competitive Course; Patou Road in dressage; Bandon in freestyle; Qia in Polo; Miz Mosler in ranch work; Mentha in Showjager; and Late Night Cruiser in show jumper.
If you would like to learn more about the Retired Racehorse Project and the requirements to participate in the event, please visit https://www.therrp.org. For the full results of the 2025 Thoroughbred Makeover, click here.
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