Saratoga Springs, NY – The fourth annual New York Thoroughbred Aftercare Day was celebrated with much fanfare at Saratoga yesterday, as retired racehorses and the organizations that care for them took the spotlight during the Thursday, August 15, program.

New to the festivities this year was the Down Broadway Award for New York’s Retired Racehorse of the Year. Seven retirees were nominated, and over 3,000 fans voted online to crown My Boy Tate, a graduate of ReRun, as the first recipient of the award.

My Boy Tate was adopted from ReRun by Kendra and Ben Richardson, and their daughter Raina, of New Jersey. For the second year in a row, the Richardson family provided a demonstration of retired racehorses in their second careers for Aftercare Day. Kendra put Dangerous Edge through his dressage paces, while Ben led 6-year-old Raina for a leadline exhibition with recent retiree Financier. They added My Boy Tate to the clan early this year.

“My Boy Tate is just the coolest horse – he’s way cooler than I am,” Kendra said. “We treat him better than we treat ourselves, because he is better! He has nothing to prove, he has accomplished so much in his life. Anything he does now is just icing on the cake. But since I have been riding him and jumping him, he always wants to raise the bar for himself. He still wants to prove that he is awesome, even in his new career. He is also a super sweet guy.”

Being included in the festivities at Saratoga has become an annual highlight for the Richardsons.

“We love being a part of Aftercare Day,” she added. “It really is our favorite thing to do every year. What we enjoyed most this year was meeting the previous owners, or people who knew the horses when they were racing, and making that connection. We are all working together for the horses, but we rarely get to meet and talk to people from the racing side. Not only are we showing the public what these horses can do, we are bringing these two communities together. Aftercare Day is a great idea, and we hope it gets even bigger and better.”

A popular New York-bred who earned over $800,000 during a 38-start career, My Boy Tate was greeted in the winner’s circle by members of previous owner Little Red Feather Racing and trainer Michelle Nevin. Nevin bred the bay gelding and trained him throughout his racing days.

“It’s amazing to see him again,” said a misty-eyed Nevin. “He couldn’t be with nicer people. He looks so happy and content, and I’m so delighted that we have these programs that show that these horses can have such great lives going forward.”

Matt Skelly and David Lyon, who met as Little Red Feather partners, were on hand with family and friends to reunite with “Tate.”

“You couldn’t ask for a better racehorse,” said Lyon. “He always tried and that’s what everyone is looking for. He broke his maiden here at Saratoga and went on to win five in a row. He’s everything you could want in a New York-bred.

“I’m so grateful to Little Red Feather for helping me get started, and I went on to form my owner partnership [Blue Lion] basically because of this horse,” Lyon added. “Michelle Nevin is the real star with this horse—bred him, trained him, co-owned him. These aftercare organizations have done such a great job! Tate used to be really tough, a handful, and you’d never know it now. He’ll be part of the Retired Racehorse Project. He’s really the gift that keeps on giving.”

Representatives of ACTT Naturally, Lucky Orphans, New Vocations, Old Friends at Cabin Creek, ReRun, Second Chance Thoroughbreds, Therapeutic Horses of Saratoga, and Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation were on hand in the Community Booth to talk about their efforts on behalf of New York’s retired racehorses.

The Richardsons’ dressage demonstration was held prior to the Down Broadway ceremony, and the first race was followed by a polo scrimmage that thrilled the crowd with its energy.

“We want to thank NYRA, NYTB, TAKE2 President Rick Schosberg, and all of our aftercare partners for working together to make this event such a success,” said NYTHA Executive Director Andy Belfiore. “This started as an idea from Dr. Edward Messina when he was a member of the NYTHA Board, and it has grown bigger and better every year. Our goal is to spread the word about New York’s commitment to providing happy and healthy lives for our horses even after they leave the track, and New York Thoroughbred Aftercare Day is doing just that.”

As always, the day’s feature was the $125,000 Rick Violette Stakes, named for the late trainer and NYTHA President who spearheaded the creation of the TAKE2 Second Career Thoroughbred Program and TAKE THE LEAD Retirement Program.

Contested under stormy skies, the Rick Violette was won by Sackatoga Stables’ Courtly Banker, trained by Barclay Tagg. Tagg’s assistant Robin Smullen paid tribute to Violette afterwards.

“Rick Violette meant everything to the racing community,” Smullen reflected. “He meant everything to the horsemen and the retired horses. He was a pillar of excellence and an unbelievable horseman.”

To learn more about TAKE THE LEAD and TAKE2 retirement programs, visit https://www.take2tbreds.com/.

photo credits: Susie Raisher & Shaylin Perry