Thunderous Affair, Forthegreatergood crowned as champions at Retired Racehorse Project's Thoroughbred Makeover

Thunderous Affair and Forthegreatergood were selected as the overall champions at the Retired Racehorse Project’s Thoroughbred Makeover, held Oct. 12-17 at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Ky.

The annual event was dubbed the “Mega Makeover” this year as it comprised two competition years. With the 2020 event canceled due to the pandemic, that season’s entries were rolled over and held alongside the 2021 competition – essentially as separate events, to keep horses on a level playing field based on the amount of post-race training they had received.

Competition for each class was held across 10 disciplines, with the individual winners ranked by a judging panel to determine an overall champion, with a separate public vote also held for a fan-choice award.

Thunderous Affair and Lindsay Partridge swept the competitive trail and freestyle disciplines in the 2020 finals on Saturday and were voted the overall champion by the panel. Partridge, based out of Ontario, won the overall title again after prevailing in 2015 with Soar. Thunderous Affair, a 4-year-old filly by Liaison and out of the Thunder Gulch mare Thunder Fan, was bred in Kentucky by Jim Williams. She was unstarted, but did log recorded workouts, making her eligible for the competition.

Legend's Hope, trained by Jazz Napravnik – a stakes-winning trainer and sister to jockey Rosie Napravnik – won the eventing final and earned the People's Choice vote.

Still Dreaming – a half-brother to Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist – won the show hunter division under Charles Hairfield. The other 2020 discipline winners were Canton Comet and Samantha Fawcett in show jumping; Zapper and Cameron Sadler in field hunters; Elbow Room and Helen Pianca in dressage; That’s My Bertie, trained by the Willowbrook Polo Team, in polo; Czraina Maria and Jessica Frederick in barrel racing; and Aussie Prayer and Raechel Ramsey in ranch work.

On Sunday, Forthegreatergood, with Laura Sloan aboard, was named the 2021 champion after leading the field hunter discipline throughout the preliminary and final rounds. Forthegreatergood, a 6-year-old gelding by Scipion and out of the Langfuhr mare No Peeking, was bred, owned, and trained in Maryland by Donna Lockard. He made 22 starts, hitting the board five times, before moving on to train with Sloan, based in North Carolina.

“The Thoroughbred is just such a great breed,” Sloan said. “It’s amazing how you can have 10 of these horses in the same race, and they can go into 10 different disciplines. The versatility of this breed – they could have all raced together, and then one’s a barrel racer, and one’s a fox hunter, and one’s a dressage horse. It’s pretty cool.”

The 2021 People's Choice winner was show hunter champion Icarius, trained by Alexandra Beckstett.

The other 2021 winners were Fleet Stepper and Hillary Irwin in eventing; Raise Em Up and Kristina Aaron in show jumping; Kubo Cat and Alison O’Dwyer in dressage; Ramses and Benjamin Lynch in polo; Papa Al and Jody Busch in freestyle; Tip Top Diva and Dakotah Rowel in barrel racing; Super Terrific and Abbey Blair in competitive trail; and War Candy and Muri Triantafilo in ranch work.

Thoroughbreds make an impact at Fair Hill

Sea of Clouds, a son of the late Malibu Moon, was the highest-placed Thoroughbred at the inaugural Maryland Five Star at Fair Hill, which is the world’s newest eventing competition at its top level, and just the second on the U.S. calendar.

Sea of Clouds, 10, was 13th overall in a field of 33 finishers under multiple Olympic gold medalist Phillip Dutton, a longtime advocate for off-the-track Thoroughbreds. The gelding was unplaced in two starts for Sheikh Fahad Al-Thani’s Qatar Racing and trainer Graham Motion; he now competes in eventing for an ownership partnership of the Duttons, the Motions, Sheikh Fahad, Sue Haldeman, Annie Jones, and David and Patricia Vos.

Dutton and the Motions also teamed up with the highest-placed Thoroughbred at the Young Event Horse East Coast championships, held prior to the major event at Fair Hill. Lincoln’s Address, a Union Rags gelding, was fourth overall in the 5-year-old competition. The gelding was unplaced in three starts for breeder R. Larry Johnson, who now owns him alongside the Duttons, Motions, Jones, Justina Dodge, Caroline Moran, and Isabella Timon.

The highest-placed Thoroughbred in the YEH 4-year-old division was Judge Johnny, sixth overall. Ridden by Carleigh Fedorka, the Empire Maker gelding was unplaced in five outings for breeder Bonne Chance Farm, which continues as his owner. Judge Johnny is a half-brother to Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint winner Wavell Avenue.