2024 Real Rider Cup Fair Hill participants. Photo courtesy Maggie Kimmitt
The Fair Hill leg of the Real Rider Cup welcomed 36 horse and rider combinations along with hundreds of spectators to Fair Hill Thoroughbred Horse Show on September 13th for an evening of lively competition and entertainment. The charity show jumping competition brings together personalities from across the breeding and racing industry to increase awareness and raise funds for Thoroughbred aftercare, with each rider pledging to raise at least $1,000.
Riders, mounted on off-track Thoroughbreds and wearing the silks of their employers, colleagues, and clients contended a winding course of fences with the fastest clear rounds taking home top honors. The entry list included stakes horses Flash McCaul, Ninety One Assault, Nakamura, and Whereshetoldmetogo. WBAL Radio Baltimore’s Scott Wykoff served as emcee, providing color commentary.
Team SMACC Down produced both the overall champion and highest earning riders: Gabrelle Nguyen, last year’s second-placed rider, took top honors as individual champion aboard Pet Me Pet Me, and last year’s highest earner Sandi Norris smashed her previous total, personally raising $8,439. Team Pastured Place won the team competition. Full individual and team competition results are posted at www.therealridercup.com
True to the collaborative spirit of the Real Rider Cup, the evening concluded with non-competitive rounds showcasing three horses from Team Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation who collectively raised over $13,000 for the RRC’s beneficiaries.
Founded by Anita Motion in 2017, the original Real Rider Cup was hosted at the Unionville CCI 4* event with the Retired Racehorse Project as the sole beneficiary. It has since moved to Fair Hill, adding the Fair Hill Thoroughbred Show as beneficiary, as well as added a Kentucky leg of competition held at New Vocations’ Lexington flagship facility. As of this writing, the event has raised over $600,000 for Thoroughbred aftercare and Motion has a vision to expand the event model to benefit more aftercare entities. To that end, the California Retirement Management Account (CARMA) will join the list of RRC beneficiaries, with a Los Angeles leg of the competition in the works for spring 2025.
“We are thrilled with the opportunity to bring the Real Rider Cup to the West Coast and to add CARMA to our group of beneficiaries,” said Motion. “Not only does it raise much-needed funds for retraining and aftercare, but it demonstrates that we can all work together towards a unanimous goal.”
“We are excited to welcome Real Rider Cup to California. This event has become a staple in the mid-west and east coast, and I know our equestrian community has been waiting for the opportunity to enjoy the event in their own backyard,” said Lucinda Lovitt, Executive Director of CARMA. “By bringing regional events like RRC to California, we continue to elevate Thoroughbred aftercare and the good work so many organizations do for the horses.”
Learn more and watch for updates at www.therealridercup.com.
Proceeds of the Real Rider Cup benefit the Retired Racehorse Project, New Vocations Thoroughbred Adoption, the Fair Hill Thoroughbred Show, and California Retirement Management Account (CARMA).
