Photo by Zenya Lepper

The Retired Racehorse Project (RRP) announced today that the reimagined Thoroughbred Makeover Ambassador Award is now open for nominations for 2024. An original Thoroughbred Makeover award, the Ambassador Award has gone through several iterations since 2015; since 2022, it has served as a memorial award for beloved chief steward Bill Kraatz, recognizing exceptional horsemanship exhibited by a trainer during Thoroughbred Makeover week. The award will continue as the Bill Kraatz Thoroughbred Makeover Ambassador Award, and is now designed to recognize a Thoroughbred Makeover graduate horse which has gone on to serve as an ambassador for the athleticism and trainability of the retired racehorse in its career beyond racing.

Eligible horses include any Thoroughbred Makeover graduate, defined as any horse who was registered for the retraining competition even if he or she did not ultimately compete, regardless of who now owns the horse. Nominations will be submitted online via a form at TheRRP.org, which includes fields to describe the horse’s post-Makeover competitive career, notable achievements, and general updates.

“The RRP has identified tracking and recognizing the accomplishments of Thoroughbred sport horses in a comprehensive way as being crucial to furthering our mission to increase demand for the breed, so we’re starting in earnest with Makeover graduates,” said RRP executive director Kirsten Green. “We know Makeover graduates have gone on to compete at the upper levels of sport, contribute to sport horse breeding programs, serve as faithful trail mounts, and everything in between – and it’s time to better capture and celebrate those accomplishments. The retooling of the Bill Kraatz Ambassador Award is the perfect opportunity to do so.”

Nominations will remain open now through July 1. A committee consisting of past Makeover judges and officials will select the horse that best represents a top ambassador of the breed, and the winning horse will be announced in September, featured in the 2024 Thoroughbred Makeover event program, and honored at the Awards Party on Friday, October 11 at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington. Learn more and make your nomination at https://www.therrp.org/special-awards/ .