The Retired Racehorse Project (RRP) announced today that Makeover Champions, which debuted in 2024, will return as part of the 2025 Thoroughbred Makeover and National Symposium, presented by Thoroughbred Charities of America. Makeover Champions invites members of the Thoroughbred racing industry to demonstrate public support for former connected horses who are headed to the 2025 retraining competition, the largest and most lucrative of its kind in North America. 

Former connections, including breeders, owners, trainers, and stallion farms, are eligible to participate in Makeover Champions. Participating Champions are invited to share updates about their former connected horses throughout the lead-up to the Thoroughbred Makeover and the event itself, demonstrating their dedication to the Thoroughbred breed at all life stages. Additional participation options including volunteering at the Thoroughbred Makeover, attending to cheer on their former connected horses, or making a monetary donation in support of the RRP’s charitable mission to increase demand for the breed beyond racing. 

“We were thrilled with the response to the pilot of Makeover Champions last year,” said RRP executive director, Kirsten Green. “The Thoroughbred breed stands to benefit tremendously from the acknowledgement that these horses are likely to have multiple careers in their lifetimes other than what they were originally bred to do. Having the racing and breeding connections of Makeover entrants putting the reach and visibility of their platforms behind this continuum is incredibly valuable.” 

The Thoroughbred Makeover is the largest and most lucrative retraining competition for recently-retired Thoroughbred racehorses and former broodmares, and is the banner event of the Retired Racehorse Project, a 501(c)3 non-profit dedicated to increasing demand for Thoroughbreds beyond racing. Over 300 horses are registered for this year’s competition, the latest class of over 5,000 horses to be directly impacted by the work of the RRP. Final entry will be completed at the end of August and give a more precise picture of which horses will be competing. 

Interested former connections of horses currently registered for the 2025 Thoroughbred Makeover are invited to fill out this form for more information about Makeover Champions. Additional individual outreach will take place throughout the month.