Second Acts

When professional Hunter/Jumper trainer Joyce Brinsfield of Ballyhigh Show Stable, Ltd. received a call from her long-time friend Paula Singer one day in March 2021, she knew she would soon be a part of a new journey.
After 25 years of friendship, it didn’t take much to convince Brinsfield to accompany Singer to Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance-Accredited Kentucky Equine Adoption Center in Nicholasville, KY to meet SAVE ME PAULA- a 2017 Super Saver gelding in need of a new home.

Godolphin’s Lifetime Care Ensures Safety Net for Its Horses, Worldwide By: Alexandra Kokka Godolphin has cemented its place among Thoroughbred racing’s most renowned owners and breeders worldwide, demonstrating the possibility to achieve success at the highest level of the sport spanning four continents. The same world-class effort Sheikh Mohammed’s Godolphin has displayed in breeding and racing horses also applies to aftercare. The Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance recently caught up with Godolphin’s strategic adviser for charities, Diana Cooper, to discuss the evolution of aftercare in the organization. “Since the very beginning of Godolphin, we have had an aftercare program that has evolved over the years,” Cooper recalled. “About seven years ago we became more proactive about formalizing the programs we had in each country under the Godolphin banner, and so the Godolphin Lifetime Care brand name came to fruition. Our objective is to create a greater awareness, passion, and care for these Thoroughbreds throughout their lives, to provide and encourage the best possible lifelong care.” Godolphin Lifetime Care representatives around the world were among those in attendance for these early meetings and annually hold court with aftercare and racing representatives. Every Thoroughbred who is a part of the flagship ownership entity has a safety net for the duration of its life, long after retiring from racing. “In each country where Godolphin operates, we have a lifetime care program that reflects the culture and fits in with the infrastructure of the industry in that country,” Cooper explained. “We are very proud to be able to promote the secondary careers of these horses around the world.” Because of differences in practices, policies, and demand for Thoroughbred aftercare among countries, GLC programs in Europe, Australia, United States, and Japan have individualized protocols. More than anything else, the depth of the GLC program depends on the level of preexisting aftercare infrastructure already in place in that racing jurisdiction. UNITED STATES In the U.S., Godolphin’s Lifetime Care program is overseen by Godolphin racing office and sales manager Emma Browne Lovatt, who has been under the Godolphin umbrella for 20 years. Although she wears many hats for the U.S. racing and breeding operation, Lovatt takes great pride in the success of the aftercare program. “The Lifetime Care program is a very important aspect of the business model: It’s part of the way we do business, and it has to be included in what we do,” Lovatt said. “Their racing career is the smallest part of their life, and we’ve got to try to ensure that the rest of their lives, whether it be the next 15 to 20 years, is somewhere they will be well taken care of.” Since 2014, Lovatt estimates she has helped rehome nearly 184 Godolphin horses. Horses are either rehomed directly following their letdown period or are transferred to an aftercare organization that provides retraining and adoption resources. “I have a wait-list of people interested in adopting Godolphin graduates—it’s ginormous,” Lovatt said. “I also use TAA-accredited New Vocations and the Secretariat Center.” Horses that transition through TAA-accredited organizations are protected under the TAA’s Code of Standards. Thanks to the preexisting infrastructure the TAA and its 81 accredited organizations provide, Godolphin horses that otherwise would be rehomed with no retraining have the opportunity to discover what discipline they are best suited for in building a foundation toward a second career. For example, Godolphin-trained gelding Regiment made two career starts and never broke his maiden. The decision was made to retire the son of Indian Charlie from racing, thus activating the next phase of his life—transitioning through the GLC program. Regiment spent six months in training at the Secretariat Center in Lexington, where it was quickly determined that, with the right adopter, “Reggie,” had the potential to be an upper-level eventer. Fast forward seven years to 2022, Regiment and adopter McKenzie Dey Cumbea have successfully completed numerous four-star events. EUROPE Across the pond sits Godolphin’s most in-depth Lifetime Care program, where retired racehorses receive rehabilitation as well as retraining for a second career. However, rehoming is not the only mission that the European Lifetime Care program serves. It also houses select retirees to help promote the path for retired racehorses. “In Europe our retraining program is based in the U.K.,” Cooper explained. “At our Newmarket retraining facility, we look after horses that have been particular friends to us. We retrain them, and they become our ambassadors.” Among the most beloved of the UK Lifetime Care program ambassadors is 2004 Ascot Gold Cup (G1) winner, Papineau. Just this fall, the now 22-year-old gelding launched the new school year at the Newmarket Academy, accompanied school children to pay their respects at the statue of Her Majesty The Queen, welcomed more than 790 visitors during the Sir Henry Cecil Open Weekend, and even brought joy to some patients at the Newmarket Hospital. “The horses that we’ve used for racehorse parades to be our flag-bearers include African Story and Prince Bishop, winners of the Dubai World Cup (G1), Ascot Gold Cup winner Papineau, and (trainer) Charlie Appleby’s Melbourne Cup (G1) winner, Cross Counter,” Cooper said. AUSTRALIA Similar to Godolphin’s efforts in America, the GLC program in Australia provides direct rehoming or retraining, depending on each horse’s needs. The southern hemisphere operation also maintains flag-bearers to represent Godolphin during race parades and open houses. “In Australia, the majority of horses that we rehome fit into programs that already exist,” Cooper explained. “These programs really suit the industry and adapt our horses as much as possible for their future careers. Hartnell was a champion racehorse and is now a champion in aftercare competitions.” JAPAN Yasuko Sawai has been with Godolphin for 16 years, first working in the Darley Japan foaling barn for 10 years before taking on the responsibility of managing the Japanese GLC program in 2015. “We do our Lifetime Care program two ways. One, we have a rehoming program for our racehorses and, two, we want to improve aftercare by educating racing people,” Sawa explained. “We have rehomed around

The life of a racehorse comes full circle, thanks to the many individuals who saw the potential in one retired Thoroughbred. Anyone in the horse industry can attest that no matter how much thoughtful planning and hard work are put into caring for a horse, things can change in an instant—for better or for worse. Luckily, sometimes unexpected changes are just an opportunity to gain a different perspective. Crosscheck Carlos could have been a great racehorse, but through a series of good and bad events, he was given the opportunity to experience life from a new point of view. Bred by Allen Guillotte Jr., Crosscheck Carlos was foaled in 2015 out of stakes-placed Weepnomoremylady (by Summer Squall). A half brother to Louisiana Cup Distaff Stakeswinner Flower Lady (by Flower Alley), Crosscheck Carlos was acquired by Erik Johnson and Dennis O’Neill at the Ocala Breeders’ Sales March 2-year-olds in training auction for $37,000. The son of Custom for Carlos made most of his eight career starts for trainer Doug O’Neill, under the ownership of Johnson’s ERJ Racing, Slam Dunk Racing, and Neil Haymes. True to his Louisiana-bred roots, in his second start Crosscheck Carlos won the $100,000 D. S. Shine Young Futurity at Evangeline Downs. “Crosscheck was a very willing, athletic, and competitive horse; the type to separate himself from the pack,” Doug O’Neill recalled. “He was a real pleasure to work alongside.” Unfortunately, after finishing second best in his 3-year-old debut, the stakes winner suffered a career-ending sesamoid fracture. Despite the uncertainty a diagnosis of that severity can bring, Crosscheck Carlos had all the right people on his side. “You take on the responsibility and the honor to work alongside these amazing horses and you take care of them every day they’re with you,” O’Neill said. “When they no longer race due to ability or injury, it’s our responsibility to help them move forward in the next chapter of their life.” Unbeknownst to “Carlos,” he’d already caught the eye of Brooke Abbard during his time on the track, and she was ready to give Carlos the soft landing he needed to get back on his feet. “I took Carlos from Doug O’Neill right after his injury,” Abbard said. “I specifically asked for him because I knew him from the barns. I manage a racing stable at the track, so I’m around all the racehorses all the time and Doug O’Neill is one of our trainers.” Abbard transported the 3-year-old to her barn off of the track where they began the long road to recovery. In time, Abbard hoped Carlos would make a dependable trail partner. “You never know how the sesamoid is going to heal; if it’s going to heal perfectly or if they’re not going to be able to have a second career,” Abbard said. “He stayed in a stall in my barn. I hand-walked him three times a day, wrapped it and unwrapped it every day. A lot of work went into healing him successfully.” After nearly two years with Abbard, Carlos’ playful, intuitive nature shone bright. It was apparent the gelding was ready for his next adventure. “Carlos was a special horse,” she said. “He would help me rebed his stall every day. I would just throw a bag of shavings in there and he would undo the bag and fluff his own stall for himself.” Abbard did more than just heal his injury, she ensured Carlos was prepared to find his forever family. Enter Manon Prat, wife of successful jockey Flavien Prat. Before moving to the United States, Manon Prat grew up in France, competing in show jumping and eventing, but her passion for the track eventually took over and she made the decision to pursue exercise riding full-time. She worked on the backstretch as an exercise rider both in France and the U.S. for nearly 10 years. After the birth of their first child in 2018, Prat made the tough choice to quit galloping and focus more on her family. Prat felt at a loss without riding on a daily basis, so the new mom decided to trade in morning breezes on the track for something a little slower—an off-track Thoroughbred. “Horses are my life; that’s something I need, I’m not whole if I don’t have that,” Prat explained. “My husband told me, ‘If you want a horse, I know you like jumping, so maybe you should start jumping again.’ Then, we started looking to get a horse.” Prat began getting back into the swing of English riding with fellow racetracker Maria Falgione, who was retraining two off-track Thoroughbreds and would have Prat out to ride with her. Around the end of 2018, two worlds collided when Abbard sent a certain recently rehabbed stakes winner to Falgione for her to consider buying. With two horses already on her plate, Falgione called Prat, suspecting Crosscheck Carlos might be just what she is looking for. “Maria had two horses at the time that I would ride,” Prat recalled. “They were nice horses, but for whatever reason, I had no attachment to them and they were for sale as well. But you know that kind of thing where you just get on a horse and get that feeling? When I got on Carlos, I really, really liked him. He’s everything I was looking for in a horse.” Crosscheck Carlos was home. One can’t help but admire the synchronicity. Prat and Carlos each went through huge changes in their livelihoods over the past two years, involving changes to their physical and mental selves, but each leaned on the connections they had made along the way, ultimately leading to one kismet moment. As if that weren’t serendipitous enough, when Flavien asked his wife the name of the bay Thoroughbred who had captured her heart, another connection was realized. “Flavien was the first jockey Carlos had on his back and the jockey he won his first race with,” Manon Prat explained. “That was pretty cool because we had no idea