ABigAABadBill is among the OTTBs available at this weekend’s Showcase at Mountaineer Park.
In a grassroots effort to find new homes for Thoroughbreds as the racing season ends, the Mountaineer Racetrack will offer 40 horses for sale this Sunday, including a warhorse who ran 115 times.
Responding to numerous requests by horsemen who asked Mountaineer to emulate other racetrack OTTB sales, the Mountaineer Park HBPA joined forces with CANTER-Ohio to offer an End of Meet Showcase on Sunday, Nov. 6, at noon.
Scheduled to take place in the paddock of 1420 Mountaineer Circle in New Cumberland, W.V., the first-ever Showcase will offer “something for everyone” in the market for a horse, says CANTER-Ohio Vice President Claire Jazbec.
“We have everything from a 2005 war horse mare named Ty Wonder to young horses,” Jazbec says. “We’re thrilled racetracks are embracing these sales. They’re such a nice thing because you can come to one place and see all these horses at your fingertips.”
Successful end-of-meet shows at Delaware Park and elsewhere spurred horsemen to request a similar program at Mountaineer, she says, noting that one trainer is hauling in 12 horses for the sale.
“The trainers are ecstatic to have this opportunity,” she says.
For more information about the sale horses or the event, please visit CANTER-Ohio’s Facebook page:https://www.facebook.com/canter.ohio/?hc_ref=SEARCH
So glad to see this track add themselves to those offering sales like this. ALL tracks should do this! We got two from Suffolk Downs via the Canter New England Showcase.
This was the first I heard about this, but what a fabulous effort from the track! We have several OTTB’s in our barn and would love to add a few more. Hopefully you will do this again and get the word out!
I really wish there was more time given. I am in Virginia and can not just pick up and go as much as I would like! Perhaps better planning by the racetracks would get more horses into a place they can flourish after track life!
Hi Kate. This is our first event of this kind and there is definitely a learning curve. We will continue to improve and definitely want the event to be accessible for all!
What a great move for Mountaineer Park. Hope they find it to be a successful effort and it bdckmss n annual event. Best of luck to all involved!
Jen!!! So nice to see your comment! Hope all is well with you, and I love your OTTB stories!! x Sue
At some point soon the owner is going to have to come to terms with taking that horse home with him and be responsible for its life.
I agree the owners should be the ones finding homes for their own horses and not making the trainers do it. Their greed for money, using the horse as an object and throwing it away is appalling! Owners need to be outed who do this.
Yes. Let’s hope there is at least screening, contracts with yearly or more frequent updates on the horse and monitoring. This can be a great concept if managed properly.
Hi Diane! Thank you for your response. We are all working very hard to make this event a success as it is the first of its kind for us. We will continue to learn and improve. We hope you can join us!
What are the conditions the horses are sold under? Is there screening of buyers, contracts, long term follow up and monitoring of horses?
These horses are being sold via private sale. Many will have reserve prices and all will be sold on a no slaughter / no auction contract. The track and MHBPA have put a lot of effort into doing the right thing and supporting both the horses and horseman.
I have an OTTB that I have had for 9 months. His retraining was a breeze and is now a Montana cow/trail/kids all-around kind gentle giant (17 hands). Rehoming these horses is a wonderful program.