It’s been a long road to Kentucky for the Retired Racehorse Project (RRP) Mega-Makeover classes of 2020 and 2021, between the event’s postponement in 2020 and the constantly-changing landscape as a result of the global pandemic. The final entry period for the Thoroughbred Makeover and National Symposium, presented by Thoroughbred Charities of America (TCA), has passed, which means we have our first full look at the horses impacted by the Makeover process.

Here’s how the field of registered horses emerged over the months since the last Thoroughbred Makeover in 2019:

• December 1, 2019: horses were eligible to start retraining for the 2020
• Makeover and trainer applications opened
February 14, 2020: 616 entries were accepted into the 2020 Makeover
• July 7, 2020: the RRP announced the postponement of the 2020 Thoroughbred Makeover and the intention to run an expanded double event in 2021; entered trainers were given the opportunity to either retain their 2020 entries or roll their entry status to the 2021 competition year
• December 1, 2020: horses were eligible to start retraining for the 2021 Makeover and trainer applications opened
• February 15, 2021: 480 entries were accepted to the 2021 Makeover, combining with 322 trainers from the postponed 2020 competition for a total pool of over 800 trainers for the Mega-Makeover
• July 31, 2021: trainers for both competition years had through this date to register the horses they intended to compete. 573 horses were registered for the 2020 competition year, and 454 were registered for the 2021 competition year, making a total of 1,027 horses that were in training for the Makeover
• August 15, 2021: at the close of Final Entry, 525 horses were entered for the final Makeover competition

Let’s take a closer look at that deep field of registered horses!