The Thoroughbred Incentive Program (T.I.P.) began in 2012 with a clear mission — to celebrate what Thoroughbreds can do after their racing careers end.

Created through The Jockey Club, the program recognizes not only the horses themselves, but also the owners, riders, trainers, and organizations helping them succeed in their new roles.

In its first year, T.I.P.’s reach was modest but meaningful. The program offered awards at 150 horse shows and also recognized Thoroughbreds succeeding outside traditional competition through its Young Rider of the Year and non-competitive Thoroughbred of the Year awards.

“The Thoroughbred Incentive Program was created to recognize and reward Thoroughbreds in second careers and the people who choose to partner with them beyond the racetrack,” said Kristin Werner, The Jockey Club’s administrator of the Thoroughbred Incentive Program. “We wanted to elevate the breed and show that Thoroughbreds have just as much to offer in sport, recreation, and therapeutic programs as they do on the track.”

Connecting Thoroughbreds to Their Second-Career Identities

Badger Pass, the first of 50,000 given T.I.P. numbers (Kristin Werner)

As T.I.P. grew, the program needed a better way to identify Thoroughbreds after they entered new careers. In 2013, the program introduced T.I.P. numbers to connect each horse’s registered identity with not only their registered name with The Jockey Club but also the name they use in the show ring.

“When we first started T.I.P. in 2012, we didn’t have T.I.P. numbers yet,” Werner explained, noting that Badger Pass in 2013 was the first Thoroughbred given a T.I.P. number. “We simply asked horse shows to verify that the horses competing were Thoroughbreds. After that first year, we realized many owners knew their horse’s show name, but not always the registered name, tattoo, or pedigree. The T.I.P. number helped us connect each horse’s registered identity, race record, pedigree, and history with the name they were using after racing.”

That system has now reached a major milestone of its own. The 50,000th T.I.P. number was issued to Heaven Is Waiting, by Creative Cause out of Gates of Eden, ridden by Mirabelle L. Decoteau Hertich.

“It’s really exciting that, in our 15th year, we’ve also given out our 50,000th T.I.P. number,” Werner said. “We’ve come a long way from that very first number in 2013, and it’s amazing to know that tens of thousands of Thoroughbreds are out there being shown, ridden, tracked, and celebrated through the program.”

From 150 Shows to 1,600: Growth and Expanding Opportunities

Fifteen years after its inception, the program has grown into a far-reaching incentive system that affects Thoroughbreds across the U.S., Canada, Puerto Rico, and beyond.

Lilah Rasche, a 2025 T.I.P. young rider award winner (Lilah Rasche photo)

“We now have T.I.P. awards at about 1,600 horse shows in the U.S. and Canada,” Werner said.

As T.I.P. has grown, so too has the scope of its mission. The Performance Awards program gives riders another way to participate in T.I.P. by submitting eligible competition results from wherever they are located. Today, the program distributes awards across about 16 categories and 90 divisions, covering nearly every discipline in which Thoroughbreds compete.

“Our Performance Awards program is essentially our points program,” Werner said. “It allows people to participate at horse shows wherever they are located, submit those results to us, and earn points toward year-end awards.”

T.I.P. has also expanded beyond competition through its Thoroughbred Recreational Riding Incentive Program.

“It’s an hours-in-the-saddle program for people riding their Thoroughbreds on the trail, conditioning them, driving them, or even hand-walking them,” Werner said. “It gives those owners a chance to reach hourly milestones and earn awards at each level.”

One of T.I.P.’s most iconic events is the T.I.P. Championships, an annual multi-discipline horse show that brings hundreds of Thoroughbreds together to showcase the breed’s versatility.

“The T.I.P. Championships is our annual horse show event,” Werner said. “For the last five years, it has been held in Aiken, S.C., and it brings together around 250 to 300 horses to compete across multiple disciplines over multiple days. It really gives people a year-end opportunity to show off their Thoroughbreds through T.I.P.”

Expanding T.I.P.’s Reach for the Future

T.I.P. also is looking beyond its current programs with new opportunities. This year, the T.I.P. Championships will include an open-style show created for horses and riders who may not yet be ready for the full championship experience.

“We’re adding something called the Thoroughbred Premier Series Preview Show,” Werner said. “It’s an open-type show with a few classes targeted toward horses that maybe aren’t quite ready for T.I.P. Championships yet, or riders who aren’t quite ready for that level of competition, but it still gives them the opportunity to come and participate at the event.”

The preview show also serves as a first step toward a larger expansion planned for 2027.

“The reason it’s called a preview show is that in 2027, we’re launching a series of Thoroughbred-only horse shows that will take place in the U.S. across multiple disciplines and multiple locations,” Werner explained. “That announcement is still pending, but we’re excited to keep expanding T.I.P. even further in the future.”