As I sit down to write this final installment of Teddy Spaghetti’s road to the Thoroughbred Makeover, it is with great pride for how much he and our team accomplished there; huge appreciation for the family that allowed me the opportunity to take both their new 3-year-old OTTB and their 16-year-old daughter along for the ride; and a little bit of nostalgia that it’s over.

When I last checked in prior to the makeover, my Take2 Jumper had been sidelined from the Finals with an abscess, leaving us a potential trailer spot and stall for Teddy to make an impromptu trip to the Kentucky Horse Park to school. However, after much deliberation, we opted to be conservative and leave well enough alone. The possibility of hacking around the field hunter course (which we are not allowed to show the horses prior to competing during the makeover) and letting him get a sense of the environment at the Kentucky Horse Park was certainly tempting. But we decided asking him to ship farther than he’d ever shipped before not once, but twice within a three week period was simply unfair. So instead, my teammate Grace kept him going while I flew down to the Take2 Finals to train, and we intended to hit the ground running when I got back.

Grace Hammer and Teddy Spaghetti. (Erin Gilmore Photography)

We were all set to stick to the plan and spend our last two weeks checking off our bucket list of exercises, field trips, and training refreshers, and we were feeling pretty confident — until Teddy sprung a hind shoe and stepped on a clip out in the field. All things considered, we got lucky. There was no blood, and it wasn’t in a terrible spot of the hoof, but there was a little heat and a pulse, which suggested inflammation. Consequently, in an abundance of caution, our last week wasn’t spent schooling and fine tuning, it was spent sans hind shoe, soaking and poulticing his hoof in desperate attempt to avoid another dreaded abscess. It pays to have a great team behind you, and my farrier came to check on him almost daily before finally deciding we were in the clear, and he was comfortable putting the shoe back on Teddy on Saturday. We were shipping out Monday morning. 

There’s nothing quite like having to forge ahead feeling a little underprepared, but we decided to trust in Teddy’s amazingly quiet and confident demeanor, all the training we had been able to put in, and the fact that we had a whole day of schooling once we arrived to tune up what we needed to. So we made the trip to Kentucky, with Teddy’s hoof still wrapped with poultice to be absolutely sure we were doing all we could. Monday afternoon went just as expected. We got our stalls and tack room set up, and Teddy wasted no time making himself comfortable for a nap while we waited for the veterinary team to complete our health check. Once cleared to compete, we went for a nice walk around the Kentucky Horse Park to take in the sights and tucked them in for the night. No need to do much; Tuesday would be for schooling.

But Tuesday’s weather had other ideas. After record rainfall and waiting for a break in the storm that never came, we were once again forced to change our plans. Teddy and I went for the wettest walk imaginable around the area of the Rolex course we were allowed on in the morning, and when Grace finished cyber school for the day, we attempted to jump around our show hunter ring. I am sure I will not be the only trainer recounting the weather in their Thoroughbred Makeover updates, but the picturesque footing that the Kentucky Horse Park is known for was instead replaced by soup. It was impossible to get a feel for how the lines would ride, so we simply used it as a way for Teddy to see what he could of the ring and for us to see how the turns rode. He was such a good sport, but there was simply no way to have the productive school we were hoping for. Whatever Wednesday would bring, it would bring, and we would do our best to have a positive experience no matter what. The silver lining? The storm did provide plenty of puddles around the Horse Park for us to practice our water crossings!

Caitlan Brooks and Teddy Spaghetti. (Erin Gilmore Photography)

First up on Wednesday was my Field Hunter hack, followed by my individual Field Hunter course, and Teddy stepped right up to the plate. Considering Teddy had only hacked a total of three times prior to the makeover, and never in an open field, I really couldn’t have asked much more from him. He unfortunately picked up the wrong lead to the right, something he has struggled with in the past and something that we were planning to focus on fine-tuning if we’d had the chance. Still, he maintained his composure and corrected it as soon as I asked. He also had a bit of a “monkey see, monkey do” moment in line waiting for his turn to back up when the two horses next to us got a little upset and excitable, but he was able to bring his attention back to the task at hand and finished on a strong note. As for our individual course, he was so brave and willing I felt silly for ever worrying he was underprepared. Regrettably, a new gate brought on course since I had walked it during the storm led to a rider error in its closing, and a zero for that obstacle, but that was 100% my fault. Aside from that and a slight bulk at the land bridge because of the wind and an oddly placed puddle, I truly cannot fault our course in any way. 

After lunch and a good nap, it was time for Teddy to try his hand at Show Hunters. As show hunters, we pride ourselves on being a discipline of conformity in our hunt for perfection — and unsurprisingly, that is where our lack of preparation, albeit for reasons out of our control, was highlighted. Teddy warmed up like a dream, but upon trotting across the ring, he suddenly backed off and became spooked by the shadows being cast by the jump standards. This was unlike anything I had ever felt from him, and after another mishap with our right lead, I was left without much room to set my rhythm, in turn finding a longer distance to my first jump than I would have hoped. As I was afraid of adjusting too far backwards in pace with him being uncharacteristically look-y, I chose to keep sending down my first line instead of waiting for the add like I had originally planned. Even as I recount it, I understand why I did it, but it was undoubtedly a mistake. Not a catastrophic one by any means, but one that would cost me a nice jump out of my first line and therefore, cost us a shot at the finale.

Disappointed not at him, but at myself, I chose to regroup, gave Teddy a big pat on the neck on our way to the next single, and reverted to my original plan: add down the last two lines, build his confidence, and set Grace up to have a great second trip. That is exactly what we did. Unbeknownst to us, we were the only team that elected to have two different people jump, but after a brief tack reset and warmup, Grace headed in for our second trip. Other than a slight bobble at the out of her first line as well, she nailed it. We’ll never know whether our courses would have been more polished if we had had those last two weeks to school at more horse-show venues, or even if we’d been able to see how the lines rode in proper footing on Tuesday. Probably, but all the “what ifs” and “should haves” immediately disappeared from my mind upon watching Grace come out of that show hunter ring hugging Teddy’s neck and crying happy tears of disbelief that they had done it. In just 10 months, Grace had become an integral part of retraining her first-ever OTTB (off-track Thoroughbred), and in their biggest moment to date, she and Teddy had been able to lay down a show hunter round that she was incredibly proud of. That is what the Thoroughbred Makeover is all about.  

Teddy shows off his ribbons. (Erin Gilmore Photography)

But we were not done yet. Thursday morning brought the much-anticipated Mock Hunt, and Grace was in the irons. I knew she was nervous; she had told me so. Normally, we hunt together and I ride in her pocket so that I can lend a helping hand, piece of advice, or even just a funny anecdote if need be. It was a lot for her to go out there and do something like that alone on such a large stage, but I told her to trust in what she’d already accomplished, that she knew Teddy would take care of her — and when in doubt, channel my voice in her head just like I was behind her. Most importantly, I told her to just have fun and enjoy having made it this far. And that is exactly what she did! Perhaps the weirdest part of competing as a team for the first time was being in jeans instead of breeches that morning, and I’m not sure how much I breathed as I strained to see all that I could across the Steeplechase infield. Yet, what I could see was great, and when it was all said and done, she walked back to me on a loose rein grinning ear to ear. Not only had they both had an absolute blast, but their performance helped us finish in seventh place for the Preliminary Competition and earned us a spot in the finale.

Friday was therefore spent in competitor meetings, presenting Teddy for the Finale jog to ensure soundness, and completing our arena familiarization. Bay, Grace’s little sister and our honorary team member, then got to take Teddy on a long walk around the Rolex course to see firsthand where he had competed. It was the perfect low-key day, and the perfect prep for the Finale. 

Grace had elected me to take the reins Saturday morning in the Finale, and I was honored to do so. With the top 10 of us coming back on a clean slate, my past experiences in both the 2023 and 2024 Field Hunter Finales, and Teddy’s proven willingness and experience in a show ring, I was hopeful we had a good chance of being competitive. However, my main goal was to end our week on a positive note and let him have a little fun. Luckily for me, he was happy to oblige, and we laid down an incredibly solid trip. Our obstacles included: mounting inside the ring, several single jumps, a two stride, opening and closing another gate, a hand gallop to a halt, and dismounting while still in the ring. Teddy didn’t bat an eye, instead tackling each task with a quiet confidence well beyond his age and an overall consistency that it can sometimes take years to develop. It was an undoubtedly well-earned second-place finish, and I could not be prouder of him or our entire team. 

Overall, in addition to finishing as the overall Field Hunter Reserve Champion, we finished in the top 30 in the Show Hunter preliminary competition, placing fifth in the teams, and seventh place in the Field Hunter preliminary competition, which also earned us the first-place team and second Top-Placed Pennsylvania-bred. 

Thank you to all of you who have followed along and may have cheered us on from the sidelines, or afar. Your support and this event mean more to us than you could ever know, and while I could go on forever about the experiences and benefits of the Retired Racehorse Project’s Thoroughbred Makeover, my message is simple. If you are thinking of competing, alone or as a team, or even as a supporting owner, do it. I assure you that you will not be disappointed, and maybe I’ll even see you in 2026!

The Jockey Club supports many aftercare initiatives including the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance, the only accrediting body in aftercare, and Thoroughbred Incentive Program (T.I.P.), which encourages the retraining of Thoroughbreds into other disciplines upon completion of careers. View all of the initiatives supported by The Jockey Club.