Arklow wins field-hunter division at Thoroughbred Makeover

Arklow, a Grade 1 winner who earned over $3 million before retiring in 2022, is finding success off the racetrack as well. The 9-year-old fan favorite won the field hunter division of the 2023 Retired Racehorse Project Thoroughbred Makeover show Saturday at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Ky.

Arklow's victory with trainer Gina Gans came on the one-year anniversary of Arklow's final career race, the Sycamore (G2) at Keeneland on Oct. 14, 2022. Trained at the races by Brad Cox for Donegal Racing and Joseph Bulger, he finished ninth behind Highland Chief in that outing, though he was beaten only 2 1/4 lengths by the winner.

The son of Arch tried the Kentucky Derby trail in 2017, making starts in the Lecomte (G3) and Risen Star (G2). However, Arklow found his best racing form on the grass. His first graded win came in the 2017 American Turf (G2) on the Kentucky Derby undercard. He went on to win at least one graded-stakes race every year between 2017 and 2021. His lone top-level victory came in the 2019 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic (G1) at Belmont, where he outgamed Channel Maker to win by 1/2 length. During his career he amassed a 39: 9-9-2 record, with six of those wins coming in graded company.

Gans was also named the top amateur trainer in the division, by virtue of training its winner. Palace Two Step and trainer Jennifer Lee won the top broodmare award. Palace Two Step, a 6-year-old daughter of Palace, had a record of 10: 3-2-1 on the racetrack, winning at both Woodbine and Charles Town and earning $60,710 on the track.