Elsa Lorieul Photo

G1-winner Extravagant Kid helps guide horses through retraining at After the Races NY

by Mary Eddy

More than six years have passed since the globetrotting Extravagant Kid brought his best to win the Lucky Coin at Saratoga Race Course, but the talented son of Kiss the Kid has not strayed far from the hallowed oval as he assists newly retired racehorses looking for a mentor just a few miles away in Ballston Spa at After the Races NY.

Extravagant Kid is one of two permanent thoroughbred residents at Swedish Hill Farm, the home of the non-profit After the Races NY, an organization that seeks to retrain thoroughbred racehorses to be able to move on to new homes as pleasure horses, dressage competitors, or show jumpers.

“They know that we take care of them, and it’s very rewarding,” said After the Races NY founder and president Anna Hollander. “Thoroughbreds are so athletic and forward. A lot of people in the show riding world are afraid of thoroughbreds, but with time, they get the kinks out of them and they’re ready to do something.”

Extravagant Kid and his best friend, a 7-year-old son of Carpe Diem named Market Impact [or “Marcus”], provide the guidance and security needed to help transition fit and keyed up racehorses into the quieter life on a farm and in a second career.

The two currently share their quaint barn with prospective adoptees Aridaios, [nicknamed Mango] and Principal Dancer, along with Whats in It for Me, a 7-year-old gray gelding who may eventually be placed up for adoption should he continue to excel in his retraining. Along for the ride are two smaller companion horses, Blue the Welsh pony and Snowflake the miniature horse.

The care and retraining of these horses are thanks to Hollander, a longtime horsewoman in thoroughbred racing who worked as an exercise rider for the likes of Hall of Famers Shug McGaughey, D. Wayne Lukas, the late Bobby Frankel, and other venerable conditioners such as Chad Brown and Mark Hennig.

A native of Sweden, Hollander grew up showing Swedish warmbloods and took lessons at a local riding school. There, she was introduced to thoroughbreds, and her blossoming love for the willing and athletic breed led her to pursue a career riding racehorses in the United States, immigrating to Florida in the 1980s.

From there, her career brought her north to New York, where she would set her roots and begin dreaming of a farm where she could work with thoroughbreds beyond the discipline of racing. That dream was fueled by the first thoroughbred she retrained named Jacq de Naskra, whom she re-named Dr. Yelon after the doctor who helped treat injuries she sustained in a riding incident shortly before the horse came into her life.

“Dr. Yelon helped me heal, and that started the thought of, ‘look what these horses can do,’” Hollander explained. “I thought that these horses make superb show horses, and I wanted to get more involved.”

Hollander’s dream of retraining racehorses full time came to fruition in 2017 when retired trainer and longtime friend Dennis Brida reached out to Hollander about buying his farm just three miles from Saratoga Race Course.

Fast forward to 2022, and the then-9-year-old Extravagant Kid was at the end of an accomplished career that saw him travel across North America, to Ascot and Newmarket in England, and to Meydan Racecourse in Dubai, the latter the site of a determined win in the 2021 Group 1 Al Quoz Sprint. In all, the dark bay won nine stakes races and over $1.7 million while racing primarily for conditioner Brendan Walsh and owner DARRS, Inc.

As his career came to a close, Roger Horgan – an exercise rider for Walsh, secretary of After the Races NY, and longtime friend of Hollander’s – suggested the veteran gelding retire to After the Races NY to be retrained. His connections were pleased with the idea, and Extravagant Kid arrived shortly after.

These days, Extravagant Kid enjoys light riding around the farm and has become an expert at supporting new arrivals in their journey from the racetrack to their new homes. His calm demeanor and willing nature make him a shining example of what is expected of the new recruits, and his brave attitude teaches the inexperienced newcomers that they have nothing to fear as they navigate their new career.

Hollander explained that when a retiree arrives at her farm, the task of transitioning them is straightforward, beginning with turn out time in paddocks and working their way up to riding exercises. She estimates the patient process typically takes a year and a half from the day of arrival to the day they are placed up for adoption.

“It’s a whole system,” Hollander said. “They start in a small paddock and then get to go to a big one, and eventually they meet the other horses. The residents here help to teach them that this is their new life. After a few months of groundwork, they’re used to me and by the time I get on their back, I just tack them up and go with another horse ridden by a volunteer. We go out in company and we just ride. So far, we’ve adopted out around 15 horses.”

Extravagant Kid went through the same program as other retirees who would eventually be adopted out to new homes, but it was always the plan that “Kid” wouldn’t be going anywhere else once he stepped foot in the barn. He quickly bonded with fellow retiree Marcus, a veteran of three NYRA-circuit starts and a half-brother to Grade 1 Travers-winner and 2017 Champion 3-Year-Old Colt West Coast.

Hollander said the two geldings have brought plenty of amusement and laughs since becoming best friends.

“I always think he’s like a clown. If the other horses ever get into trouble, I know he started it,” Hollander said, with a laugh. “He’s intelligent, and it took him a year and a half to be affectionate. He was a little stand-offish, but it’s because he knows he’s good. Marcus has more class, and the Kid is from the other side of the tracks, but he’s got it going on. The two of them really complete each other.”

For Hollander, Extravagant Kid’s story is one that brings her full circle in her quest to not only retrain and rehome thoroughbreds, but to prove what the breed is capable of in their physical ability and social nurturing.

“I think I like thoroughbreds even better than warmbloods,” Hollander said. “It all doesn’t happen overnight, nothing does. But you stay on it and do all the right things, and by the time their retraining is complete, they’re bombproof. They just need the time.”

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After the Races NY is one of 86 organizations accredited by the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (TAA). The racing community in New York State contributes more than $1.2 million annually to various aftercare programs and initiatives. A 501(c)3 non-profit, After the Races NY is further supported by volunteers and public donations. For additional information on available horses, annual fundraisers, and to make a donation, visit https://www.aftertheracesny.com/.