After the Races, CANTER USA Earn TAKE2 Jet Run Awards

The 2025 TAKE2 Jet Run Award winners are After the Races, the organization that provided Jersey Fresh with the groundwork he needed to go from the racetrack to success as a show jumper; and CANTER USA, where owner Dr. Kate Carruthers found her TAKE2 Hunter Finals champion Red Magic.

Created in 2017, the Jet Run Awards put the spotlight on the aftercare organizations that are essential in transitioning Thoroughbreds to second careers. They are open to all TAKE2 Thoroughbred League members who are graduates of an aftercare program accredited by the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance, affiliated with a recognized horsemen’s organization, and/or approved for a grant from Thoroughbred Charities of America.

“Racehorses still have so much to give when they leave the track and, being Thoroughbreds, they are still very eager to show what they can do,” said TAKE2 Executive Director Andy Belfiore. “But they need to learn the fundamentals of their new careers, and to find the right person to guide them. The hard work and dedication of our partners in aftercare are vital to that process.”

Launched by Bonnie McRae in 2011 and accredited by the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance since 2016, After the Races is located in Elkton, Maryland, near the Fair Hill training center. Their team provides the necessary rehabilitation, then retrains the horses in basic groundwork to prepare them for new disciplines. After the Races also run a “Recover at Home” program, where adopters cover the cost to help a horse recover from injury at their own facility and receive financial assistance for retraining expenses.

“We’re very close to adopting out our 1,000th horse!” enthused McRae, who worked in the racing industry for 10 years before starting After the Races. “Our mission is to rehabilitate and rehome retiring Thoroughbred racehorses into suitable, long-term homes while promoting the versatility and usefulness of the breed beyond racing.”

CANTER USA operates through a national network of local affiliates that work directly with trainers and owners at the racetrack. Through its website, the organization posts free listings, including pictures and videos of horses that are for sale by their owners. According to Treasurer Robbie Timmons, a handful of CANTER affiliates also accept horses into full rehabilitation, retraining and adoption programs.

“This is big deal,” said Timmons of winning the Jet Run Award. “It is such a big honor for CANTER USA and for all of our Thoroughbreds. It shows that although some Thoroughbreds may not be competitive on the racetrack, they can excel in new careers. That’s what CANTER is all about. We’re trying to promote the Thoroughbred as just the most terrific breed.”

The nonprofit organization has transitioned over 30,000 horses since it was founded in Michigan in 1998. Timmons has served with CANTER USA since its launch.

“[The Jet Run Award is] also recognition for a job well done,” Timmons explained. “We are an all-volunteer organization, and we have no paid staff. We have professionals who have the dedication and donate their time and expertise to helping these Thoroughbreds.”

Dr. Carruthers connected with Red Magic via the CANTER USA website in 2019. Then just four years old, the chestnut was trained by his owner-breeder Kevin Danger but had failed to win in three maiden-claiming starts at Canterbury Park earlier that year.

“I had been searching for a promising horse for a long time, and CANTER USA offered so many wonderful options,” said Dr. Carruthers. “Red Magic, aka ‘Clifford,’ immediately caught my attention. From the very first moment I saw him, I knew we were meant to be a team and that he would be my first adoption.”

She continued, “Finding a Thoroughbred through CANTER USA comes with so many great advantages. They take the time to get to know each horse and they provide detailed information so potential adopters can make well-informed decisions. Everything is very transparent, from background information and temperament testing to health evaluations.”

In addition to winning this season’s $10,000 TAKE2 Hunter Final in September, Red Magic and rider/trainer Kristen Bumpus finished sixth overall in the 2025 TAKE2 Thoroughbred League Hunter Standings.

“He is truly amazing,” Dr. Carruthers said. “We have been learning and growing together. He has taught me so much about patience, perseverance, and trust. Over time, we’ve become more than just a horse and rider–we’ve become friends, teammates, and true partners. The bond we share continues to grow, and I am grateful every day for his companionship and the journey we are on together.”

Owner Caitlan Brooks adopted Jersey Fresh from After the Races in December of 2020. Also 10 years old, the bay gelding was bred and raced by New Jersey-based Janet Laszlo. He made 18 career starts a Monmouth Park in New Jersey and Parx Racing in Pennsylvania, winning once and earning $72,632, before retiring in 2020.

“Caitlan was looking at multiple horses around the time he arrived and she actually originally passed on him based on how he looked in a video coming off the trailer from the track,” recalled Bonnie McRae. “I suggested that he was still worth a look if she was coming to visit us. When she saw him in person, she realized he was much more balanced, and she fell in love with him.”

Despite that love at first sight moment, Brooks admitted that Jersey Fresh wasn’t meant to be a forever horse.

“I always say that Jersey Fresh is my accidental heart horse,” the lifelong equestrienne said. “I intended for him to be my first resale project after my husband and I moved to our farm. ‘Jersey’ knew he was meant to be mine before I did. And he quickly became so much more.

“He’s everything you’d expect in a classic Thoroughbred,” she added. “As kind, willing, and loyal as he is particular and quirky, no matter how our day goes, he never ceases to put a smile on my face. And somehow, I know that we have yet to accomplish everything we are meant to.”

Jersey Fresh, who first joined the TAKE2 Thoroughbred League in 2021, has steadily moved up the rankings, going from 41st to 25th to 14th between 2022 and 2024, and cracking the top 10 this year to finish eighth overall with 425 points.

“We first started to compete in the TAKE2 Program during our second season together,” Brooks said. “The TAKE2 Thoroughbred Jumpers became a great division for us to step up to the rated shows. Offered everywhere from our local rated shows to some of the biggest and oldest in the country, it’s been wonderful to give the Thoroughbreds, once the breed standard, a stage on which to compete at the highest level again.”

Timmons echoed that sentiment, saying, “It’s really a great program. These horses are already equine athletes, and all you need to do is retrain them for another career. They want to please and they want a job to do – just like Red Magic.” 

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