Amy Taylor’s International Thoroughbred Retirement provides owners with constant updates on the well-being of their former gallopers.

by Sam Agarson – HK Racing

You have to do something pretty special as a racehorse to be widely remembered when you retire, but you certainly don’t have to be a superstar to spend your twilight years in comfort.

While former Hong Kong galloper Solar Hei Hei’s record of 33 starts for seven wins and almost HK$9 million in prize money is not to be sneezed at, it’s not enough to see him while away his days in Australia’s Living Legends paddocks alongside Silent Witness and a swag of other former champions.

That’s where International Thoroughbred Retirement comes in, a Hong Kong-based rehoming service founded and run by ex-jockey Amy Taylor.

“I fell in love with Solar Hei Hei because I rode him in trackwork. He’s had two years off now – he had a few joint issues so we’re bringing him up slowly,” Taylor said.

“He actually went to the Royal Queensland Show in Brisbane and competed and got top 10. It’s been a slow process.”

Then there’s Elegant Tapestry, who was owned by the same connections as Group One winner Rich Tapestry but could only manage one start as a racehorse and not a dime of prize money.

“He had one run at Happy Valley and got beaten 20 lengths but he’s won twice at the Royal Queensland Show, he’s a top show horse in Queensland. The slow ones can even have a good career,” Taylor laughs.

At a time when animal welfare is a hot topic and the racing industry has vowed to do more for retired horses – who often fall off the radar once their racing career concludes – ITR has developed a rehoming blueprint that leaves nothing to chance.