from New Vocations

Laura, OH — Special Report and Four Trumps A left Big Z Training Center in Montegue, N.J., over the weekend to transition into their second career as riding horses with New Vocations Racehorse Adoption Program at their Laurelville, Ohio facility.

Larry Stalbaum trained and raced both horses for most of their careers. Special Report had 186 starts and earned $1,515,489 and Four Trumps A had 129 starts and earned $698,844.

New Vocations photo

Special Report is welcomed by Jennifer Daniels at the Laurelville, Ohio facility.

Stalbaum stated, “Special Report has been retired since last summer. We sent him to North Carolina to enjoy just being a horse, however it became very clear that he was unhappy not having anything to do. We brought him back this spring and started jogging him a little, and he really enjoyed the exercise and daily interaction. He has a great following on Facebook, and we put it out there that Special Report wanted to be a riding horse and asked for suggestions on how to make that happen.”

New Vocations Standardbred Program Director Winnie Morgan Nemeth contacted Stalbaum since the program had taken horses for him in the past.

“We are excited to receive Special Report and Four Trumps A as these two great racehorses truly deserve to have a second career. It was good of Larry to recognize that they still have much more to offer. At New Vocations we will teach them a new skill, so they can go on and make more dreams come true with their next family.”

Special Report and Four Trumps A stabled, shipped and raced together for many years at New York tracks. Now they will transition together as riding horses.

“They both are top class horses,” Nemeth said, “and that always carries over under saddle. Our goal is to have them ready to show at the Standardbred World Show in October, and then make them available for adoption. I can’t think of a better way to demonstrate to both the harness racing community and the equestrian world the versatility of the Standardbred. These two horses will be great ambassadors for the breed and the sport.”

Founded in 1992, New Vocations is the largest racehorse adoption program in the United States. Their mission is to stand in the gap for retired racehorses, providing a safety-net, through rehabilitation, training and placement into carefully screened and monitored homes. The program takes in more than 400 retired racehorses a year from tracks across the country. For more information visit www.NewVocations.org.