The Thoroughbred House owners and Breeders Affiliation will honor nationwide award winners at its awards dinner Sept. 7 at Fasig-Tipton in Lexington. 5 nationwide winners have been introduced forward of time and BloodHorse Each day is providing profiles of those winners all through the week.
At the moment we profile A Lil Evil, TOBA’s the Rood & Riddle Sport Horse of the Yr.
In 2023, the Thoroughbred mare A Lil Evil confirmed that she’s greater than a “lil” bit gifted.Â
A non-winner from six begins on the observe, A Lil Evil discovered her athletic calling off the observe…and within the present ring. On the Sept. 24 Kentucky Nationwide Horse Present, the flashy however petite chestnut gained the Jumper Division on the TAKE2 Finals. Final 12 months’s version of the competition was her fourth time competing; A Lil Evil completed second within the Jumper Division in 2020.Â
TAKE2 Second Profession Thoroughbred Program is a nonprofit began in 2012—the 12 months A Lil Evil was foaled. The group celebrates the numerous methods Thoroughbreds can thrive in second careers after leaving the racetrack, together with as present horses. TAKE2 groups up with horse exhibits rated by the USA Equestrian Federation to supply profitable exhibits for members of the TAKE2 Thoroughbred League. These exhibits are highlighted by the annual $20,000 TAKE2 Hunter and Jumper Finals. The 2023 Hunter and Jumper divisions every had prizes of $10,000, so along with her win, A Lil Evil and her connections at the moment are greater than a “lil” richer.
And who’re these connections? Kathryn Currey trains and rides the now 12-year-old mare, owned by her husband, Christian. Kathryn bought A Lil Evil just a few years again, in 2016. On the time, she was headed to Thistledown in North Randall, Ohio, to select up one other horse. At her request, Currey, who has been deeply concerned in rehoming horses, was proven different Thoroughbreds. She introduced residence A Lil Evil for simply $400, and the remaining is historical past.
Throughout their years as a workforce, Currey and A Lil Evil have grow to be acquainted faces in high-stakes arenas. Along with being runners-up within the 2020 Jumper Division on the TAKE2 Finals, they gained the 1.10-meter newbie jumper competitors on the 2019 Hampton Traditional Horse Present in New York. Maybe it is not stunning that A Lil Evil is constructing on a deep-rooted class. In spite of everything, she’s by hard-knocking Florida-bred Hear No Evil , a son of Carson Metropolis who gained six of 37 begins and earned $599,415.Â
One purpose A Lil Evil stood out to Currey is as a result of her dam, Lil McTee, is a daughter of 1992 Kentucky Derby (G1) victor Lil E. Tee. She beforehand rode a son of that basic winner. Lil McTee’s fifth dam, Actual Delight, garnered championship honors as each high 3-year-old filly and older mare in 1952.
In her day job, Tennessee-based Currey is concerned in equine-related actions. On social media, Etalon Equine Genetics, which affords DNA exams for horses to disclose your equine’s genetic heritage, praised workforce member Currey. The corporate congratulated Currey and A Lil Evil—nicknamed “Evie”—praising “their unstoppable bond.”
