A 2018 Tapit chestnut colt, Solar Strike was purchased at the 2019 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Select Yearling Sale. Unfortunately, during his training, some behavioral issues arose that gave MyRacehorse cause for concern and led to the ultimate decision to responsibly retire Solar Strike.

Following his retirement, Solar Strike proved to be much happier and better behaved off of the track, which is why we were very excited that Solar Strike was transitioned off track by MyRacehorse’s very own employee Abbey Huffman just outside of Louisville, KY. 

Abbey grew up in the Thoroughbred industry, with her father being the Racing Secretary for Churchill Downs and Keeneland. She was born into the business and paved her way with a successful galloping career for some of the finest trainers and farms in the industry. This was not be Abbey’s first off-track Thoroughbred that she has rehomed and worked with.

After spending a considerable amount of time working with the gelding, Abbey was able to successfully rehome him with Kaitlyn Yacaobucci. 

Solar Strike, or “Solo” as he’s now known, has been progressing wonderfully in his retraining with his owner Kaitlyn–she was kind enough to chat with us recently and share a few photos and videos!

After some time off following a pasture incident, Solo spent a significant amount of time rebuilding his muscle. Following the holidays, he and Kaitlyn headed down south from New Hampshire to take advantage of the milder weather and continue their training. 

Overall, Kaitlyn has been very pleased with Solo, “He’s a very sweet guy. He’s grown tall since I’ve got him,” she told us. “He’s now 16.1 hh. He was about 15.3 when he came to me. He’s kind of a goofball. He likes to be into everything. He wants to be involved in anything that you’re doing. He loves going out hacking which we spend a lot of time doing to build muscle. Before he got hurt, he really seemed to enjoy the jumping and his first time doing some cross country type fences and logs he was super” 

Kaitlyn’s long-term plan is to compete Solo in Three-Day Eventing. 

“I plan to make him an eventer so conditioning is a big part of that,” she said. “I also believe that at five years old slow work builds a strong, resilient horse that lasts for a long time.” 

We’re very excited to know our retired racehorse is in such good hands with someone who understands the value of taking things slow and making sure a good foundation is built prior to any big plans. We can’t wait to watch how he continues to progress as an Eventer!