MyRacehorse partnered with EC Racing on Takeo Squared in his 2-year-old season. A gelding trained by two-time Kentucky Derby winning trainer Doug O’Neill, Takeo Squared earned just over $100,000 in his nine career starts.
The chestnut gelding finished a great second in his final start, just missing by a neck in the $100,000 California Cup Turf Sprint S. Takeo finally got a good trip by sitting just off the lead and battled all the way to the wire and earned $20,000 for his second-place finish.
Unfortunately, he suffered condylar fracture in his left front leg during the gallop out. Luckily jockey Rafael Bejarano was able to take notice very quickly and get him to the van for immediate help from the vets. Takeo Squared underwent successful surgery to his right front leg and recovered just fine from his surgery. However, the decision was made during his recovery that it was in his best interest to retire him from the racetrack.
Takeo Squared was accepted into California Retirement Management Account Program (CARMA), a leading organization that works to place retired racehorses into second careers and helps transition horses into the next stage of their life. CARMA is a phenomenal organization and one that EC Racing has been a long time supporter of.
Following Takeo Squared’s retirement via CARMA, he was placed with Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance-accredited United Pegasus Foundation in Tehachapi, CA.
The United Pegasus Foundation was founded in 1994 by Helen Meredith. She is an avid equestrian that was moved to start the foundation after seeing a news story about the feedlots in Southern California. Helen began her retirement herd in a half-acre back yard. Through hard work and diligence, the United Pegasus Foundation grew. With the help of fundraising and public support, the United Pegasus Foundation moved from Helen’s backyard to Mira Loma, CA in 1995. In 1998, the United Pegasus Foundation moved to two locations, one in Tehachapi where they purchased a 20-acre piece of property and to Hemet, CA where a board member let them have use of 15 acres. In 2002, they consolidated all of the horses into the Tehachapi ranch due to flooding that was occurring at the Hemet Ranch. In 2016, the United Pegasus Foundation purchased an additional 27 acres in San Jacinto, CA and now maintains two properties with the capacity for nearly 200 horses.
MyRacehorse had the pleasure of catching up with Helen and learned Takeo Squared is doing great with the sanctuary herd. His ankle doesn’t seem to bother him at all when he’s out running and playing with his buddies!
We are incredibly thankful for organizations like United Pegasus Foundation, run by people like Helen. It is because of their tireless efforts that we can rest easy knowing that our beloved equine athletes are taken care of after their time on the track with MyRacehorse concludes.
If you’d like to sponsor Takeo Squared, you can do so by following the link below: