Press Release from Rancho Temescal
PIRU, Calif. (Aug 22, 2023)—Rancho Temescal, a leading Thoroughbred farm in Southern California, has opened the gates of its picturesque, 6,000-acre property in Ventura County to house incoming tenant Fresh Start Sport Horses, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that retrains racehorses for alternative careers under the direction of founder and head trainer Cassandra Andersson. The move to relocate all Fresh Start horses and equipment from the group’s former, 5-acre leased facility in Agua Dulce is expected to be completed by September 1, 2023.
“We are honored to welcome Fresh Start Sport Horses to our farm,” said Rancho Temescal President Tim Cohen, whose family-owned racing entity of Red Baron’s Barn perennially ranks among the top winning owners at Del Mar and Santa Anita Park seasonal race meets. “My family has long operated under the philosophy of “always care” — not just “after care” — for our athletes. This exciting addition of Fresh Start and its wonderful retraining program will allow us to continue that commitment on a much more fundamental and meaningful level.”
Over the past seven years, approximately 50 horses campaigned by Red Baron’s or owned by Rancho Temescal clients have been rehomed through the Fresh Start program. These graduates range in status from $1,384,604-earner Itsinthepost (Fr) and $397,140-earner Si Sage (Fr), each of whom carried Red Baron’s silks to multiple graded stakes victories over the past decade, to the non-winners Fi Fi’s Wild Heart and Endearing Suances, whose combined career earnings on the racetrack were just over $1,000.
“It is so rewarding to see our former racehorses thrive in their new careers, no matter how much talent they displayed on the track,” Cohen said. “So when we learned recently that Fresh Start was considering closing their facilities due to a lack of resources, Red Baron’s Barn jumped at the opportunity to provide significant funding and housing so Cassandra and her crew can continue their important work here at Rancho Temescal.”
Founded in 2015, Fresh Start Sport Horses retrains Thoroughbreds for a variety of riding disciplines, including dressage, hunter/jumper, eventing and trail riding. To date, more than 100 of the program’s graduates have been adopted to approved owners throughout the United States.
“We are very excited and, of course, a little nervous about the big move to Rancho Temescal,” said Andersson, who currently oversees 18 horses at various levels of training in the Fresh Start program. “The past year has been a real struggle for our charity, with inflation causing hay and water prices to double. Meanwhile, adoptions have simultaneously slowed down to a trickle because of extreme weather-related issues and the tougher economy that is affecting horse ownership in general.”
On top of these financial challenges, a broken leg last winter slowed Andersson down, but did not keep the longtime horsewoman from her daily barn responsibilities.
“It has been one thing after another this year, so I was ready to throw in the towel when Rancho Temescal made their very generous offer to house our program,” she explained. “I am so grateful for this opportunity to move our horses to such a beautiful and supportive farm. This will allow us to expand and improve upon our mission, and to work closer with people in the California racing industry as we develop more and stronger relationships.”
Fresh Start Sport Horses is currently seeking donations for its relocation efforts. To contribute funds or learn more about adopting an off-track Thoroughbred from the group’s retraining program, please call Andersson at (954) 439-3101 or visit https://www.freshstartsporthorses.net.