Sarah Macharg Finds Grand Arch

Sarah Macharg is one of those equestrians that eats, sleeps, and breathes horses, not for the fame or status…but because it is her ultimate passion. So knowing this about her, it is of no surprise that she said she realized her new RRP horse was famous after she already fell in love with him. Grand Arch became Sarah’s new Retired Racehorse Project horse after her trip to Margaux farm in Midway to look for potential training prospects. I was fortunate enough to be able to spend some time with her one afternoon, while she gave me the low down on her story with him.

Like I said, Sarah fell in love with Grand Arch due to reasons other than his status in the racing world. She saw “Archie” walking to another barn while she was out at Margaux Farm, looking at potential sport horse prospects. Sarah said she saw him poke his head out of the door and he was clearly so clever and cheeky. Due to his engaging personality, Sarah knew she had to have him. After asking about him, she said the friends she was with started laughing at her and said he probably wouldn’t be available for her. It was then that she learned a bit about his prestigious history. Jim and Susan Hill met with Sarah and it was then that she could see how these owners very much cared about his quality of life. She convinced them that he could do something productive with her…and off to prepare for RRP they went!

Grand Arch is a bit older than what most people want when taking an OTTB. It seems the majority of people don’t want an OTTB over the age of 8. But Sarah says that for her, if he can run until he is at his age now, then that is a good sign of his soundness and work ethic. The experience on the track also makes him wiser than most.  Archie is powerful and intense when he needs to be but can manage himself well. This makes him far more reasonable to train than a lot of other horses.

Sarah Macharg will be training Archie out at Bryan Station Farm, where she manages the property that is filled with other horses. However, I think fitting Archie into her already busy schedule will not bother Sarah one bit! Stay tuned for continued videos of Sarah and Archie that will be posted to FB and on our FB group page, Fans of Excel Equine^® .