Article by Jay Privman
When Liz Miller first received Logan’s Red Falcon at her ranch in Acton, Calif., mere months remained until a desired appearance last fall in the Thoroughbred Makeover’s Retired Racehorse Project in Kentucky. It was a long way to go, both literally and figuratively.
But the combination of a horse “who picked things up really quickly” once his initial curiosity was sated, and a generous gift to CARMA from the late Nancy Messineo, propelled Logan’s Red Falcon to the RRP, after which he was adopted out, yet another success story for CARMA – the California Retirement Management Account — that was accelerated by Messineo’s thoughtful bequest.
“Without leaving that money to charity, I wouldn’t have been able to make it, with the travel costs,” Miller said. “I do this on a shoestring budget. Just the diesel cost alone to get to Kentucky is $2,000, and entry fees are another $800 to $900.”
Miller has had a handful of CARMA graduates over the years. She works with Sommer Smith, who first handles horses, like Logan’s Red Falcon, when they initially leave the track and are being transitioned to their second careers. Miller is particularly fond of gray horses, since they are popular as adoptees, and Logan’s Red Falcon checked that box.
Logan’s Red Falcon, now age 6, is a son of Practical Joke who was a $280,000 yearling purchase. He made one start at age 4, in a maiden race at Santa Anita, finishing second. He was in training for a comeback in February 2025 when the decision was made to retire him and move him on to the next, longer, stage of his life.
“I adopted him in May of 2025, so we were behind the eight ball from the start,” Miller said of the compressed timeline to be ready for RRP. “At first, he was a little standoffish. We had to unlock his genuine curiosity.”
Photo Credit: Jon Buckell
Once that was unlocked, though, Logan’s Red Falcon came a long way in a short amount of time. Initially, Miller taught Logan’s Red Falcon with a lunge line, before progressing to getting on his back. The first time she got on his back was six weeks before RRP.
Miller chose two disciplines at which she thought he’d be best suited at that stage of his development, ranch work and competitive trail. Logan’s Red Falcon finished fifth in ranch work, in which he was named the best-conditioned horse, and Miller was named the top amateur rider in that discipline. In competitive trail, Logan’s Red Falcon finished seventh, and Miller was ranked third among amateur riders.
Photo Credit: Jon Buckell
Within two weeks of the RRP, Logan’s Red Falcon was adopted out to a rider in San Dimas, Calif., just east of where Logan’s Red Falcon had made his lone racing start at Santa Anita.
“RRP has a Makeover Marketplace catalog, and I always list my horses on that to get good exposure,” Miller said. “The lady who adopted him, she came and tried him, and they fit perfectly. Even though we didn’t have time to do get him up to speed to do jumping at RRP, I did teach him to jump, and the lady who adopted him out from me is doing hunter-jumper with him.
“It’s really nice to have these happy endings with these horses,” Miller said.
Miller grew up near Santa Anita, and would attend the races with her grandparents when her parents “didn’t want to deal with me,” she said, laughing. She has a corporate job in the health-care field, but her passion for horses has stayed with her all these years. She likes the satisfaction of giving back.
With CARMA, and through the Messineo Makeover bequest, horsewomen like Miller can do even more.
Photo Credit: Jon Buckell