The multiple stakes-winning gelding Carmelita’s Man, one of the most-popular and accomplished California-bred runners of this decade, has embarked on a new career, bringing the same attention to detail that he had on the racetrack.
Carmelita’s Man arrived this week in Lexington, Ky., to take part in the Retired Racehorse Project’s Thoroughbred Makeover, held Oct. 8-11 at the Kentucky Horse Park. He will compete in dressage, quite the turnaround from the demands placed on him during a 35-race career that saw him win eight times, including three stakes, and earn $626,566.
“Most horses off the track go right into eventing, because they’re used to wanting to get out and go forward, so to go from a running machine to do ballet, it takes a special brain to do that,” said Paisley Phelps, who has re-trained Carmelita’s Man and now rides him. “He’s extremely smart, and a gentleman.”
Carmelita’s Man was campaigned throughout his career by owners Larry and Ann Jett, who bought him for $23,000 with his initial trainer, Jack Carava. After Carava retired from training to become a jockey agent, Dean Pederson took over as the trainer of Carmelita’s Man, and he sent out Carmelita’s Man to the final 32 starts of his career over nearly four years. Along the way, Carmelita’s Man won consecutive runnings of the California Dreamin’ Stakes at Del Mar, as well as the 2022 Crystal Water at Santa Anita.
After his final start in August 2024, when finishing fourth in a bid to win the California Dreamin’ for the third straight year, the Jetts decided to retire Carmelita’s Man, and sought out CARMA – the California Retirement Management Account – to give the then 7-year-old an opportunity to have a successful second act.
“The people who had him at the track took excellent care of him,” Phelps said. “He doesn’t have any issues. They did well by that horse.”
Phelps, who operates Heart Bar Farms in Valley Center, Calif., CARMA’s rehabilitation partner, said that when she first received Carmelita’s Man last fall, she immediately turned him out for three months. He was not ridden until February.
“I’ve found that letting a horse be a horse at first helps them to excel better than going on with them right away,” Phelps said. “We started him out on trails, just doing quiet things, then started arena work in March.
“You have to retrain them, because it’s different points of contact, different steering principles when competing in an arena.”
Carmelita’s Man picked it up right away, so much so that only months later he will compete in the RRP.
“Dressage is different channeled energy. It’s very difficult to do this within a year of coming off the racetrack, but he’s just a true gentleman and a workhorse,” Phelps said.
Phelps has operated Heart Bar for 20 years, the past 10 at the facility in Valley Center, which is in northeast San Diego County. Prior to that, she was an exercise rider at San Luis Rey Downs, working for the late, respected Jacque Fulton.
“I worked with her babies at San Luis Rey Downs,” Phelps said.
Phelps has two other equine trainees, and riders whom she teaches, headed to RRP.
The unraced 4-year-old gelding Impressively, and rider Lillian Kress, will compete in both jumping and eventing. Levi, another 4-year-old gelding who was winless in two starts, will compete in freestyle and eventing under rider Johanna Weaver.
Tax-deductible donations to CARMA help with the re-training of horses like Carmelita’s Man, Impressively, and Levi and can be made at carma4horses.org.
Left to Right: CARMA Grads Levi, Impressively, Power Play & Carmelita’s Man.