PORT ST. JOHN, Fla. -- A retired Puerto Rican racehorse is being taken care of on the Space Coast after being flown in from hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico.
- Retired racehorse from Puerto Rico finds new home
- Mateo training to compete in Retired Racehorse Project
- Visit rescue's website: Hidden Acres Rescue
Now he's being welcomed with open arms and a chance at a new life after racing.
"It's really great to get him from not so great conditions down there," said Suzanna Norris of Hidden Acres Rescue for Thoroughbreds.
Mateo is a retired racehorse, who literally just stepped off the track a few months ago.
"Get his second chance after the 'track,’" Norris told Spectrum News 13.
Mateo's track name was 'Big Twist', and in a twist of fate, he along with countless other horses like him found themselves in hurricane-torn Puerto Rico last year.
Much like the people on the island, horses are struggling too.
"We kind of selected him," said Norris, who got in touch with Caribbean Thoroughbred After Care, a group committed to giving these type of race horses a second life or even career.
It was a perfect match in Mateo, who is now being trained to compete in the Retired Racehorse Project up in Kentucky.
"The idea is to promote the versatility of the thoroughbred," she says.
Mateo will be competing at the Kentucky Horse Park in early October. After that, Hidden Acres will find him a new retirement home.
