Awad-winner Mountain Music Man sings new tune in second career

It was a decade ago that the juvenile colt Mountain Music Man made a winning stakes debut in Belmont Park’s Awad for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher and owners Robert and Lawana Low. These days, the son of Bluegrass Cat has settled into a quieter life 40 miles outside of Chicago, and delights his human connections in new ways as a cherished pleasure horse.

Now affectionately nicknamed ‘Figaro,’ the 12-year-old gelding has settled into retirement with adopters Kasia Szymczak-Stark and her partner, Roberto Rizo, who adopted the New York-bred in August 2019 from New Vocations, a 501(c)3 non-profit dedicated to retraining and rehoming retired thoroughbred and standardbred racehorses.

“We saw Figaro at New Vocations, and we wanted a horse that could do hunter-jumper style,” Rizo said. “We went over to see him in Indiana and he was a super chill guy. There was a show going on at the farm and we saddled him up inside an arena and he rode like nobody else was around. That’s how we knew he had a really good disposition.”

New Vocations is one of 83 organizations accredited by the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (TAA), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that accredits, inspects, and awards grants to approved aftercare organizations to retrain, retire, and rehome Thoroughbreds using industry-wide funding.

Szymczak-Stark is a lifelong horse lover, and introduced Rizo to the equestrian world when they began dating. Over time, the two decided to invest in their passion, and purchased five acres of land in Barrington Hills, Illinois in 2018 to house and ride their future horses. Soon after, they began to search for horses to fill their new barn, and as fate would have it, they found both of their horses, Figaro and a paint grade horse named Dart, through Facebook postings.

While Szymczak-Stark and Rizo had initially hoped to find horses that would excel at jumping, there is not one specific discipline they focus on. Figaro, who they describe as a kind-hearted, willing companion, is well-versed in most areas of equine sport, from equitation to western pleasure. Recently, his talents have shone brightest in dressage.

“Right now, he’s mostly doing dressage, and he’s doing fantastic in that,” Rizo said. “We tried jumping at first, and he was doing it, but we felt his heart wasn’t really into it. Our other horse will just jump on his own, but with Figaro, you have to really ask. We decided to just switch him over to dressage, and you can just tell in his demeanor how he has really taken to that.”

Szymczak-Stark said the foundation Figaro received at New Vocations, where he was re-trained for about eight months prior to his adoption, was invaluable as he settled into his new home and career.

“We didn’t want a horse right off the track, because we don’t have the skills to train a completely fresh horse, so we wanted a horse with some training but a horse that was young enough to age with us,” Szymczak-Stark said. “This is not a showing home, we just wanted a horse to have fun with. We knew that we would try different things just for the fun of it, and he proved to be very versatile. He’s just been a really good boy. Him and his buddy live here together, and these two horses are family. They will stay with us forever.”

Though dressage is where Figaro is happiest, he responds to well to new challenges, and will participate in most activities asked of him as the couple enjoys exploring new horizons.

“He’s done equitation, a cowboy camp… whatever opportunity we have to have fun, we just do it. In fact, Roberto won an equitation show on Figaro a couple of years ago,” Szymczak-Stark said. “Our current trainer is very calm and she gives him confidence with a calm approach. He responds to that very well. He’s a horse that always tries for you. He can get flustered sometimes, but he tries his heart out, and with the right trainer and approach, he’s come a long way.”

Figaro’s willing and athletic nature is a key characteristic in the thoroughbred breed, and is part of what makes off-track thoroughbreds a popular choice for those seeking both casual and competitive horses for a wide array of disciplines. Rizo said Figaro’s class, which helped make him a stakes-winner and earner of over $110,000 on the racetrack, is evident in his second career as he builds upon his skills with every ride and lesson. 

“That’s his biggest asset – when you’re on him, you can feel him and what kind of horse you have under you, so he’s very honest in that respect,” Rizo said. “We’ve had him long enough where we have figured out what calms him down and what gets him to respond. The braking is fantastic on him – I let go of the reins when I want him to stop and tighten my knees, and he gives me such a good brake. He just keeps developing with every little lesson.”

And while Figaro has earned the respect and admiration of his owners through his physical ability, it is his overall spirit that has made him an irreplaceable member of their family.

“He is so gentle with kids,” Rizo noted. “When we have him in the round pen, he starts licking them and sniffing them and wanting to be with them. He follows them and it’s like he goes out of his way to be with the kids. That’s what impresses us about him, too – this very gentle side of him.”

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Aqueduct Racetrack will host the 13th running of the Awad on Sunday. The six-furlong outer turf sprint for 2-year-olds is slated as Race 3 on the nine-race program. First post Sunday is 12:10 p.m. Eastern.

New Vocations, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, works to fulfill a mission of rehabilitating, retraining, and ultimately rehoming retired racehorses to qualified and loving adopters. To learn more about New Vocations and to view horses currently up for adoption, visit www.newvocations.org.