The Gatekeeper is an impressive 17 hand, 7 year old, bay gelding that came to us in partnership with New Start, based out of Penn National. He is a very classy horse that raced 23 times and retired sound. Gatekeeper was part of the famous stallion Arrogate's first foal crop, and was purchased as a yearling for $400,000. By Arrogate, and out of a Smart Strike mare, he has greats like Unbridled, Distorted Humor, Mr. Prospector, and AP Indy all just a few generations back in his pedigree.

Gatekeeper had a great intake evaluation with our veterinarian who found him sound and saw no reasons to limit his next career. He's since been enjoying the sun and nice, Spring weather we've been having while getting some downtime to unwind after racing. He's been turned out with other geldings and so far has been pretty independent from any pasture mates and just happy to be here.

Gatekeeper changed hands several times before coming to ATR, and was standoffish on arrival. Past connections let us know he was a total gentleman in the right hands, but would be a horse to take our time with. Our director immediately developed a soft spot for him, recognizing him as a horse who needs some reassurance and to develop trust with his handlers.

While being in the mood for grooming has been somewhat hit or miss, he will absolutely melt for wither scritches and curl his head down and around you when receiving that affection. He was treated for ulcers upon arrival and we've been watching him soften and get more comfortable with us and settled into his new environment and he's about ready to get back to work under saddle, and we'll start that soon.

While he can go in any direction, we will be giving special consideration to who ultimately brings him home. We believe Gatekeeper is going to make someone a really incredible partner one day. Someone kind that truly takes their time to establish trust and bond with him will be rewarded many times over by a horse like this. A person who rushes him or treats him mechanically will similarly not have a good time.