Long-time racing official Rick Hammerle, now of Oaklawn Park and Kentucky Downs, selected Comical to finish ahead of Powerfulattraction in a head-to-head Del Mar Debutante prop to secure the victory in the Thoroughbred Idea Foundation's inaugural eight-week Summer Prop Contest. Hammerle finished one point better than Toronto-based professional horseplayer Tommy Massis.
Hammerle chose to direct the $5,000 first-place winner's contribution to the Jockey & Equestrian Initiative of the University of Kentucky's Sports Medicine Research Institute (UK SMRI). Massis chose to split his $3,000 second-place contribution direction between the UK SMRI and Virginia Tech's Jockey & Equestrian Helmet Study. Matt Miller of Northbrook, Illinois finished third overall and directed $1,000 to the PDJF.
“I never met a contest I didn't like,” joked Hammerle. “It was a fresh, awareness-raising idea from the TIF and working in Kentucky at the moment, I'm very happy to have the chance to direct money to the UK program which seeks to improve the lives and careers of jockeys and exercise riders.”
Overall, $25,000 will be donated to the jockey health-related initiatives. Based on the direction of winners through the eight individual weeks and the overall contest winners, $11,250 will go to the PDJF, $11,250 to the UK SMRI and $2,500 to the Virginia Tech Helmet Study. Additional contributions were made in weeks two, three and four thanks to the generosity of Machmer Hall Farm, Winchester Feed and Select Sales Agency, respectively.
“We thank the TIF for their creativity in bringing awareness to the three jockey health-related initiatives highlighted in this summer's contest,” said Dr. Scott Lephart, Dean of the University of Kentucky's College of Health Sciences and founder of the SMRI. “We are committed to advancing Thoroughbred racing through focused research and evidence-based programming to improve the well-being of the jockeys. Our commitment to this discovery at UK is intended not only to advance the care of the sport's valuable human assets, but also to sustaining and growing the industry.”
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