aftercare

The first annual "Race to Give" campaign, begun in September by Hagyard Equine Medical Institute and Thoroughbred Charities of America (TCA) as an online giving and awareness program to support Thoroughbred aftercare, wrapped Friday with over $125,000 raised. Officials from Hagyard presented a check to TCA totaling $125,117 in a winner's circle ceremony at Churchill Downs. "Starting a new charitable effort is always a challenge and usually takes some time to build momentum," said Hagyard's Dr. Luke Fallon, DVM. "So we tried to set a realistic goal, but I think...

A total of $3.7 million will be awarded as grants to 82 accredited Thoroughbred aftercare organizations, the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance announced Thursday. Since inception in 2012, the TAA has now awarded more than $24.5 million in grants to accredited Thoroughbred aftercare organizations. "The ability to grant $3.7 million towards the care of retired racehorses is a tremendous achievement," said TAA President Jimmy Bell. "As the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance continues to grow to match the needs of our industry, monetary contributions by participants at every level are paramount to the success...

The fifth annual Florida Thoroughbred Transformation Expo will be held at the Florida Horse Park in Ocala, FL, Dec. 10-12. Founded and hosted by the aftercare organization Run for the Ribbons, the expo, which offers $25,000 in prize money, features competition in seven different disciplines, including dressage, working ranch, show jumping, hunters, eventing, polo and freestyle. Each event will have a restricted and open division and are only open to off-the-track or unraced Thoroughbreds registered with The Jockey Club/tattooed. The event will also include a vendor fair and educational seminars....

An early estimate of funds raised during the New Vocations Breeders' Cup Pledge totals more than $140,000. A record eight horses with pledging connections, including GI Breeders' Cup Classic winner Knicks Go (Paynter), won their championship races over the two-day Breeders' Cup event. Additional pledges are still coming in and final donations are still being tallied. "It was truly amazing to have eight pledged contenders win this year," said Anna Ford, New Vocations Thoroughbred Program Director. "We were thrilled with the number of owners and trainers who joined the Pledge...

More than 60--or over one-third--of the 2021 Breeders' Cup entrants and their connections have pledged support for Thoroughbred aftercare by committing to the New Vocations Breeders' Cup Pledge. In the Pledge, owners and trainers donate a percentage of their Breeders' Cup earnings to support New Vocations Racehorse Adoption Program's mission to rehabilitate, retrain, and rehome retired racehorses. Now in its 12th year, the Pledge has raised over $800,000 with 100% of the funds supporting the program. "Breeders' Cup is a very exciting time of year for our industry," said Anna...

Nearly 200 Thoroughbreds competed in The Jockey Club Thoroughbred Incentive Program (T.I.P.) Championships held earlier this month in Aiken, South Carolina. There were classes covering seven disciplines and there were 26 divisions spanning hunters, jumpers, dressage, combined tests, Western dressage, English pleasure and Western pleasure. That meant a lot of variety among the competitors, all of them with a unique story. There was a 27-year-old horse and a 2-year-old horse. There were horses that didn't accomplish much of anything during their racing careers and then there was one, Two Notch...

The "Race to Give," began last month by Hagyard Equine Medical Institute and Thoroughbred Charities of America (TCA) as an online giving and awareness program to support Thoroughbred aftercare, has launched the "Run-A-MUCK Challenge." Styled by Hagyard in a similar vein to the "ALS Ice Bucket Challenge" that swept the country in 2014, the Run-A-MUCK Challenge asks participants to challenge friends, family, colleagues, and vendors to either donate money directly to the Race to Give or to muck a stall (ideally both). Participation guidelines on how to issue, accept, and...

Run for the Ribbons (RFTR), a charitable organization which focuses on Thoroughbred aftercare, will host the 5th annual Florida Thoroughbred Transformation Expo at the Florida Horse Park. The Expo, which will be held Dec. 10-12, features the disciplines of dressage, working ranch, show jumper, show hunter, eventing, polo, and freestyle, as well as a "Parade of Thoroughbreds." Vendors, seminars, and demonstrations will also be a part of each day. There is no cost to attend as a spectator. Prize money and ribbons will be awarded. RFTR is a Thoroughbred Incentive...

Grants totaling over $788,000 were awarded this year, Thoroughbred Charities of America announced Wednesday. Eighty two grant applications were received earlier this year during the organization's annual grant cycle. Ultimately, 69 organizations were approved for a grant, including 46 aftercare organizations, 14 backstretch and farm worker programs, five equine-assisted therapy organizations, three Thoroughbred incentive programs, and one research organization. Included in the granting total is over $12,000 expended from the Horses First Fund, an emergency fund, administered by TCA and established LNJ Foxwoods, that assists Thoroughbreds and their caretakers in...

The Del Mar Thoroughbred Club (DMTC), and LRF Cares, a 501(c)(3) sponsored charity and arm of Little Red Feather Racing, will host a live money on-track or online contest at Del Mar Saturday, Sept. 4. Benefitting Thoroughbred aftercare, the contest will allow a maximum of 150 players, each receiving a $250 live bankroll with the "takeout" going to guaranteed prizes and LRF Cares. Guaranteed prizes include 2021 $4,000--plus $1,000 travel--Del Mar Summer Handicapping Challenge entries and two 2022 National Horseplayer Championship (NHC) entries. Click here for more information and here...

Edited Press Release The 69th Annual The Jockey Club Round Table Conference on Matters Pertaining to Racing will be held virtually for the second consecutive year Sunday, Aug. 15, at 10 a.m. ET. It will be streamed on The Jockey Club's website at jockeyclub.com on and will also air be aired on NYRA's YouTube channel, the FOX Sports app, and Racetrack Television Network's respective platforms. The Jockey Club Chairman Stuart S. Janney III will preside over the conference. Kristin Werner, senior counsel for The Jockey Club and administrator of The...

   Ashleyluvssugar (Game Plan), a five-time Grade II-winning 10-year-old gelding, made a splash- quite literally- on social media this week in a post from After the Finish Line, where he was seen taking an enthusiastic wade through a stream in the North Carolina mountains. The fan-favorite California-bred is now owned by Allie Conrad, who has worked with hundreds of ex-racehorses over the years, but said this one is truly one of a kind. "This was his first off-the-farm trip where we took him camping up in the mountains," Conrad shared....