Anna Ford

On Saturday, Mar. 4, retired jockey and horse advocate Rosie Napravnik will be on site at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots to spearhead the third annual "New Vocations Day at the Races." A four-time local riding champion who was instrumental in the opening of the New Vocations facility in Covington, Louisiana, Napravnik will join host Joe Kristufek on the live feed during the racing day to help build awareness, promote success stories and inspire donations for Thoroughbred aftercare. "I am elated to be having our third annual New Vocations...

New Vocations Racehorse Adoption Program raised over $72,000 for racehorse aftercare on 'Giving Tuesday'. Breeders' Cup winning owners of Wonder Wheel, DJ Stable, LLC, generously pledged to match the first $30,000 raised by New Vocations in honor of the organization's 30th anniversary. Courtesy of over 100 supporters in the equestrian and racing communities, funds were raised late into Nov. 29, and pushed over the goal thanks to a $10,000 donation made by Oak Grove Racing Gaming and Hotel, a Churchill Downs property. "We were blown away by the tremendous response...

On the racetrack, News Carver (Curlin) did not meet the lofty expectations set by his talented full-brother Vino Rosso, but the 3-year-old gelding has all the potential to one day become a star in a different arena. After News Carver finished a distant sixth in his debut in May this year and showed little interest in pursing a racing career, his owner and breeder John Gunther decided to send the homebred to New Vocations. News Carver, who bears the same lustrous chestnut coat and blazed face as his older brother,...

New Vocations has launched its 13th annual Breeders' Cup Pledge, in which connections of Breeders' Cup contenders pledge a percentage of their earnings to support the charity. To date, the pledge has raised over $950,000 to support New Vocations. "This year's Pledge is extra special as New Vocations is celebrating its 30-year anniversary and the Breeders' Cup is being hosted minutes away from our main facility in Lexington," said Anna Ford, New Vocations Thoroughbred Program Director. "We are so thankful for the owners and trainers who have supported this important...

LEXINGTON, KY--With a rainy, cloudy afternoon turning into a perfect sunny and 72-degree evening, the racing industry was out in full force to support retired Thoroughbreds in the Real Rider Cup. Typically held in the fall at Fair Hill, it was the first time the event was being held in Lexington at New Vocations' Mereworth Farm and the rail was packed with familiar faces, such as Christian Black, Mike McMahon and Aidan and Leah O'Meara, to support this great cause initiated by Anita Motion. Thirty-one riders completed a 2'6" jumper...

New Vocations Racehorse Adoption Program announced that it has received a $75,000 donation from the Ohio Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association. The donation will help support aftercare efforts at the New Vocations facility in Medina, Ohio, which focuses on rehabbing, retraining and rehoming Thoroughbred racehorses retiring from racetracks in the state. "Making sure our horses have a good home after retiring from racing is vital to the Ohio HBPA," said Ohio HBPA Executive Director Dave Basler. "Continuing to support New Vocations is an easy decision given their 30-year track record...

New Vocations Racehorse Adoption Program has opened a satellite facility near Ocala, Florida as it continues to expand its aftercare efforts. The nation's oldest and largest racehorse adoption charity now has nine facilities in six states. "Part of our long-term plan has been to open a facility near Ocala," said New Vocations' Program Director Anna Ford. "Three years ago, we were looking into it but then we got the call to open a facility in Louisiana. We put Florida on pause because the need was greater in Louisiana at that...

New Vocations Racehorse Adoption Program has opened a satellite facility at Trillium Sport Horses near Ocala, Florida. Erin MacDonald, an international three-day eventing rider, will oversee the facility's focus on rehabbing, retraining, and rehoming retiring Thoroughbred racehorses. "On average, 60 horses each year are shipped more than 700 miles from Florida to our Lexington facility," said Anna Ford, the program director for New Vocations. "Horses coming from Florida racetracks and training centers will now have a much shorter travel distance and duration as they start their next chapters." New Vocations,...

New Vocations Thoroughbred Program Director Anna Ford joined this week's TDN Writers' Room podcast to give an update on Ben's Stall, plus Bill Finley and and Jon Green welcome special guest host Randy Moss.

As the Thoroughbred Program Director for New Vocations, the nation's largest racehorse adoption program, Anna Ford knows how important it is for a horse-related charity to find creative ways to raise money. And Ford and her team might just have landed on a winning idea. It was announced this week that New Vocations and DJ Stable have joined forces for a Giving Tuesday campaign. DJ Stable will match all donations up to $25,000. That was among the subjects discussed when Ford joined ths week's Thoroughbred Daily News Writers' Room podcast...

The Green family's DJ Stable LLC will match all donations up to $25,000 made to New Vocations Racehorse Adoption Program on GivingTuesday, Nov. 30. "We are so pleased to have the opportunity to partner with this wonderful organization," said DJ Stable General Manager Jonathan Green. "For years our horses have benefitted from being placed in New Vocations' aftercare program, which prompted us to offer a matching fund for the first $25,000 contributed during the GivingTuesday drive. We hope others follow our lead and donate to New Vocations." Anna Ford, New...

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...