Backside Learning Center

Trainer Cherie DeVaux and bloodstock agent David Ingordo have taken up Brook Smith's challenge and have joined the Backside Learning Center's "Purses for a Purpose" initiative. "I have a challenge," Smith said last week. "If we can get 150 owners, and 150 horses for that matter, and they pledge to donate 1% of purse winnings with these 150 horses, that moves a bigger needle than people realize. And it means a lot, the thought that the owners think about the backside, and those who support it." DeVaux and Ingordo have...

One of the many trademarks of Kentucky Derby week during mornings on the backside at Churchill Downs is the media frenzy that never fails to ensue as dozens of outlets vie for interviews with Derby and Oaks connections. Some owners shy from the camera, others embrace their moment in the spotlight, and most fall somewhere in between. One owner who will not be hesitating to get his horse's name out there over the next week is Brook Smith, a part-owner in GI Blue Grass S. winner Sierra Leone (Gun Runner)....

A portion of any purse money earned in the May 4 GI Kentucky Derby by Sierra Leone (Gun Runner), winner of the GI Blue Grass S. and expected to be one of the favorites for the American Classic, will benefit the Backside Learning Center (BLC)'s initiative "Purses for a Purpose." In addition, should the 'TDN Rising Star' win the Derby, co-owner Brook Smith has promised an additional $100,000 to the BLC. Smith, who recently joined the TDN Writers' Room, is a Louisville resident and long-time supporter of the BLC, which...

The families and children who rely on the Backside Learning Center have a GI Kentucky Derby horse to root for. Sierra Leone (Gun Runner), the winner of the GII Risen Star S. at the Fair Grounds, is partially owned by Brook Smith, who is part of a partnership led by Coolmore. Smith has been a generous supporter of the Backside Learning Center and, through the Purses for a Purpose program, donates a portion of his earnings every time a horse of his picks up a check. Smith joined this week's...

With 20 questions and a tiebreaker facing contest participants, entries are now open for the 2023 Thoroughbred Idea Foundation Derby Prop Contest, the organization said in a release Wednesday. The entry portal closes at 11:00 a.m. E.T. this Saturday, May 6. Players should keep track of their answers as you will not be able to revisit the survey portal once you submit your entry. Should a horse named directly in a prop be scratched, all answers to that prop may be counted as correct. Winners will be notified by email...

It was a packed house at the Louisville Thoroughbred Society on Tuesday, April 18 for the Backside Learning Center's Derby Handicapping Social. The sold-out event drew a crowd of racing owners and enthusiasts looking forward to spending an evening  narrowing down their picks for this year's GI Kentucky Derby while also learning more about the latest initiatives going on at the Backside Learning Center (BLC). The BLC is a nonprofit organization based in Louisville that provides support and resources for racetrack workers and their families. The organization serves over 1,000...

The Kentucky Thoroughbred Association's annual Kentucky Derby Trainers' Dinner is set to take place Tuesday, May 2, at The Speed Art Museum in Louisville. Cocktails will be served from 6 p.m., with dinner service beginning at 6:45. In addition to the food and drink, there will be a review of all the important prep races leading up to the Derby and interviews with some of the trainers of this year's Derby contenders. The event will be streamed live at TwinSpires.com and all net proceeds from the event will go to...

The Backside Learning Center at the Louisville Thoroughbred Society will host a Derby Handicapping Social Apr. 18 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. The event will feature a 2023 Kentucky Derby handicapping seminar with a panel of the industry's top experts: Caton Bredar and Joe Kristufek, with NBC's Donna Barton Brothers moderating. In addition to handicapping, the event serves as a social hour to mingle with owners, trainers and connected leaders in the Thoroughbred industry. Backside Learning Center will also highlight its programs and provide insight on its Purses for a...

In order to help finance the essential programs of the Backside Learning Center at Churchill Downs (BLC), The Louisville Thoroughbred Society (LTS) will sponsor a public auction of donated items Friday, Dec. 16 from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. ET. The Pressbox will provide phone numbers and the staff, while their website updates bidding every five minutes. Some of the highlighted items include horse blankets from Triple Crown winners American Pharoah and Justify, as well as one used by Spendthrift Farm's leading sire, Into Mischief. Also on the block, will...

The Backside Learning Center (BLC)--an independent non-profit organization providing support and resources in a safe, welcoming environment for the diverse community of racetrack workers and their families--will hold its largest annual fundraiser, "The 16th Annual Benefit for the Backside: A Day at the Races", Friday, Nov. 18 at Churchill Downs. While the event is sold out, the BLC is hosting an online, silent auction consisting of horseracing, and hard to find items including a Kentucky Oaks box for 6; a speakeasy tasting tour at Evan Williams bourbon for 20; a...

Edited Press Release The Backside Learning Center at Churchill Downs stands to gain anywhere between $200,000 and $400,000 based on the results of Saturday's GI Kentucky Derby beneath the Twin Spires. In January, Brook Smith--a longtime supporter of the BLC--placed a $10,000 Kentucky Derby Future Wager on Tiz the Bomb (Hit It a Bomb), pledging any winnings to the center. A Derby victory would be worth $114,000. Smith's wager was a friendly challenge to Texas-based businessman and famed sports bettor "Mattress Mack" Jim McIngvale's Future Wager bet for the same...

The Backside Learning Center will host Thoroughbred Owner's Derby Handicapping Social at the Louisville Thoroughbred Society Thursday from 5-7 p.m. The event, sponsored by Rocket Ship Racing, LLC, will feature a 2022 Kentucky Derby handicapping seminar with a panel of the industry's top experts: Caton Bredar, Joe Kristufek and Brandon Stauble, with NBC's Donna Barton Brothers moderating. Special guest Jim "Mattress Mack" McIngvale will be on hand to talk about his personal experiences dedicating much of his life to philanthropy. The evening also serves as a launch for BLC's "Purses...