Purses for a Purpose

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 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...

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...

The Backside Learning Center (BLC) will host the "Thoroughbred Owner's Derby Handicapping Social" at the Louisville Thoroughbred Society on Thursday, Apr. 14 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. The event, sponsored by Rocket Ship Racing, LLC, will serve as a launch for BLC's initiative Purses for a Purpose, in which owners can invest directly in the backstretch workers who are vital to the racing industry. Through Purses for a Purpose, owners can pledge to donate customizable portions of their horses' winnings, with the money going directly to programming at the...

The Backside Learning Center at Churchill Downs is launching "Purses for a Purpose", a program to allow horse owners to pledge a portion of their horse's earnings to benefit backside workers and their families. "The backstretch community is a hugely important part of our sport, and we're more than happy to support it in any way we can," Brian DiDonato of Franklin Ave. Equine LLC, owner of Moonshine Dancing (Speightster) and Too Much Kandy (Kantharos), the first two horses to participate in Purses for a Purpose, said of his motivation...