Month: July 2022

One of the most anticipated events of the summer, the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation's Barbeque at the Barn, has been scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 23, from 5:00-9:00 p.m. and will again be held at the beautiful Saratoga Winery. The event has annually sold out.

In addition to a delicious meal, the event will feature family friendly activities, music, raffle and silent auction items along with special guest appearances from racing celebrities including Maggie Wolfendale Morley, Acacia Courtney, Ramon Dominguez and more as well as a few special equine guests.

“This event is a celebration of a summer of horses and friendship in Saratoga,” said Kim Weir, Director of Major Gifts and Planning for the TRF, “We are looking forward to seeing so many friends of the herd join us to support our mission to save horses and change lives.”

Early sponsors of the annual event include Five College Movers, Churchill Downs, Druthers Brewing Co., Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, Lazy Dog Cookie Co., the New York Thoroughbred Breeding and Development Fund, the Walter Borisenok Family Foundation, Glen Hill Farm and more. There are several levels of sponsorship still available.

Tickets are available at https://www.trfinc.org/event/bbq-2022/ at a special advance price of $45 each until August 1 at which point the price increases to $50 per ticket. Tickets must be purchased in advance and will not be sold at the door the day of the event.

The Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation (TRF) will partner the New York Racing Association (NYRA) on Sunday, July 17 for the Quick Call Stakes presented by the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation. The stakes race honors Quick Call, a multiple graded stakes winner who retired to the TRF's Second Chances program at Wallkill Correctional Facility where he made a significant impact on the lives of the incarcerated men that cared for him.

About TRF: Founded in 1983, the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation is a national organization devoted to saving Thoroughbred horses no longer able to compete at the racetrack from possible neglect, abuse, and slaughter. As the oldest Thoroughbred rescue in the country, the TRF provides lifelong sanctuary to retired Thoroughbreds throughout their lifetime.

Best known for its pioneering TRF Second Chances program, the organization provides incarcerated individuals with life-changing vocational training through its accredited equine care and stable management program. At eight correctional facilities across the US, including one juvenile justice facility, this program offers second careers to its horses and a second chance at life for program graduates upon release from prison. The TRF Second Chances Program at Blackburn Correctional Complex in Lexington, Kentucky provides a home for as many as 60 retired Thoroughbred racehorses and has been changing the lives of returning citizens for more than twenty years.

The TRF cares for nearly 450 rescued and retired Thoroughbreds at Second Chances prison farms and Sanctuary Farms across the country. The organization is funded entirely by private donations. The TRF is accredited by Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance and has a Platinum rating with Guide Star.

For more information visit: http://www.trfinc.org/

The post Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation’s Barbeque At The Barn Scheduled For Aug. 23 appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA), New York Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association (NYTHA), and New York Thoroughbred Breeders (NYTB) will host the second annual New York Thoroughbred Aftercare Day on Thursday, July 21 at Saratoga Race Course, which will include a variety of events and demonstrations to highlight the work of the New York State aftercare community.

The featured race will be the $125,000 Rick Violette, a 1 1/16-mile turf test for New York-bred sophomores named for the late trainer and NYTHA President who spearheaded the creation of the TAKE2 Second Career Thoroughbred Program and TAKE THE LEAD Retirement Program.

Violette was a founding member of the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (TAA), the non-profit organization that accredits, inspects, and awards grants to approved aftercare organizations to retire, retrain, and rehome thoroughbreds. Based in Lexington, KY, the TAA is supported by owners, trainers, breeders, racetracks, aftercare professionals, and other industry members

Representatives from TAA-accredited aftercare organizations will be on-site at Saratoga on July 21 to educate racing fans about the importance of responsible aftercare efforts, including New Vocations, ReRun, Akindale Thoroughbred Rescue, Lucky Orphans, ACTT Naturally, Old Friends at Cabin Creek, Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation and Therapeutic Horses of Saratoga.

Fans can visit the Community Booth behind the jockeys' quarters to learn more about the participating organizations.

“Thoroughbred Aftercare Day reflects our unwavering commitment to protecting and re-training equine athletes when their racing days are done,” said Dave O'Rourke, NYRA President & CEO. “New York is the national leader when it comes to supporting and investing in meaningful aftercare efforts, and NYRA is thrilled to host the second annual New York Thoroughbred Aftercare Day at Saratoga Race Course on July 21.”

New York Thoroughbred Aftercare Day will begin prior to first post with an on-track demonstration of retired racehorses showcasing the skills learned in their second careers.

ReRun will be represented by several horses who have found success in second careers in the show ring. Bourbon Rising, who made his last start at Saratoga less than a year ago, already has been shown at World Equestrian Center (WEC) events; and Sicilia Sal is now appearing competitively in hunter competition and in clinics with former U.S. Olympic coach Eric Hogan.

Lucky Orphans will be sending Eighttwosixtwotwo, a 3-year-old filly whose work in the demonstration will help to underscore the organization's mission of “People Helping Horses Heal People.” New Vocations will be represented by two New York-breds – Soaring Star, who will be showing off his jumping ability; and Bielefeld, who ran his final race last August at the Spa and will be ridden western style in the demonstration.

“Aftercare Day at Saratoga is the ideal forum to communicate directly with racing's most passionate fans about how we care for retired racehorses,” said Rick Schosberg, the New York-based trainer who serves as Vice President of NYTHA and President of TAKE2. “Due to the hard work of horsemen, breeders and the state's racing community at-large, we've established networks and systems that create second careers for thousands of horses.”

NYRA, NYTHA, NYTB and New York owners contribute more than $1.5 million per year to aftercare support. New York's racing community contributes more financial support to thoroughbred aftercare than any state in the country.

In 2014, NYTHA adopted a per-start fee for owners of $5 that provided funding to the TAA. In 2019, In July 2019, NYRA and NYTHA increased the per-start fee to $10. NYRA matches those contributions, and then donates the proceeds to the TAA at the conclusion of each race meet conducted at NYRA.

In July 2019, NYRA and NYTHA increased the per-start fee to $10. This program consistently generates more than $150,000 per year for the TAA.

In 2013, NYTHA's TAKE THE LEAD (TTL) Thoroughbred Retirement Program was launched with NYRA's support and has placed more than 900 hundred horses retiring from the NYRA tracks with TAA-accredited organizations.

In 2019, NYRA and NYTHA launched an aftercare assessment program that requires prospective owners claiming a horse subject to contribute a 1.5 percent aftercare assessment on top of the claiming price of the horse with funding allocated to the TAA and TTL. For example, an owner claiming a horse for $50,000 will contribute an additional $750 toward aftercare.

Racing fans will be able to donate to TAKE THE LEAD by texting AFTERCARE2022 to 44321 to make a contribution, or by opting to make a donation to the TAA when cashing a winning ticket on an AmTote International self-service betting terminal. All donations are tax deductible.

“We're proud to partner with NYRA and NYTHA once again to highlight and bring awareness to Thoroughbred Aftercare in New York,” said Najja Thompson, Executive Director of New York Thoroughbred Breeders. “The efforts undertaken by each of the participating Thoroughbred Aftercare accredited organizations to care, retrain and develop second careers for retired racehorses deserves to be featured. Being able to do so in front of racing fans at Saratoga speaks to the support our industry as a collective is providing to assure the long-term care of our equine athletes.”

About TAKE2 Second Career Thoroughbred Program:

The TAKE2 Second Career Thoroughbred Program, a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization, is celebrating its 10th anniversary. TAKE2 was created in 2012 with the goal of making it easier to find new homes for retired racehorses. TAKE2 sponsors prize money in Thoroughbred Hunter and Jumper classes, high-score year-end awards and the $20,000 TAKE2 Hunter & Jumper Finals. The program partners with more than 400 horse shows nationwide.

TAKE THE LEAD works with owners and trainers to find placements for the horses retiring from the NYRA tracks with TAA-accredited aftercare organizations. Co-funded by members of the Thoroughbred industry around the country: New York Thoroughbred Breeders; New York Thoroughbred Breeding and Development Fund; Thoroughbred Horsemen's Associations in Maryland (through Beyond the Wire) and Pennsylvania (through Turning for Home); Ocala Breeders' Sales Company; and members of the racing and horse show communities across the country, TAKE2 is a 2021 TCA grantee. For more information on TAKE2 and TAKE THE LEAD, go to www.take2tbreds.com.

The post New York Thoroughbred Aftercare Day At Saratoga Set For July 21 appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post