The Square Peg Foundation is seeking young adults to join their job training program in Sonoma, CA; a replication of the vocational training program at their ranch in Half Moon Bay. In association with the North Bay Regional Center, interns will get paid to develop ranch management skills, learn to care for and work with horses while also learning time management, workplace communication and social etiquette. The program focuses on learning basic employability and life skills, such as communication and problem solving, to help achieve the life goals set for themselves.
If you know of a young adult with autism that would like to learn to work at a horse ranch, please have their family or social worker reach out to Becca (becca@squarepegfoundation.org) and Michael (michael@squarepegfoundation.org), and they'll organize a ranch visit.
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Gage Holmes is getting a rare experience for a jockey who just started her race-riding career in late January. The 26-year-old Penn State graduate is riding Cambus-Kenneth Farm's Henrietta Topham in the Kentucky Downs Ladies Turf, whose $750,000 purse will increase to $1 million with the presence of Grade 1 winner Dalika in the field under incentives offered by Kentucky Downs.
Having won 34 races overall, Holmes generally gets a seven-pound apprentice allowance to encourage trainers to use an inexperienced rider. But that allowance does not apply to stakes races. Thus, the 4-year-old Henrietta Topham will carry the 124 pounds dictated by the race conditions, two pounds fewer than race favorites Dalika and 2021 Ladies Turf winner Princess Grace.
But Henrietta Topham is 3 for 3 with Holmes after starting her career 0 for 3 with veteran riders last fall. The victories include Ellis Park's $100,000 Centennial Distaff Turf Mile by a half-length over multiple stakes-winner Turnerloose. It was the first stakes win for Holmes, Cambus-Kenneth Farm owner Michael Burns and trainer Geoff Mulcahy, whose majority business is getting horses ready for other trainers.
“They're awesome, and they continue to give me a chance,” Holmes said. “I'm just so blessed and very thankful to everybody involved — my agent (Jimmy McNerney), the owners, trainers who have kept me on for this incredible ride. It's just a great experience.”
After the Ellis victory, Mulcahy admitted he'd thought about switching to a more experienced jockey but decided, “If it's not the right time to go for a stakes when you're coming off two wins, when is? And Gage was a part of those two wins.”
Now it's three wins.
“She's just so cool,” Holmes said of Henrietta Topham. “I know they're going to take her as a broodmare afterwards. But she's one of those if she didn't have anywhere to go, I would take her home with me, even if I had to keep her in my closet.”
Holmes grew up in Pennsylvania and groomed horses at Presque Isle during the summers while working on a degree from Penn State in veterinary and biomedical sciences — a combination of pre-med and pre-vet school.
“Just to get to know the racetrack, get to know what it's about and see if it was the right course for me after I graduated,” she said of a veterinarian career. “When I graduated I went to Ocala to learn how to gallop. From there I got a job in Kentucky and rode for Ian Wilkes for almost two years and I worked for John Ortiz and now we're here. The ultimate goal was to be a jockey.”
Holmes believes she will use her college degree some day.
“I'm doing this while I can and while I'm able,” she said. “I absolutely love it. That's just there for when I decide to retire.”
The post ‘Incredible Ride’: Apprentice Jockey Gets Shot In $1 Million Stakes appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
Top stayer Kyprios heads a field of 11 for the Comer Group International Irish St Leger, the final Classic of the season and one of four Group 1 races on a magical day at the Curragh on Sunday.
The race is just one of the highlights on the second day of Longines Irish Champions Weekend with Aidan O'Brien's 4-year-old chasing down a hat-trick of top-flight success after thrilling wins at Royal Ascot and at Goodwood.
Heading the opposition is the Joseph O'Brien-trained Curragh specialist Raise You which notched up his fourth course success in the Comer Group Irish St Leger Trial Stakes a month ago and the Paddy Twomey-trained Rosscarbery, added to the field only 72 hours ago.
Twice a winner of the Comer Group International Irish St Leger, Search For A Song represents Dermot Weld, Comer Group International Curragh Cup winner Camorra runs for Ger Lyons, Tony Mullins has his star Princess Zoe, with William Haggas, already a Group 1 winner at the Curragh this year, sending out Ormonde Stakes winner Hamish.
Representing the race sponsor is Seattle Creek with Henry de Bromhead going with Jason The Militant, Karl Thornton has Shanroe and Jim Bolger runs Manu Et Corde.
Nineteen horses will line up for the Group 1 Al Basti Equiworld, Dubai Flying Five Stakes and the bumper field is headed by the John Quinn-trained Highfield Princess, the clearcut winner of the Coolmore Wootton Bassett Nunthorpe Stakes at York. A strong British challenge also features the Michael Appleby-trained Raasel, Flotus, trained by Simon & Ed Chrisford, and Ebro River, last season's Group 1 Keeneland Phoenix Stakes winner at the Curragh, which was supplemented on Tuesday by trainer Hugo Palmer.
Edward Lynam's Romantic Proposal, the winner of this race a year ago, leads the Irish challenge with fellow Group 1 winner A Case Of You, trained by Ado McGuinness and the Johnny Murtagh-trained Ladies Church and Jack Davison's Mooneista, separated by just a short-head in the Barberstown Castle Sapphire Stakes over this course and distance in July, very much in the mix.
Twelve two-year-old fillies go forward for the 50th running of the Group 1 Moyglare Stud Stakes and setting the standard is the Aidan O'Brien-trained Meditate, unbeaten in four starts to date. The big Curragh hope is Tahiyra for Dermot Weld with the Charlie & Mark Johnston-trained Lakota Sioux and Charlie Hills' Sydneyarms Chelsea making up the oversea challenge.
The Charlie Fellowes-trained Marbaan is the raider from across the Irish Sea in the Group 1 Goffs Vincent O'Brien National Stakes and he takes on a couple of potential stars from the Aidan O'Brien yard, Aesop's Fables and Hans Andersen. Joseph O'Brien supplemented course and distance winner Al Riffa for the race on Tuesday and his brother Donnacha O'Brien runs his two-time winner, Proud And Regal with Johnny Murtagh's Shartash making up the six-runner field.
Another intriguing contest will be the Group 2 Moyglare “Jewels” Blandford Stakes with Group 1 Alwasmiyah Pretty Polly Stakes winner La Petite Coco topping the 13-runner line up. Her trainer Paddy Twomey also runs Rumbles Of Thunder with further opposition coming from Joseph O'Brien's top-flight scorer Above The Curve and the Willie McCreery-trained Insinuendo.
Unbeaten in three starts, Eve Johnson Houghton's Streets Of Gold heads a three-strong British challenge for the 11-runner Tattersalls Ireland Super Auction Sale Stakes with dual winner As It Was looking like the top Irish contender for Andy Oliver.
A field of 22 gets the day up and running in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF 'Bold Lad' Sprint Handicap where recent course winners Mr Wagyu, Big Gossey, Gordon Bennett, Ice Cold In Alex and Coumshingaun are among the leading contenders while the maximum 26 runners take their chance in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF 'Northfields' Handicap with the chances of Tom Mullins' Star Image, Noel Meade's Joe Masseria and the Joe Murphy-trained Celtic Crown well respected.
Brian Kavanagh, CEO of the Curragh Racecourse, said, “We are delighted with the declarations for Sunday's racing and the four Group 1 races look particularly competitive. It is very pleasing to see 17 UK-trained runners as international competition is a key part of Longines Irish Champions Weekend. There is a full programme of entertainment on offer on Sunday, including the Moyglare Kidzone and we are looking forward to a great days racing.”
Click here for the declared runners for Sunday's Curragh card
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