After an uncertain, challenging and virtual 2020, the New Vocations All-Thoroughbred Charity Horse Show, Presented by Iris Smith Stables, LLC, returned to an in-person competition and raised a record-breaking $150,000 in sponsorships. All proceeds from the event will go directly to support New Vocations' efforts to rehab, retrain and rehome retiring racehorses.
The 18th annual show—held for the first time at Highfields Event Center, in Aiken, SC, Sept. 3-5—was an exciting and successful return to live events for New Vocations after a quiet past 18 months due to COVID-19. The competition brought together nearly 100 Thoroughbreds from 10 different states to compete in a variety of disciplines including dressage, hunter, jumper, Western and pleasure classes.
“We were thrilled that we were able to far surpass our goal of raising $100,000 through the support of our generous long-term and new sponsors,” said Anna Ford, New Vocations Thoroughbred Program Director. “The new venue meant that we were able to put on a more intimate event, which allowed exhibitors extra opportunities to connect and share their love for Thoroughbreds. It was so rewarding to look across four competition arenas full of horses knowing that while they have rich racing bloodlines and histories, they now have new skills, new careers, and new purposes.”
Show highlights included:
- Winner of the War Horse W/T/C was Bail Bondsman, shown by Karen Morgan. Bail Bondsman, a 2009 Kentucky-bred gelding by Bellamy Road, raced 44 times and earned $106,499
- Winner of the Open Hunter Derby was Blame it on Texas, shown by Elisabeth Demars. Blame it on Texas, a 2012 Kentucky-bred gelding by Blame, raced 12 times and earned $12,788
- Winner of the Open Jumper Stake was Ballerino, shown by Susan Sisco. Ballerino, a 2008 Florida-bred gelding by Lido Place (CHI), raced 15 times and earned $38,709
- Winner of the Dressage High Score was Big Iron, shown by junior rider Mayela Salazar. Big Iron, a 2015 son of Caleb's Posse, raced 29 times and earned $65,281
At the show's inaugural exhibitor party, New Vocations also handed out several special awards recognizing:
- The Thoroughbred that earned the most money racing: Two Notch Road, $536,193
- The most recently raced Thoroughbred: Jammin Jamie, 6/28/2021
- The Thoroughbred with the most starts: Mind Magic, 58 starts
- The youngest Thoroughbred competing: Jammin Jamie, 2/20/2018
- The oldest Thoroughbred competing: Bold Estela, 3/22/1994
- The Thoroughbred sold for the highest auction price: Ditka, $500,000
The groups that traveled the farthest to compete: horses and riders from Sugar Creek Equinapy, in Harrisonville, MO, and North Country Horses, in Gansevoort, NY, hauled 974 miles and 956 miles, respectively.
“We were so glad to, once again, be able to celebrate the Thoroughbred with a weekend full of competition, fun and horses,” Ford said. “We're excited to get started on plans for what we hope can be an even better 2022 event.”
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