The day before Thanksgiving my cell phone started blowing up with messages from my group chat. This wasn’t out of the ordinary because me and my three closest friends tend to text all day long. I was just sneaking off to the bathroom of my parents’ house in North Carolina to take a break from the high emotional climate caused by a recent car accident they had no business walking away from.
Tag: aftercare
Thoroughbred Makeover Diary: Back in Saddle, and Excited for Future with Odin
In October of 2021 I lost my heart horse of 20 years. Mystic was in his 30s and had been retired for some time, but our paths first crossed when I was in middle school – and now, in my 30s, I could barely remember a time without him.
Rosie Napravnik To Spearhead Feb. 12 ‘New Vocations Day at the Races’ At Fair Grounds
On Saturday, Feb. 12, retired jockey and horse advocate Rosie Napravnik will be on site at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots to spearhead the “New Vocations Day at the Races.” A four-time local riding champion who was instrumental in the opening of the New Vocations facility in Covington, La., Napravnik will join host Joe Kristufek on the live feed during the racing day to help build awareness, promote success stories and inspire donations for Thoroughbred aftercare.
“Before and after my riding career, I've been exposed to a lot of the other things that horses can do, and that's a big part of the reason why I'm so passionate about it and why it's so important to me,” Napravnik said in regards to Thoroughbred aftercare. “I have a lot of experience in the other disciplines and I've seen retired racehorses really excel. I got my first off-the-track Thoroughbred back in 2008 and watching him transform, his potential, his trainability, his eagerness to do something else and to learn new things and please really inspired me. After riding so many of those horses and seeing how much they put out for us on the racetrack, it's just something I can't avoid making a part of my life.”
Held for the first time at Fair Grounds one year ago, the “New Vocations Day at the Races” raised $8,198 in unique donations from fans and people within the industry, including horsemen, horse owners and jockeys.
“We are very excited about the success we had with our first New Vocations Day last year and have been looking forward to another addition,” Napravnik said. “Last year everybody jumped into action, making donations and encouraging others on social media to do so as well. We are very grateful for the HBPA and the horseman in Louisiana for supporting our efforts. Our program continues to expand, and we are excited to share our growth from the past year.”
Napravnik, who won 1,878 races in her ten-year career, retired in 2014 following her Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1) win with Untapable. In 2012 she became the first female rider to capture the Kentucky Oaks (G1), guiding Believe You Can to victory, and she won the race again just two years later with Untapable. She is now married to trainer Joe Sharp and together they have two sons, Carson and Tucker.
“Rosie is one of our favorites,” said Fair Grounds senior director of racing Jason Boulet. “It's great to have her back at the Fair Grounds to help shed light on such an important cause and to share her valuable insight with the fans. We look forward to building on last year's success.”
Recognizing the need for expanded Thoroughbred aftercare in Louisiana, Napravnik reached out to New Vocations, the largest racehorse adoption program in the country, in the fall of 2019. With Napravnik taking on a leadership role under the umbrella of New Vocations, they received a start-up grant from the Right Horse and were off and running.
“That grant basically funded almost half of running the program for the first two years,” said New Vocations Thoroughbred program director Anna Ford. “That really helped us get on our feet. Then the Louisiana HBPA stepped in and they have really supported our efforts.”
Since opening their doors in 2019, the Louisiana division of New Vocations has served 140 horses, including 55 last year. There are currently 15 horses in the program.
“Moving into our third year, our Louisiana facility continues to thrive and our team has done a wonderful job with each horse that has entered the program,” Ford said. The continued support from Louisianan HBPA has played a huge role in the facility's success. We are also seeing more and more local owners, breeders and trainers reach out to utilize our services as well as support our efforts. We are grateful to have the Fair Grounds hosting another New Vocations Day at the Races. We hope the event will continue to raise awareness about our Louisiana facility and the services we provide to the racing community.”
On Saturday, February 12, Napravnik will join track announcer John G. Dooley on the pre-race “Fair Grounds Today” show and partner with simulcast host Joe Kristufek during the racing card to provide information on how to donate a horse, how to adopt a horse, and how fans can contribute to the cause. She will also share adoption success stories, which will be supported by video of retired racehorses thriving in their second careers.
“I want to help make sure that horses have the opportunity to do something after racing because they really deserve it,” Napravnik said. “They have so much life ahead of them when their racing career is over. I can't ignore that, especially in a place like Louisiana that has such a high demand for organizations to help bridge that gap.”
In addition to promoting Thoroughbred aftercare awareness, Napravnik will also offer her race-by-race selections via the “expert picks” videos on twinspires.com and the Twin Spires app, and on the simulcast feed.
“During my riding career, I never handicapped to pick the winner, I handicapped to make my horse the winner,” Napravnik said. “But there's a lot of insight I can give on how each of the riders could see the race unfolding and how it might play out from a pace and trip perspective. I truly enjoy being on the show and handicapping the races with Joe so it will be another fun and exciting day as we raise awareness and funds for aftercare in Louisiana!”
For those who would like to contribute a financial donation to the Louisiana chapter of New Vocations and support the Fair Grounds Day at the Races with Rosie Napravnik, visit https://horseadoption.org/donate and click the button with Rosie's picture on it in the top row.
2022 Thoroughbred Incentive Program Championships Return To Stable View
The Jockey Club Thoroughbred Incentive Program (T.I.P.) announced today that the T.I.P. Championships in hunters, jumpers, combined test, English pleasure, and English in-hand will return this year to Stable View in Aiken, South Carolina. The event will also include an East Coast Dressage T.I.P. Championship show.
The show will kick off with a welcome party on the evening of Thursday, Oct. 6, and will run through Sunday, Oct. 9.
“We are thrilled to be returning to Stable View for T.I.P. Championships in 2022,” said Kristin Werner, senior counsel for The Jockey Club and administrator of T.I.P. “Thoroughbreds continue to prove their versatility across a wide range of disciplines, and we are excited to again team up with Stable View to showcase and promote Thoroughbreds' abilities beyond the racetrack.”
“We look forward to the return of TIP Championships to Stable View, and our intention is to make the event even better than last year,” said Barry and Cyndy Olliff, owners of the United States Equestrian Federation Elite Training Center. “With an added day of competition, and the recent completion of a sixth arena, we are prepared to welcome even more entries. As a bonus, this year, our rider lounges will be stocked with light refreshments during the day, followed by Stable View's signature Graze & Gaze each evening.”
Qualifying information is available on the T.I.P. website at tjctip.com/About/CSI. Prize lists will be made available for the events in the spring. T.I.P. previously announced the dates of the Western T.I.P. Championships and Central Dressage Championships, which will be held in conjunction with the Retired Racehorse Project's 2022 Thoroughbred Makeover and National Symposium, presented by Thoroughbred Charities of America, Oct. 12-15, 2022, at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Ky.
Created and announced in October 2011, T.I.P. recognizes and rewards the versatility of the Thoroughbred through sponsorship of Thoroughbred classes and high point awards at sanctioned horse shows, performance awards, and non-competition awards. In addition to the complete schedule of T.I.P.-sponsored shows, other information about the program is available on the T.I.P. website, tjctip.com. Those interested in T.I.P. can follow the program at facebook.com/tjctip.
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