Jonathan Thomas, trainer of the versatile multiple Grade I winner Catholic Boy, will judge the 88th annual Maryland Horse Breeders Association Yearling Show. Open to all yearlings eligible for Maryland-bred registration, the show will be held Sunday, July 24 at the Maryland State Fairgrounds' Horse Show Ring in Timonium. Entries are due by June 24.

Thomas was born in Virginia and raised at Paul Mellon's famed Rokeby Farm, where his grandfather, father and mother all worked. Growing up around quality horses, Thomas was 13 when Mellon's homebred Sea Hero won the Kentucky Derby. Twenty-five years later as a trainer, he was sending out Catholic Boy to win Grade Is on the turf and dirt, the latter in Saratoga's Travers S. It was only the third time in history that an American 3-year-old accomplished the Grade I dirt/turf double, following in the footsteps of Secretariat and California Chrome.

Before going out on his own, Thomas was an assistant for leading trainers Christophe Clement, Dale Romans and Todd Pletcher, and spent a year training in Saudi Arabia. He also worked in sales and breaking with J.J. Pletcher in Ocala, Fla., and over the years built up a business buying, breaking and training Thoroughbreds at Bridlewood Farm in Ocala.

Since saddling his first runners in 2005, he has a win percentage of 24%, and more than half his starters finish in the top three.

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The move to restructure the membership tiering aligns with the next phase of the strategic plan announced in January 2020 and the million-member goal set by current President Tom O'Mara. The new member tiering will include three categories: 1) fans; 2) subscribers; and 3) competing memberships, offering an array of opportunities for enthusiasts and participants in equestrian sport.

“The goal behind this restructure is to create a model that is enticing for new members to join USEF so we can continue to grow access and interest in our sport from the grass roots level all the way up through our high-performance programs,” said Tom O'Mara, President of US Equestrian. “With the updated tiering, we believe we will encourage individuals passionate about equestrian sport to join our organization as a fan at no cost or upgrade their membership to a subscriber level for $25 to experience increased benefits, with the ultimate goal of expanding the pool of competing members participating at our licensed competitions. We know there are millions of people in the U.S. with a passion for horses and want everyone to have an opportunity to be a part of US Equestrian.”

The base fan experience is free and will allow individuals to learn about the benefits of USEF and sample offerings at no cost, encouraging interaction and connection with USEF on a free and ongoing basis. Fan members will have access to USEF Network livestreaming (not including On-Demand access), the Learning Center, the USEF Equestrian Weekly e-newsletter, and the Member Perks program. Fans will also automatically renew.

The subscriber tier of membership, available for $25 annually, will include exclusive on-demand and replay streaming on USEF Network, access to USEF Member Health Coverage options, and a mailed subscription of US Equestrian magazine while maintaining all exclusive benefits available to non-competing paying members, as well as access to the additional benefits offered at the fan membership level. Official Education Partners of USEF and their members will automatically be eligible for free Subscriber memberships.

The competing memberships will remain at an annual renewal fee of $80 and receive access to all US Equestrian benefits, including access to the membership health coverage options, as well as live and on-demand streaming via USEF Network, the Learning Center, Equestrian Weekly, Member Perks incentives, and the benefit of a working framework of to ensure fair and equal organized sport.

US Equestrian will launch the new tiers of membership at the beginning of the new competition year on December 1, 2021. To learn more about US Equestrian's member benefits and programs, please visit www.usef.org/join-usef.

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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.”

Read more here.

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The 18th annual show–held for the first time at Highfields Event Center, in Aiken, SC, Sept. 3-5–marked a 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.”

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Managers of the horse show the mare attended notified all attendees, asking them to take temperatures of horses that had attended the show twice daily and quarantine any horses returning from the show for at least seven days. On the show grounds, 19 horses from the affected mare's barn were removed and quarantined at their home farm; the 18 horses left at the home facility had temperatures taken twice daily and the farm implemented enhanced biosecurity measures.

Six horses at the premises tested positive for EHV-1 and began displaying fever and/or limb edema. One horse, a 15-year-old Warmblood mare, began displaying neurologic symptoms and was moved to isolation at a veterinary hospital for care. A 5-year-old Warmblood gelding that was stabled at the horse show with the euthanized mare tested positive for EHV-1 on July 30 and was isolated at the index premises.

There were seven confirmed cases of EHV-1: two were non-neurologic EHV-1 cases at the showgrounds, a 5-year-old Warmblood gelding and a 14-year-old pony mare.  one horse thus far has been euthanized.

Read more at the EDCC.

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Awards are available for multiple disciplines, including eventing, dressage, Western and English pleasure, hunter/jumper, endurance, Western performance, games, and polocrosse. Awards are again available at some events for Thoroughbreds within their first two years of showing or for Thoroughbreds within two years of their last start.

A full calendar of shows offering awards is available at tjctip.com/CalendarOfEvents.

“This year marks the 10^th year in which T.I.P. is offering awards, and we are proud of the success of this initiative in promoting the versatility of the Thoroughbred,” said Kristin Werner, senior counsel for The Jockey Club and administrator of T.I.P. “Through 2020, there have been more than 6,500 shows that have offered T.I.P. awards, more than 30,000 T.I.P. numbers that have been assigned, and more than 60,000 award entries submitted for horses. We look forward to adding to these totals in 2021 and continuing to demonstrate to the equestrian community the talents of Thoroughbreds in a range of disciplines.”

In addition, T.I.P. will be offering year-end or championship awards in association with the American Endurance Ride Conference; Equine Trail Sports; United States Eventing Association; United States Pony Club; and United States Dressage Federation. Furthermore, T.I.P. will offer awards at selected polo tournaments in conjunction with the United States Polo Association.

T.I.P. also announced its youth ambassadors for the 2021 T.I.P. Youth Ambassador Program. The 16 ambassadors, including four returning ambassadors from 2020, come from 12 states and cover multiple disciplines. The following are the 2021 T.I.P. youth ambassadors:

• Grace Baierl – Pennsylvania
• Kaylynn Berry – Kentucky
• Emily Cantler –  Maryland
• Gabriellia Chevalier – Connecticut
• Lottie Crawford – Virginia (returning)
• Megan Farnsworth – Washington (returning)
• Julia House –  Maine (returning)
• Victoria Navarrete – Virginia
• Alexis Novak – Washington
• Jenna Presley – Indiana
• Grace Regan – South Carolina
• Victoria Reinholdt – Florida
• Olive Scaff – New Jersey
• Emma Scheier – New Jersey (returning)
• Remington Sharp – Virginia
• Sabrina Wood – Texas

Additional information about the Youth Ambassador Program is available at tjctip.com/About/TBYPAM.

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.

The Jockey Club, founded in 1894 and dedicated to the improvement of Thoroughbred breeding and racing, is the breed registry for North American Thoroughbreds. In fulfillment of its mission, The Jockey Club, directly or through subsidiaries, provides support and leadership on a wide range of important industry initiatives, and it serves the information and technology needs of owners, breeders, media, fans and farms. It founded America's Best Racing (americasbestracing.net), the broad-based fan development initiative for Thoroughbred racing, and in partnership with the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association, operates OwnerView (ownerview.com), the ownership resource. Additional information is available at jockeyclub.com.

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Event Details

• Tuesday, October 20, 2020
• 8 p.m. Eastern Time (one hour duration)
• Streaming live on YouTube, Facebook and Twitter (Thoroughbred Retirement accounts)
• No Tickets or RSVP Required; details can be found here

About the Horse Show

“Last year, we welcomed the Lexington community to Blackburn to see the men and horses of the TRF Second Chances Program “in action” and the response was extraordinary,” Paul Saylor, Chairman of the TRF Blackburn Advisory Committee said. “This year we've re-imagined the Horse Show and will make the experience accessible to individuals across the country and around the world.”

“The awareness and understanding created by the 2019 Horse Show has had a powerfully positive impact on the TRF Second Chances Program at Blackburn,” shared Acting Warden Abby McIntire. “By bringing employers and business leaders to meet the men and horses at the Second Chances barn last November, we have significantly improved the impact of the program on the long-term future of the offenders in our program. We are optimistic about the impact of this year's event, and hope it will inspire even more engagement in the program across Kentucky and the country.”

As a direct result of the 20th Anniversary Horse Show, three graduates of the TRF Second Chances program have received job offers from employers in the equine industry. Thus far in 2020, despite the challenges of COVID-19, two program graduates have completed their sentences at BCC and re-entered society with jobs in hand.  These men will share their stories within the TRF Blackburn 2020 Horse Show program.

A Collaborative Cross-Industry Effort

Notable support from Horse Show Media Sponsor, the Thoroughbred Daily News (TDN), and Workforce Development and Promotional Partners, the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce and Kentucky Equine Education Project (KEEP), have contributed meaningfully to the 2020 Horse Show.  The TDN editorial team has undertaken the filming and production of the live-action demonstrations and interviews which will be presented on October 20th via Livestream. This in-kind support has made the 2020 Horse Show possible. Meanwhile, the Horse Show Workforce Development Partner, the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce (through the work of the Kentucky Chamber Workforce Center and KEEP) has facilitated  invaluable connections with employers across the Commonwealth of Kentucky to promote fair chance hiring in the workplace and connect Kentucky's returning citizens with meaningful employment.

Sponsorship for the Horse Show directly supports  the care of the 49 horses residing at the program at Blackburn.  The 2020 Horse Show has been generously sponsored by Mary and Gary West, the Heider Family Foundation with supporting sponsorship from Churchill Downs, Godolphin and the New York Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association

More than fifty Promotional Partners have joined the TRF to promote the 2020 Horse Show to their audiences. Several partners will be cross-posting the livestream event on their websites on October 20th and more than a dozen “watch parties” have been scheduled across the country and around the globe. This diverse team of individuals, nonprofits, membership organizations, racing partnerships and businesses are expanding the reach of the livestreaming event to more than 250,000 people through their social media networks.

Promotional Partners include: America's Pastime Stables, Amplify Horse Racing, Belmont Child Care Association, Bergen Stables, Brook Ledge Horse Transportation, Community Ecology Institute, Dark Horse Mercantile, Denali Stud, DV8 Kitchen, Fasig-Tipton, The Fletcher Group, Florida Thoroughbred Owners' and Breeders' Association (FTBOA), Groom Elite, Herringswell Stables, Horse Country,  Impressions of Saratoga, Jaeger 2, Joanne Y. Pierce Fine Art, Kentucky Equine Education Project (KEEP), Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, Kentucky Thoroughbred Farm Managers Club (KTFMC), Lex on Tap, Making Strides Therapeutic Horsemanship, Inc., Maryland Horse Council, Maryland Equine Transition Services (METS), Midway University, New York Racing Association (NYRA), New York Horsemen's Association, National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, Old Smoke Clothing Co., Pierce the HeArt Lessons, Rainbow's End Racing Stable, Renaissance Equestrian Foundation, Retired Racehorse Project (RRP), Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital, Semper Fortis Financial LLC, Spy Coast Farm, Stable Duel, Starlight Racing and StarLadies, Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (TAA), Thoroughbred Charities of America, VisitLex, WinStar Stablemates and numerous passionate individuals are also spreading the word to their personal and professional networks.

Additional awareness raising  has been provided by Horse Show Media Partners including At the Races with Steve Byk, The Daily Racing Form (DRF), The Equiery, Equidaily.com, Going in Circles Podcast, Horse Racing Nation, In the Money Media, Past the Wire, StreamHorseTV, The Paulick Report, Thoroughbred Daily News (TDN) and Wire to Wire.

Read more here.

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“We are deeply disappointed to cancel the 2020 hunter/jumper horse show, but after ongoing discussions with show management, Kentucky Horse Park event staff, and horse show managers of other events held at the park, the decision to cancel the event was made,” says Sarah Coleman, director of community and public relations for New Vocations. “Multiple factors contributed to this outcome, including the cancellation of other Kentucky Horse Park championship events, the spike in COVID-19 cases throughout the country, various state travel restrictions that would affect many exhibitors, and the inability to ensure that the regional governments would not force the cancellation of the event, potentially once the show was underway.”

The dressage competition, set to run Oct. 3 and 4 at the Kentucky Horse Park, remains on the schedule. Show management will evaluate the event in the coming weeks and will announce a decision on holding the show prior to the opening of entries in late August.

Now in its sixth year, the New Vocations All-Thoroughbred Charity Horse Show raises much-needed funds to enable the program to rehabilitate, retrain, and rehome retiring Thoroughbred and Standardbred racehorses. The T.I.P. Championships celebrate qualified Thoroughbreds in a variety of disciplines. Run concurrently, the shows typically host more than 400 Thoroughbreds at the Kentucky Horse Park each fall.

Sponsors for the New Vocations All-Thoroughbred Charity Horse Show will have several options, including shifting support to a virtual competition in late September. Details of this virtual event are forthcoming.

”Event staff held a lengthy discussion over the last few days and the cancellation was not an easy decision,” says Kristin Werner, senior counsel for The Jockey Club and coordinator of T.I.P. “Ultimately the health and safety of our competitors, officials, and staff far outweigh any event.”

T.I.P. is exploring consolation competition options for early 2021; at this time, the All-Thoroughbred Charity Show and T.I.P. Championships for fall 2021 are expected to run as planned, and horses qualified and declared by the August 3 deadline for the 2020 championships will be eligible to participate in the 2021 events. A list of those horses is available here.

Read more here.

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The cancellation of competition will allow the competition organizer time to sanitize the venue and determine if competitions slated to go later in August are able to commence safely. Individuals who attended the competition have been notified of the positive test results. Show management is also asking those people who tested positive for a list of whom they were in close contact with from 48 hours before their symptoms arose so that those people might be notified directly of their potential exposure.

Anyone who tests positive for COVID-19 within 14 days after a  sanctioned competition must notify the competition organizer and US Equestrian.

Read more here.

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When racing in most states was a giant question mark for months on end, for many horses that would have otherwise stayed in training throughout the spring season, the decision was made to enter them into retirement.

Since the first of the year, New Vocations Racehorse Adoption Program has brought in 240 horses to their rehabilitation and rehoming program, a 23% increase from last year’s statistics.

Thankfully, they’ve also seen an influx in their adoptions, which are up 34% this year compared to 2019.

Despite a global pandemic, the show had to go on at New Vocations. And every show requires funding.

For nearly two decades, the respected aftercare organization has held an All-Thoroughbred Charity Horse Show in an effort to raise money for the general operation of their eight facilities which serve over 40 racetracks throughout the country.

“The New Vocations All-Thoroughbred Charity Horse Show is something that we’ve been doing since 2003,” said Andrea Mandella, New Vocations’ Director of Development and Donor Relations. “The first show was at Turfway Park. It has grown into a really big event that we now do every year in September here at the Kentucky Horse Park.”

The show has turned into New Vocations’ largest annual fundraiser, bringing in $117,000 last year.

The five-day event featured 452 Thoroughbreds from over 26 states, some traveling from as far as Oregon, California, and Texas.

Class divisions include hunters, jumpers, equitation, dressage, as well as western and driving. “War Horse” classes are available to any retired racehorse that started over 50 times, or earned over $100,000. The Jockey Club’s Thoroughbred Incentive Program (T.I.P.) also holds their annual championships in conjunction with the event.

This year, the show is scheduled for September 3-6, dates that have been set on the calendar well before the Coronavirus forced the rescheduling of the Kentucky Derby for September 5.

And while the New Vocations team is said they were looking forward to their annual event, and excited about showcasing the Derby festivities on the big screen of the Rolex arena, they first need to find the capital to make the show possible.

“We’re struggling to find funding in the current climate with COVID,” Mandella said. “Right now our sponsorships are down 50%.”

Mandella said that the money raised during the show goes to the organization’s general operations fund to provide feed, daily upkeep, veterinary care, and any other necessities for the horses in their program. The average cost to rehabilitate, retrain, and rehome each retired horse through the duration of their stay is $3,000.

One gelding that has recently gone through the New Vocations program is now working towards making an appearance at their annual show.

Gozer the Gozerian, a 4-year-old son of Astrology, was adopted last year by Leandra Cooper, the facility manager and trainer at New Vocations’ home base in Lexington.

“He just had a personality that was like a magnet to me,” Cooper said while giving ‘Gozer’ a pat. “He was super sweet and right from the beginning, I knew that he was a horse that I was drawn to immediately.”

Unplaced in two starts as a juvenile in 2018, Gozer was given time off last year before starting full-time training for his second career in December.

“It became apparent pretty quickly that he liked to jump,” Cooper said. “He really likes to work. That’s one of the things that’s great about Thoroughbreds- they have this work ethic. They generally really are true athletes where they like to be in a program. They like to have challenges and he certainly is no exception to that.”

As Gozer continues to progress in his training, Cooper has her eyes set on looking to taking her gelding to the show in September.

“Our big target this year will be the New Vocations All-Thoroughbred Charity Horse Show,” she said. “We’re really looking forward to competing at this show because it’s so unique to have something where you’re competing against all Thoroughbreds. Especially in an atmosphere of such grandiosity where you’re able to be in the Rolex Ring, something you dream of competing in since you’re a kid, and here we are able to have the opportunity to compete with all these other Thoroughbreds.”

Both Cooper and Mandella spoke of the unique atmosphere the show has developed.

“It’s really amazing to be able to take horses that come off the track with several different career paths,” Mandella said. “Some of them were competitive and winners, some were unraced, and some just weren’t interested in racing and have gone into second careers and all of a sudden they’re excelling. So everyone has a different, unique story, which makes it amazing to watch 400 of them out there doing their thing. And that’s what we strive to provide for them.”

Cooper agreed. “It feels fun and inclusive, and it’s amazing to see all the different levels that these horses are able to compete at and all the different varieties. The people are really committed to the breed and it’s just a celebration, in so many different ways, of their accomplishments. It’s a neat show, and it’s the only one like it.”

The team behind the popular event is pushing now more than ever to find sponsors. While donations can be accepted at any time, the deadline to have a sponsorship recognized in the program is Friday, July 17.

“Typically our donors come from all over the country,” Mandella said. “They’re Thoroughbred owners and breeders, people who have adopted through our program and are showing their horses at the event, and people within the industry that support us, like veterinarians and feed suppliers.”

The majority of sponsorships range anywhere from $100 to become a class sponsor, to $50,000 to be the title show sponsor. A number of different sponsorship opportunities are available at a variety of differing donations.

Mandella said that the average cost to rehabilitate, retrain, and rehome a retired horse through the duration of their stay in the New Vocations program is $3,000.

“We’re hoping that our previous sponsors and maybe some new ones will decide to get involved and help us continue to put on this show that we find so important,” Mandella said. “It gives us the ability to illustrate how these horses go from the racetrack to a second career. To put them all together and let them compete against each other is a really awesome event.”

For more information on the event and how to participate, click here.

For those interested in becoming a sponsor for the New Vocations All-Thoroughbred Charity Horse Show, contact Andrea Mandella at andrea@horseadoption.com.

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