permanently disabled jockeys fund | Horse Racing Free Tips

Belmont Jockey Colony Autograph Signing Friday to Benefit PDJF

Members of the Belmont Park jockey colony will participate in an autograph signing Friday to benefit the Permanently Disabled Jockey Fund (PDJF).

The special meet and greet and autograph session featuring riders from the Belmont jockey colony with a suggested donation to PDJF will take place from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Friday on the first floor grandstand.

Benefits from the signing will go directly to the PDJF.

The PDJF is an independent charitable organization that provides financial assistance to jockeys who have suffered catastrophic on-track injuries. For more information about the PDJF, please visit: https://pdjf.org/.

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Jockeys and Jeans to Be Held July 2 at Churchill

Jockeys and Jeans, a group founded by former jockeys to raise funds for the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund, will hold their eighth annual fundraising event at Churchill Downs July 2. The popular event will take place on the final day of Churchill Downs's Spring Meet and include a day of live racing featuring the GII Stephen Foster S.

The event has been scheduled to take place at Churchill Downs since 2020, but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic until 2022. In a show of support and recognition that the need for funding still exists through a pandemic, those committed partners turned their event sponsorship into cash donations. Jockeys and Jeans came roaring back in 2021 with its event at Monmouth Park raising a one-year record of $342,000.

“This is our first event in Kentucky,” said Jockeys and Jeans President, Barry Pearl. “For us it's an opportunity to have those in the Bluegrass area who have so generously helped this cause to come out and meet some of those severely injured jockeys they have consistently supported and say hello to a large group of Hall of Famers there to honor their fallen brothers and sisters.”

The 17 Hall of Fame Riders scheduled to attend include Braulio Baeza, Bill Boland, Don Brumfield, Steve Cauthen, Pat Day, Early Fires, Julie Krone, Chris McCarron, Laffit Pincay Jr., Craig Perret, Edgar Prado, Jose Santos, Alex Solis, Gary Stevens, Jacinto Vasquez, and Jockeys and Jeans committee Member Sandy Hawley. Hall of Famer Jerry Bailey will be present as part of NBC's Stephen Foster Stakes broadcast team and will take part in Jockey and Jeans's meet and greet segment.

Other notables scheduled to attend include two of the five living Triple Crown winning jockeys: Jean Cruguet who won the 1977 Triple Crown on Seattle Slew and Steve Cauthen who won the 1978 Triple Crown aboard Affirmed.

All funds raised will go to the PDJF, which makes monthly payments of $1,000 to 60 severely injured former jockeys. The all-volunteer group has raised over $2 million for the charity.

The event begins at 11:00 a.m. in Churchill Downs' Triple Crown Room. Tickets are $75 and can be purchased through Ticketmaster here or can be accessed at www.jockeysandeans.com and www.churchilldowns.com. Lunch is included in the event ticket price.

Noted Keeneland Sales Auctioneer Ryan Mahon will host an auction that will feature rare racing memorabilia and guests will have the opportunity to bid on rare silent auction items. The riders, including those permanently disabled, will sign special autographed posters and other memorabilia brought by fans at a special signing in the grandstand that will be open to the general public.

If you have questions, contact Barry Pearl at jockeysandjeans@gmail.com or (717) 503-0182 or Eddie Donnally at Edjockeysandjeans@gmail.com or (818) 653-3711.

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Fourth Annual Live Telethon to Benefit PDJF to Be Held Apr. 10

TVG, the New York Racing Association, Keeneland and Santa Anita will team with Hall of Fame jockeys who are members of the Jockeys' Guild and other prominent racing personalities to raise money for the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund (PDJF) Sunday, Apr. 10 for the fourth annual telethon to raise money for the PDJF. The event will be broadcast on both TVG and America's Day at the Races on FS2 in collaboration with NYRA and FOX Sports.

After missing 2020 due to the pandemic, the popular event returned in 2021 and raised $339,672. Once again, the horse racing industry will unite in support of jockeys who have suffered serious on-track injuries. Fan favorite jockeys of today and years past will be on hand live at call centers at Santa Anita and Keeneland from 12-6 p.m. ET as their schedule permits. Throughout the day, TVG and America's Day At The Races will be connecting with personalities and horsemen who have been involved with the PDJF's work.

“We sincerely appreciate the continued support of TVG, NYRA, 1/ST Racing and Keeneland in helping to raise critical funds for the PDJF and also raise awareness of its mission,” said Jockeys' Guild President and CEO Terry Meyocks. “With no guaranteed funding from the industry, this event is the major fundraiser for the organization which provides monthly monetary assistance to approximately 60 riders who have sustained catastrophic on-track injuries. Active and retired riders will be answering the phones to take donations while giving racing fans across the country the unique opportunity to speak and interact with their favorite jockeys.”

Jockeys participating in the event include retired stars Alex Solis, Chris McCarron, Don Brumfield, Ramon Dominguez, Laffit Pincay, Sandy Hawley, Mike Manganello, Shane Sellers, Donna Brothers and Steve Cauthen. They will be joined by Mike Smith, John Velazquez, Julian Leparoux, Corey Lanerie, Joe Bravo and Tyler Gaffalione alongside other prominent jockeys riding at Keeneland and Santa Anita that day.

“On behalf of the PDJF and our recipients, we are very appreciative for TVG providing this platform and hosting this annual telethon,” said Nancy LaSala, PDJF President. “The combined donations from the three telethons hosted in 2018, 2019 and 2021 has raised over three quarters of a million dollars for the PDJF. We were grateful to have the opportunity to host the telethon in October 2021 after close to a 30-month gap due to the pandemic and we are excited to be returning to the originally scheduled month of April to have this event.”

Callers who donate via the telethon will be entered in a drawing to win a pair of reserved tickets for Friday and Saturday at the 2022 Breeders' Cup World Championships Nov. 4-5 at Keeneland, donated by the Breeders' Cup and valued at $1,200 each. In addition to the Breeders' Cup tickets, there will be several other items available to win in a sweepstakes which will take place each hour of the telethon.

Since its foundation in 2006, PDJF has disbursed over $11 million to support disabled jockeys; the organization is 100% reliant on charitable donations.

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Joe Morris Named Jockeys and Jeans Ambassador

Jockeys and Jeans, a volunteer group dedicated to raising funds for the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund (PDJF), has named Caesars Entertainment Inc. Vice President of Racing Joe Morris as an official Jockeys and Jeans Ambassador. In this role, Morris will advocate for wounded jockeys' financial support, make known the inherent dangers of racing, and help in jockey recovery.

“It's hard putting into context what this level of participation means to horse racing's fallen heroes,” said Barry Pearl, President of Jockeys and Jeans. “It's more than a response to a huge human need and desire to make a difference. It's the recognition by leaders of another major corporation that the advocacy of former injured riders is one of the most significant in the entire horse racing industry and of which Morris knows firsthand as one of the most successful executives this sport has produced.”

Morris added, “The importance of the safety and well-being of our human and equine athletes is of the utmost importance. At Caesars, we believe everyone in our industry should be active in financially assisting our fallen riders and we're honored to take a leadership role with Jockeys and Jeans to support the PDJF and our disabled riders.”

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