Earle Mack Continues Aid in Ukraine

Operation Heat Ukraine, a humanitarian effort begun by owner/breeder Earle I. Mack, who is also the former Ambassador to Finland, and former New York Governor George E. Pataki, will undertake a fourth mission to Ukraine. Mack and Pataki have already donated and delivered nearly 1,000 industrial and residential heaters benefitting over one million Ukrainian civilians. Operation Heat Ukraine is a non-profit focused on helping those suffering due to the continued Russian attacks.

“As we reach the one-year mark of the war in Ukraine, it has never been more important to bring awareness to the struggles of innocent civilians,” said Mack. “We hope that, through our support, some of the basic needs of Ukrainian civilians will be met and urge anyone who can help to get involved.”

Long known for his philanthropy, including founding The Man O' War Project which helps military veterans through the use of retired racehorses, Mack was honored with an Eclipse Award of Merit last year. With Operation Heat Ukraine, Mack has been raising awareness in support of Ukraine's civilians and has traveled to Ukraine a number of times to disperse millions of dollars' worth of heaters and generators for homes, hospitals, schools, and refugee centers.

For more information or to donate, visit heatukraine.org.

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Earle Mack Honored with KTOB’s William T. Young Humanitarian Award

Owner, breeder, humanitarian, and philanthropist Earle Mack was bestowed with the William T. Young Humanitarian Award by the Kentucky Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders (KTOB) Wednesday morning. The former U.S. Ambassador, who has been breeding and racing Thoroughbreds for nearly six decades and has had 25 black-type winners, including Canadian Triple Crown winner Peteski (Affirmed) and U.S. MGISW November Snow (Storm Cat), is well known for his humanitarian work, both in the industry and in the greater world. A long-time supporter of numerous equine charities and a strong proponent of Thoroughbred aftercare, Mack also founded the Man O' War Project, which studies and uses equine-assisted therapy for veterans suffering from PTSD. Last month, he led a delegation to help Ukranian refugees on the border with Hungary.

The William T. Young Humanitarian Award was established by the KTOB in 2003 and honors a person who positively affects people in the Thoroughbred industry, as well as throughout the Commonwealth of Kentucky. It is voted on by the KTOB's Board of Directors and recognizes someone associated with the racing industry who “promotes the human endeavor,” according to KTOB's website.

In his acceptance speech, Mack commented on the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA), called for an industry change from dirt to cushion surfaces, and stressed the need to protect racehorses.

“I would like to comment on the state of our industry and our continued mission to address the health, safety, and welfare of our beloved Thoroughbreds,” said Mack. “Everyone in this room prizes and loves the Thoroughbreds for their hearts, their athleticism, and their beautiful extensions, which touch our very souls. Let's protect them for all they give to us and all they mean to us. Recently we've made enormous strides towards ensuring the integrity of our industry through the passage of HISA. It took almost 10 years–from conception to passage–which, as you all know, was a major undertaking. But even with the safeguard of HISA, there is more work to be done to satisfy public opinion, our industry, and ourselves that we are doing everything possible to ensure the health, safety, and welfare of our equine athletes.

“It's no secret that organizations like PETA and other animal welfare groups would like nothing better than to shut down horseracing as a sport and they've come damn close in California! These groups are fueled by injuries, breakdowns, and mortalities at our racetracks. Knowing this, we need to do everything we can to have the safest racing surfaces in the world. I would like to put forth the bold and necessary challenge to our industry to transition our dirt surfaces to cushion surfaces within the next 7-10 years. We have the technology and the brightest minds in the business to accomplish this.

“Such a measure would cut racetrack injuries in half and could very well ensure our future and our long-term sustainability.”

Mack is an Army veteran who, in addition to his racing and military achievements, has a long list of accomplishments in business, government, and the arts. He has long advocated for the safety and wellness of Thoroughbreds. In February, Mack was awarded the Eclipse Award of Merit in recognition for a lifetime of outstanding achievement.

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Racing Stalwart B. Wayne Hughes Dies

B. Wayne Hughes, the billionaire businessman and philanthropist who resurrected Spendthrift Farm and turned it into one of the leading stallion farms in North America, died Wednesday at his residence on the farm surrounded by his family. He was 87 years old.

Born Bradley Wayne Hughes on Sept. 28, 1933, in the small town of Gotebo, OK, he was known by his middle name since childhood. The son of a sharecropper who fled Oklahoma's Dust Bowl and resettled in California shortly after he was born, Hughes grew up poor in the San Gabriel Valley east of Los Angeles. Winning a scholarship to the University of Southern California, he graduated with a degree in business in 1957.

Climbing the professional ladder in real estate, Hughes had recently opened his own firm when business associate Kenneth Volk, Jr. brought him an idea in 1972 for buying and renting out private self-storage locations in major cities. Hughes and Volk pooled $50,000 together and founded Public Storage, which became an immense success and established Hughes's business empire. The company has grown to a $40-billion valuation and was the foundation for Hughes to expand into other successful real estate ventures.

Despite his fortune, Hughes was well known for sticking with his middle-class habits, eating fast food–SoCal staple In 'n' Out Burger was a favorite–dressing modestly and hanging out at the track he was raised in the shadow of, Santa Anita.

Introduced to horse racing by his father as a young boy, Hughes was involved in the sport for decades as an adult before making his big splash with the purchase of Spendthrift in 2004. The historic farm, which once stood Triple Crown winners Seattle Slew and Affirmed, fell into bankruptcy when the Thoroughbred market crashed in the late 1980s and early 1990s and was sold at a foreclosure auction in 1993. He purchased Spendthrift in 2004 and traded in his residence in California for a life on the farm in Lexington. Hughes quickly began restoring the historic brand and its land, renovating almost all the farm's signature structures and returning Spendthrift to a viable commercial breeding operation.

The farm gradually returned to prominence and has soared in the past decade with the breakout of superstar sire Into Mischief. Spendthrift has also campaigned multiple champions Beholder (Henry Hughes) and Authentic (Into Mischief) in recent years and dominated last year's Fasig-Tipton November Night of the Stars, buying dual champion Monomoy Girl (Tapizar) for $9.5 million as one of several multi-million dollar purchases to pair with Into Mischief and the rest of the farm's ever-growing stallion roster.

Following Beholder's 8 1/4-length victory in the 2015 GI Pacific Classic, Hughes said: “I've had a few good horses in the past, but she is the first horse that makes me feel lucky to be the owner. I've never had that feeling before. I think it's called pride.”

“It's a very, very sad day for me personally, and for racing in general,” said Beholder and her half-brother Into Mischief's trainer Richard Mandella. “He was such a stand-up guy, trying to make the world better, and a lot of fun.”
Mandella, who said he had known Hughes for 25 years, described him as a bastion of old-school horsemanship.

“He was like those old owners who used to come to the track and see the horses train and have breakfast and talk about them–the old school type.”

Asked what memory of Hughes stands out above all others, Mandella sidestepped a carnival of indelible moments with the likes of Beholder. “She had so many days you could pick–the last race she ran in at the Breeders' Cup. The Pacific Classic just took your breath away,” he said.

“But if I had one day to pick, it's when I asked him for a favor for my son,” Mandella said, reluctant to elaborate in detail. “My son had some health problems, and Mr. Hughes did something that nobody else could do.”

Said Hughes after being honored as the 2020 Galbreath Award winner by the University of Louisville: “Thoroughbred horse racing has been a tremendous passion of mine ever since my father took me to the races as a young boy. It's something he and I got to share together, and I've been fortunate to be able to make it a large part of my life and share it with so many that are dear to me. There are few thrills greater than what horse racing can provide, and it is our responsibility to do a better job of improving this great sport so that future generations can enjoy it as much as I have.”

Hughes devoted a considerable portion of his wealth to philanthropy, almost always anonymously and without fanfare. He gave a staggering $400 million to his beloved USC and committed over $100 million more to pediatric cancer research after his 8-year-old son Parker died of leukemia in 1998. During the wildfires that killed and displaced horses in California in 2017, Hughes gave $50,000 to relief efforts and flew in veterinary supplies and volunteers from Kentucky on a private plane.

In addition to his philanthropy, Hughes will be remembered as one of the great, consistently innovative business minds of the last 50 years and a true rags to riches story who found his way to success in nearly everything he tried. His investment in and expert management of Spendthrift has risen the farm from the ashes and restored its legacy while disrupting the industry by continually implementing new ideas on both the breeding and racing sides.

Hughes was preceded in death by his father William Lawrence, his mother Blanche, and his son Parker. He is survived by his wife Patricia, his son Wayne Jr. (Molly); his daughter Tamara, wife of Spendthrift's Eric Gustavson; his grandchildren Kylie Barraza (Pat), Skylar Hughes, Grant and Greer Gustavson; his sister Sue Caldwell and family, Frank, Bill, Allen; and a host of beloved cousins and friends.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the B. Wayne Hughes Fund at UK HealthCare, P.O. Box 34184, Lexington, KY, 40588.

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TCA Awards Over $1M in Grants

Edited Press Release

Thoroughbred Charities of America (TCA) announced today that grants totaling nearly $1,070,000 will be awarded this year.

A record 92 grant applications were received earlier this year during the organization’s annual grant cycle. Ultimately, 70 organizations were approved for a grant including 45 aftercare organizations, 16 backstretch and farm worker programs, five equine-assisted therapy organizations, three Thoroughbred incentive programs and one research organization. Grant recipients from the last three years can be found on tca.org.

In May, TCA’s Horses First Fund made emergency grants to three backstretch organizations, seven aftercare organizations, and supported two feed assistance programs across the U.S. to aid in the relief efforts during the Coronavirus pandemic. The total expended from the Horses First Fund was $79,900 bringing the organization’s total 2020 grantmaking over the $1 million mark.

“In a year where we’ve seen a greater need than ever before we are so grateful that we are able to increase our impact among our grantees,” said Erin Crady executive director of TCA. “TCA’s investment in our charities helps to make their work with Thoroughbreds, backstretch and farm workers possible.”

TCA’s annual grants are provided to organizations that successfully meet the criteria set forth in an annual grant application.  Grant applications for the 2021 grant cycle will be available in early January.

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