Ramon Dominguez | Horse Racing Free Tips

AIM Services Holds Saratoga Fundraiser

Ramon Dominguez will serve as the honorary committee chairman for AIM Services’ annual Saratoga fundraiser, held in town from July 26-Aug. 2. AIM is the area’s largest provider of services to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and its re-imagined annual fundraiser will be a door-to-door downtown event called “Croquet OFF the Green,” aimed to bring foot traffic to recently re-opened Saratoga retail shops and restaurants while raising awareness and funds for AIM Services.

The event also celebrates the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act which coincides with the launch date. All activities are being conducted according to the NY-Forward COVID-19 recommendations.

AIM is seeking croquet “players,” honorary committee members ($100 donation), and sponsors for the event.

“Among the people who receive quality innovative services from AIM are those with traumatic brain injuries,” said Dominquez, a Saratoga Springs resident. “As a jockey who had to retire early due to a head injury, I am just one of 54 million people annually who experience a traumatic brain injury. AIM gives people with TBIs a chance at living the most independent life possible.”

Anyone over 18 years of age can register to be an AIM Services Croquet OFF the Green player. Thirty participating Saratoga businesses will have croquet wickets on display on their entrance door or front display windows. Inside they will have scorecards and stamps to mark that you visited their store. Patronage at a store with a wicket counts as a croquet score. Every stamp gives the player an entry into the grand prize drawing. There is no limit to the number of stamps a player can receive.

“We knew that the event had to be drastically different this year and we are thrilled with the positive response we have received from Saratoga business owners and the Saratoga Chamber of Commerce,” said Chris Lyons, Executive Director of AIM Services, Inc. “We hope that as the players go from store to store to complete their wickets, they support each store and also take the opportunity to support AIM.”

“We have all had to figure out a new normal as we go about our lives in the shadow of this pandemic, and a large part of that is rethinking how we can support the community around us,” said Stacy De Garay, sales Manager at Savory Pantry in Saratoga Springs. “AIM Services has always provided invaluable resources to people of diverse abilities in Saratoga and the surrounding counties, so it is important that we continue to help out with their fundraising efforts, as different as they may be this year.”

The grand prize drawing will include chances to win an overnight package in Saratoga Springs, private boat rental on Saratoga Lake, retail and dining gift certificates, a Lake George Holiday Inn Resort stay with two cruise passes from the Lake George Steamboat Co., a custom corn-hole kit and various retail and dinner gift certificates.

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NY Race Track Chaplaincy and Saratoga Community Come Together for Backstretch Families

Nick Caras, Programs Director of the NY Race Track Chaplaincy, Kim Weir, a Saratoga Volunteer Coordinator, and Mark Kehrer, Pastor of Revelation Church, have organized a small army of volunteers and sponsors from the Saratoga Springs community in recent weeks to improve housing conditions for backstretch families who have traveled to Saratoga for the duration of the meet.

For years, many of the stable workers have stayed at rudimentary cabins at the Pine Grove Family Camp on Pine Road in Saratoga Springs. Caras always wanted them to have something better.

“The sheets in their beds were even turned down, and each cabin was lovingly prepared,” Weir said.

In addition to the sparkling clean conditions, each family received some special gifts:
• The Saratoga Chamber of Commerce donated one box of masks and one bottle of hand sanitizer for each cabin
• Impressions of Saratoga donated one tote bag full of goodies to each cabin.
• Temple Sinai donated one loaf of Challah bread to each cabin

“To see so many different entities within the Saratoga community come together to help some families they don’t even know was really heartwarming,” Weir said. “It was really a group effort and it couldn’t have happened without the generous and widespread support we received.”

Among those who pitched in were: Impressions of Saratoga (owner Marianne Barker and daughter Maddy Zanetti); The Dominguez Family; Habitat for Humanity of Northern Saratoga, Warren, and Washington Counties; The Brown Family; The Brindle Family; The Lautenberg Family; Saratoga Springs Friends of Recreation; The Weir Family, The PNECC Social Concerns Committee, The Saratoga Immigration Coalition, Temple Sinai; and Friends of Spa City.

“I think this outpouring of support is just another example of the tight bond that exists between the good people of Saratoga and the Thoroughbred racing community,” Caras said.

“Champions Talk,” a virtual benefit for the organization featuring legendary racecaller Tom Durkin along with Hall of Fame jockeys Angel Cordero, Jr. and Ramón Dominguez, Terry Finley of West Point Thoroughbreds, trainer Dale Romans and Pro Football Hall of Fame and two-time Super Bowl winning coach and Thoroughbred owner Bill Parcells will premier on Facebook and YouTube Aug. 5 at 7 p.m.

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Durkin To Host ‘Champions Talk’ To Benefit New York Race Track Chaplaincy

With its two annual fund-raising events in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the New York Race Track Chaplaincy will instead host “Champions Talk,” featuring five prominent personalities from the world of sports and horse racing, which will premiere on Wednesday, August 5, 2020, at 7 p.m. EDT.

The five individuals are Hall of Fame jockeys Angel Cordero Jr. and Ramòn Dominguez, Kentucky Derby winning owner Terry Finley of West Point Thoroughbreds, Churchill Downs' all-time leading trainer Dale Romans and Pro Football Hall of Fame and two-time Super Bowl winning coach and Thoroughbred owner Bill Parcells.

The legendary former New York Racing Association announcer Tom Durkin will serve as the moderator for the roundtable discussion, which will be streamed on Facebook and YouTube. The discussion will take place at the Fasig-Tipton Sales Pavilion in Saratoga Springs but spectators will not be permitted to attend due to COVID-19 protocols in place.

The NY Chaplaincy will be honoring the New York Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association (NYTHA) as part of the event for its longtime dedication and support of the backstretch community at Aqueduct, Belmont Park and Saratoga Race Course.

“While it's disappointing to cancel our immensely popular brunch at Saratoga National Golf Club and our jockeys versus horsemen basketball game, we know that racing fans all over the world will enjoy hearing some of the colorful anecdotes that these five gentlemen experienced through the years,” said Humberto Chavez, the chaplain of the New York Race Track Chaplaincy. “We are hopeful that organizations and individuals will lend their support to this event because the needs of the backstretch workers are even greater in the midst of this pandemic.”

Those wishing to sponsor the event or make a contribution can visit the NY Chaplaincy website at www.rtcany.org. Additional information is available by contacting Eleanor Poppe of the chaplaincy staff at info@rtcany.org.

The New York Race Track Chaplaincy ministers to the heart and soul of the backstretch community with children's enrichment, social service, recreational, and educational programs, as well as non-denominational religious services.

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‘Champions Talk’ Event to Benefit NY Race Track Chaplaincy

With its two annual fund-raising events in Saratoga Springs cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the New York Race Track Chaplaincy will instead host “Champions Talk,” featuring five prominent personalities from the world of sports and horse racing, which will premiere Wednesday, Aug. 5 at 7 p.m. ET.

The five individuals are Hall of Fame jockeys Angel Cordero, Jr. and Ramòn Dominguez, Kentucky Derby winning owner Terry Finley of West Point Thoroughbreds, Churchill Downs’ all-time leading trainer Dale Romans and Pro Football Hall of Fame and two-time Super Bowl winning coach and Thoroughbred owner Bill Parcells.

The legendary former New York Racing Association announcer Tom Durkin will serve as the moderator for the roundtable discussion, which will be streamed on Facebook and YouTube. The discussion will take place at the Fasig-Tipton Sales Pavilion in Saratoga Springs, but spectators will not be permitted to attend due to COVID-19 protocols in place.

The NY Chaplaincy will be honoring the New York Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association (NYTHA) as part of the event for its longtime dedication and support of the backstretch community at Aqueduct, Belmont Park and Saratoga Race Course.

“While it’s disappointing to cancel our immensely popular brunch at Saratoga National Golf Club and our jockeys versus horsemen basketball game, we know that racing fans all over the world will enjoy hearing some of the colorful anecdotes that these five gentlemen experienced through the years,” said Humberto Chavez, the chaplain of the New York Race Track Chaplaincy. “We are hopeful that organizations and individuals will lend their support to this event because the needs of the backstretch workers are even greater in the midst of this pandemic.”

The post ‘Champions Talk’ Event to Benefit NY Race Track Chaplaincy appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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