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Thoroughbred Charities Of America Appoints Five New Members To Board Of Directors

Thoroughbred Charities of America (TCA) announced today the appointment of Leah O'Meara, Andy Hils, Erik Johnson, Marshall Gramm, and Marette Farrell to its Board of Directors.

“We are delighted to welcome these wonderful people to the TCA board,” said Mike McMahon, president of the TCA. “Our board is committed to carrying on the good work started by our founders over 30 years ago. These new board members recognize that service for the common good is rewarding beyond measure. As a volunteer board, each of us works tirelessly for horses and horse people who need help. In 2020, we distributed over $1 million to successful grant applicants and through our Horses First emergency fund.”

Leah O'Meara is a native of Lafayette, La., and moved to Kentucky to attend Midway College. During college she worked for Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital and later in veterinary pharmaceutical sales. Currently, she works for her family's Stonehaven Steadings in Versailles, Ky. and resides on the farm with her husband and children. Notable Stonehaven Steadings-breds include Shanghai Bobby, Daredevil, Hour Glass, and Olive Branch.

Erik Johnson is a 13-year National Hockey League veteran for the Colorado Avalanche. A native of Bloomington, Minn., Johnson won a silver medal for Team USA at the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver, BC. He became involved in racing in 2016 and has campaigned under his ERJ Racing banner multiple Grade 1 winner Bowies Hero as well as graded stakes winners Comical, Shane's Girlfriend, Munny Spunt, and Lazy Daisy.

Andy Hils is a banker in the Lexington office of Limestone Bank. Hils is a senior vice president with 25 years of commercial lending experience primarily in the equine industry, agricultural industry, as well as commercial real estate and manufacturing sectors. Hils has been an owner in various Standardbred and Thoroughbred racing syndicates over the years and currently serves on the Finance Committee for the Thoroughbred Club of America. He also serves on the Resources Education and Assistance Community Housing board.

Marette Farrell grew up on a stud farm in Ireland and pinhooked two-year-olds to help pay for college. After graduation she went on to work for trainers in Dubai, France, Australia, and the U.S. In 2008, she formed her own bloodstock agency where she currently works in an advisory capacity for long-term clients. Farrell helped purchase and mate the dam of Belmont Stakes winner Creator and also advised in the purchase of Storm the Court and many other Grade I winners.

Marshall Gramm grew up in Washington, D.C. and became involved in horseracing because of the statistical and problem-solving aspects of betting. Gramm is an Economics Ph.D. and professor at Rhodes College in Memphis, Tenn. He is an avid bettor and has qualified for the National Handicapping Championships six times finishing ninth in 2019 and fifth at the Breeders' Cup Betting Challenge in 2018. Gramm and partner Clay Sanders co-founded Ten Strike Racing in 2016 and currently have more than 50 horses in training.

The five newly elected board members join current board members Bob Beck, Bing Bush, Lesley Campion, Bob Edwards, Terry Finley, Lesley Howard (treasurer), Davant Latham (secretary), Brant Laue, Nathan McCauley (vice president), Mike McMahon (president), Jaime Roth, and Anna Seitz.

Gretchen Jackson, Ellen Moelis, Herb Moelis, and Dan Rosenberg are directors emeriti.

Thoroughbred Charities of America (TCA) was formed in 1990 to raise and distribute funds to charities in the Thoroughbred industry that provide a better life for Thoroughbreds, both during and after their racing careers, by supporting qualified repurposing and retirement organizations and by helping the people who care for them. In 2020, TCA granted over $1 million to 70 charities working within Thoroughbred retraining, rehoming and retirement; backstretch and farm worker services, research and equine-assisted therapy. Over the last 30 years, TCA has granted more than $24 million to more than 200 charities that successfully meet the criteria set forth in its annual grant application. TCA also administers the Horses First Fund, founded by LNJ Foxwoods in 2016, to assist Thoroughbreds in need of emergency aid. TCA is the charitable arm of the Thoroughbred Owner and Breeders Association (TOBA). More information can be found at tca.org.

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Second Annual Thoroughbred Aftercare Summit To Be Offered Virtually

The Retired Racehorse Project (RRP), Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (TAA), and the Thoroughbred Charities of America (TCA) jointly announce today that the second annual Thoroughbred Aftercare Summit will take place virtually on October 5-6, 2020.

Offering three sessions of panel discussions, the Thoroughbred Aftercare Summit is geared towards individuals and organizations with a professional interest in the retraining and rehoming of Thoroughbreds after racing. The Summit is a free event but pre-registration is required; sessions will be accessible via Zoom.

”When the decision was made to postpone this year's Thoroughbred Makeover, we wanted to ensure that we still supported our aftercare partners in any way that we could,” said Jen Roytz, executive director of the RRP. “The Thoroughbred Aftercare Summit not only covers topics pertinent to those working in Thoroughbred aftercare, but also provides a unique networking opportunity for participants.”

The Summit will offer the following three sessions:

Do More, Spend Less: Monday, October 5 at 7:00 PM ET. Sponsored by Godolphin Lifetime Care and moderated by Stephanie Church of The Horse Media Group (also streamed on Facebook as part of the RRP's Virtual Makeover Webinar Series)
Fundraising in Challenging Times: Tuesday, October 6 at 2:00 PM ET
Accounting 101: Tips for Preparing Financials for Grant Requests: Tuesday, October 6 at 3:30 PM ET

This year's panel discussions reflect some of the unique challenges facing aftercare organizations as well as for-profit resellers during the global COVID-19 pandemic, with the goal of helping Summit attendees create innovative solutions for everything from fundraising to herd management. Learn more about topics and panelists at the Thoroughbred Makeover website.

“In this especially challenging year, we wanted the focus of the Aftercare Summit to be on fundraising strategies for aftercare organizations,” said Erin Crady, executive director of TCA. “With the cancellation of live events, many organizations have had to revise their fundraising plans to place a larger emphasis on digital fundraising and grant writing.”

The Thoroughbred Aftercare Summit was first held in 2019 at the Kentucky Horse Park the day before the start of the Retired Racehorse Project's Thoroughbred Makeover and National Symposium, presented by Thoroughbred Charities of America. The Thoroughbred Makeover is already the largest gathering of individuals and organizations dedicated to the rehoming and retraining of off-track Thoroughbreds, making it the logical setting for this educational and networking opportunity. The 2020 Summit takes place as part of the RRP's Virtual Makeover Week, which includes other educational opportunities for Thoroughbred lovers.

“In these strange and difficult times, networking and sharing best practices is so important for all of us,” said Stacie Clark, TAA operations consultant. “The TAA is happy to be part of the Thoroughbred Aftercare Summit alongside the RRP and the TCA.”

Pre-register now for the Thoroughbred Aftercare Summit here.

Keeneland And TCA Team On Sales Initiative To Assist Essential Workers

Keeneland and Thoroughbred Charities of America (TCA) today announced an initiative to provide September Yearling and November Breeding Stock Sales buyers the opportunity to make a voluntary contribution to TCA to assist our industry's backstretch and farm workers, many of whom have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The voluntary donation will be included in the buyers invoice and equate to one-half of one percent (.05%) of the hammer price of their purchase.

“This partnership with TCA reflects Keeneland's mission to support worthy causes, and during this time of great need it's even more important that we take care of our front-line heroes,” Keeneland President and CEO Bill Thomason said. “Keeneland is grateful for the tremendous work done by the TCA, and we are pleased to include this donation opportunity on our buyer forms this fall alongside the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (TAA) and National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA).”

Since 1990, TCA has distributed more than $24 million in grants to approved charities working to help not only Thoroughbred aftercare organizations but also those that provide health and human services for backstretch and farm workers.

“Without our backstretch and farm employees we wouldn't have a Thoroughbred industry,” said TCA President Mike McMahon. “Our charities work to provide health and dental services, ESL classes, legal assistance, food pantries, counseling services and so much more to our industry's workers. In the face of the pandemic and the economic strain it has caused, Keeneland has answered the call. Keeneland's support for TCA and for horse people everywhere is unprecedented. We are very grateful for the opportunity for buyers to be able to support the people who care for horses.”

Earlier in September, TCA distributed grants totaling nearly $1,070,000. A record 92 grant applications were received 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 www.tca.org

Additionally, TCA's Horses First Fund, an emergency fund started in 2016 by LNJ Foxwoods, provided COVID-19 relief funding to three backstretch organizations and seven aftercare organizations while supporting two feed assistance programs earlier this year. The total expended from the Horses First Fund was $79,900, bringing the organization's total 2020 grant making to more than $1 million.

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Thoroughbred Charities Of America Extends Support Of Retired Racehorse Project Through 2021

Thoroughbred Charities of America (TCA) has extended its support of the Retired Racehorse Project (RRP) as the title sponsor of the Thoroughbred Makeover and National Symposium through 2021. The RRP announced the postponement of the 2020 Thoroughbred Makeover earlier this summer and will be hosting a “double Makeover” for both 2020 and 2021 entries at the Kentucky Horse Park on October 12-17, 2021.

The TCA Thoroughbred Makeover features trainers, who can compete as professionals, amateurs, juniors and/or in teams, from across North America who have been working throughout the year to prepare recently-retired Thoroughbred racehorses to compete for more than $100,000 in 10 equestrian sports. The 2021 Thoroughbred Makeover event will feature two divisions of competition: one for horses who were eligible and registered for the postponed 2020 event, and the regularly-scheduled 2021 division.

“The work of the Retired Racehorse Project is an integral part of Thoroughbred aftercare,” said Erin Crady, executive director of TCA. “2020 marks the eighth consecutive year that TCA has supported the Thoroughbred Makeover because we believe in the importance of its mission. We must continue to work to create a market for Thoroughbreds once their racing days are over.”

TCA's support for the Makeover is part of its annual grant-making activity. TCA recently announced that its 2020 grantmaking topped $1 million for the first time in many years. For more than three decades, TCA has worked to support not only Thoroughbred aftercare but also programs that provide health and human services for backstretch and farm workers. This year, 70 non-profits were approved for grants including 45 aftercare organizations, 16 backstretch and farm worker programs, one research organization, five equine-assisted therapy organizations, and three Thoroughbred incentive organizations.

“The 2021 'mega-Makeover' will not only be our largest Makeover in history, but an incredible showcase of Thoroughbred sport horse talent that will draw competitors, horse shoppers and spectators from throughout North America,” said RRP executive director Jen Roytz. “We are incredibly grateful to TCA for seeing and supporting our vision for this exciting event and our greater mission to increase demand for Thoroughbreds after racing in the equestrian world.”

Trainers for the 2020 TCA Thoroughbred Makeover applied at the end of 2019 into early 2020, demonstrating their ability to successfully transition a horse off the track through applications, references and video. This year, 616 trainers were accepted for the 2020 TCA Thoroughbred Makeover, representing 604 unique individual trainers and teams. The majority of these trainers have elected to retain their entries when they were given the option to continue preparing for the 2020 division or roll their entry to the 2021 division.

Each horse and trainer will perform in one or two of the ten disciplines offered and will be scored on performance and progression in training. Featured disciplines include barrel racing, competitive trail, dressage, eventing, field hunter, polo, ranch work, show hunter, show jumper and freestyle (a freeform discipline allowing trainers to demonstrate any skill of their choosing). The top five scorers in each discipline will compete in a Finale competition, and an overall winner, scored by the judges from all ten disciplines, will be crowned Thoroughbred Makeover Champion. The 2020 and 2021 divisions will each have its own Finale and its own Thoroughbred Makeover Champion.

Some aspects of the 2020 TCA Thoroughbred Makeover will be offered virtually this year, including seminars (presented as webinars), the Thoroughbred Aftercare Summit, a virtual 5K, the vendor fair, and the innovative Makeover Master Class training demonstration and discussion. The ASPCA Makeover Marketplace horse sale has transitioned to a listing service this year, and dozens of transitioned and restarted horses originally intended to compete at the 2020 Makeover have been made available by their trainers for purchase or adoption.

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