Rosie Napravnik Returns to Fair Grounds for New Vocations Day at the Races Feb. 22

Retired jockey and horse advocate Rosie Napravnik will be on site at Fair Grounds Race Course to spearhead the fifth annual “New Vocations Day at the Races” Feb. 22. A four-time local riding champion who was instrumental in the opening of the New Vocations facility in Covington, Louisiana, Napravnik will join the Fair Grounds' broadcast team to help build awareness, promote success stories, provide adoption options and inspire donations for Thoroughbred aftercare.

“I am very proud to be part of the fifth annual New Vocations Day at Fair Grounds,” Napravnik said. “To my knowledge, there isn't another racetrack in the country that dedicates an entire racing day to aftercare initiatives. I'm incredibly grateful to the Fair Grounds and the New Vocations staff for their efforts, on-air host Joe Kristufek in particular. He's personally invested and goes above and beyond to make this day special.”

Napravnik continued, “Our mission is to raise awareness. Louisiana horsemen, at the end of their careers, we are here locally to serve your horses in aftercare. Raising funds to support this initiative is also important. We appreciate the support from the entire industry–the jockeys to the owners to the racing fans. Every little bit helps. The New Vocations satellite program in Covington, Louisiana has been a massive success. I'm super excited that New Vocations' program director Anna Ford will be joining us this year to help us celebrate that progress.”

Racehorse owners, jockeys and trainers can contribute a financial donation to the Louisiana chapter of New Vocations directly through the horsemen's bookkeeper. Donations are also being accepted through Venmo @newvocations as well as the New Vocations website at https://newvocations.org/donate.

“Celebrating our sixth year, our Louisiana facility has successfully served over 260 retired racehorses,” Ford said. “We have an incredible team working with the horses, and the support from the Louisiana HBPA has been instrumental to our success. We are thrilled to see an increasing number of owners and breeders reaching out to utilize our services. We are also very grateful to the Fair Grounds for hosting another New Vocations Day at the Races, and we hope this event will continue to raise awareness about our Louisiana facility and the services we offer to the racing community.”