aftercare

The aftercare rehabilitation and retraining organization Second Stride will hold "Champions Night" at Louisville's Valhalla Golf Club Monday, Apr. 28 at 6:30 p.m. ET. The evening will feature a Derby/Oaks handicapping panel, a silent auction, a Derby contenders halter pull, and appearances by Triple Crown-winning jockeys, as well as Kentucky-inspired food and beverage, heavy hors d'oeuvres, and a dessert bar. Tickets are $150 per person. For more information or to purchase tickets for Second Stride's biggest fundraiser of the year, click here.

Those of us fortunate to have been in the Thoroughbred industry for any length of time--whether with hands on horses daily or from behind a desk or from somewhere in between--have seen hundreds, and more likely thousands, of horses in this sport. It can be easy to pass one up at the sales if they don't have perfect conformation or drop one in for a claim if they haven't measured up on the track. But what we may sometimes forget is that we are all here because of a love...

The Jockey Club Thoroughbred Incentive Program (T.I.P.), which encourages retraining Thoroughbreds into other disciplines after their racing or breeding careers end, has revealed winners and other placings from its 2024 Performance Awards Program, the group announced Friday morning. Created to recognize the Thoroughbreds who accumulated the most points at all horse shows at a wide variety of disciplines and experience levels, the program counted 691 horses from 44 states and five Canadian provinces in 2024. They competed in more than 14,000 classes, divisions, and events with division awards being calculated...

Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (TAA) will be onsite during Florida Derby Week as they partner with 1/ST RACING and are designated the beneficiary of a golf tournament, according to a press release from the non-profit on Thursday. TAA will be honored with a named race on the Mar. 29 Derby undercard. Following the running of the race, a presentation will be made to the winning connections including a TAA gift bag. A representative from Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance will be host the winners of the "Off to the Races" VIP Experience online...

Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance will be present at Turfway Park for the GIII Jeff Ruby Steaks Saturday, March 22, the organization announced Wednesday. Turfway Park will highlight accredited aftercare throughout the event including Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance, who will be honored with a named race. Following the conclusion of the race, a presentation will be made to the winning connections, which will include a Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance blanket and gift bag. "Turfway Park is excited to welcome back Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance for our Jeff Ruby Steaks Day," said Tyler B. Picklesimer, Director...

Raffles of six all-inclusive box seats to both the GI Kentucky Oaks and GI Kentucky Derby will be held by the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation (TRF), with all proceeds benefitting the TRF's mission of providing lifetime aftercare to nearly 400 retired racehorses. Churchill Downs Incorporated (CDI) has donated the boxes, which hold an estimated value of $3,000 for the Oaks and $7,000 for the Derby. The special on-line raffle boxes are located in Section 324, which is on the third floor overlooking the eighth pole. All reserved seating includes food, as...

Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance will be on-site at Sam Houston Race Park on Saturday, Mar. 22 for Texas Champions Day. As a supporter of Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance, Sam Houston Race Park will showcase and raise awareness for accredited aftercare throughout the entirety of the race day and race meet. "We are very excited to host Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance and their VIP guests for Texas Champions Day," said Bryan Pettigrew, Vice President & General Manager of Texas Racing Operations, Sam Houston Park. "As supporters of accredited aftercare, we are honored to highlight...

Maggie Sweet has been in her job at the TRF for a year now, after leaving Todd Pletcher Racing, and she has learned a lot--chiefly, that the racing industry isn't focusing enough on the need to provide lifetime dignified retirement for its athletes. She appears on the TDN Writers' Room to discuss the issue.

The longtime director of communications at Keeneland, Amy Gregory, has announced her retirement from the Kentucky icon effective June 1, the track shared via press release Monday afternoon. Gregory joined Keeneland in 2006 and was named to her current position in 2013. She will continue to provide support during race meets and sales and consult on special projects. As director, Gregory oversaw media and public relations for the Spring and Fall meets as well as the auctions and held key roles in brand enhancement and messaging. On the auction side,...

When Kristin Pierce of Tacoma, Washington, explains that she owns a retired racehorse who is aspiring to a second career that involves sniffing out lost hikers in the wilderness, even people who are familiar with Thoroughbreds are surprised to learn this olfactory skill comes naturally to horses and that they can learn to master it. Yet that's precisely what Prayerstone, a 12-year-old by 1996 GI Kentucky Derby champ Grindstone, has been taught to do over the last several years. Pierce told TDN in a recent interview that the strapping dark...

The Jockey Club will invest more than $6 million to support initiatives such as equine safety and aftercare, industry growth, promotion of the sport, education, and national and international collaboration as part of its Industry Impact Report released Wednesday. "We are proud of the many initiatives we support and that The Jockey Club's mission has not wavered in more than 130 years," said The Jockey Club's President and COO James L. Gagliano. "It is so encouraging to see how many other organizations are committed to improving and growing Thoroughbred racing,...

Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (TAA) will hold their annual 'Off to the Races' online benefit auction featuring VIP racing experience packages beginning Thursday Jan. 23 at 10 a.m. ET and closing Friday, Jan. 31 at 10 p.m. ET, the aftercare organization said in a Wednesday press release. With the proceeds going directly to accredited aftercare, the online event provides a chance for the public to bid on 19 VIP racing experience packages. The auction items grant access to major race days at tracks across North America in 2025 and 2026. Each...