Dottie Ingordo-Shirreffs, racing manager for Thoroughbred owners Jerry and Ann Moss, will receive the inaugural Frankel Award from Old Friends equine retirement centers.
Named in honor of late New York-based Thoroughbred trainer Bobby Frankel, the award is given to “an individual in the racing industry who best exemplifies the mission of Old Friends” and will be presented during the inaugural “Belmont Ball.”
A benefit for the Old Friends retirement farms in Georgetown, Ky., and Greenfield Center, N.Y., the Belmont Ball is scheduled for Wednesday, June 6, at the Oheka Castle in Huntington, N.Y.
Ingordo-Shirreffs, the wife of trainer John Shirreffs and an integral part of the team that directed Zenyatta’s remarkable career, will receive the award from Old Friends founder and president Michael Blowen.
The event, scheduled for 6-10 p.m. at the mansion located at 135 West Gate Drive in Huntington, will include live and silent auctions of select racing memorabilia.
“Everyone at Old Friends is thrilled that Oheka is donating this evening to help all of our great retired Thoroughbreds,” said Blowen of the Belmont Ball. “It’s a wonderful tribute to the legacy of Bobby Frankel and his love for all animals–especially dogs and horses. And it’ll be a lot of fun.”
Tickets to the Belmont Ball are $250 and tables of 10 are available for $2,000.
According to a release, Oheka Castle is the second largest private residence ever constructed in America. Financier and philanthropist Otto Hermann Kahn built the French-style chateau during the 1920s and used the lavish 127-room estate as a summer home. But after Kahn’s death in 1934 the castle changed hands often and eventually fell into ruin until 1984 when developer Gary Melius purchased Oheka and restored it to its original grandeur
Dottie Ingordo-Shirreffs
Anne M. Eberhardt