After raising $47,000 in pledges from the 2009 Breeders’ Cup World Championships, New Vocations is well on its way to doing the same if not more this year at Churchill Downs. Owners and trainers of Breeders’ Cup starters have been asked to pledge a percentage of their earnings to support New Vocations’ mission to rehab, retrain, and rehome retired racehorses.
With both owners and trainers pledging this year, there will be more than 18 horses running that have a chance to give back. So far, E. Paul Robsham Stables’ R Heat Lightning; Robert V LaPenta and Whitehorse Stable’s Cool Coal Man; Sisters in Racing Stable and Jeff Siskin’s Romp; Turtle Bird Stable’s Haynesfield; Three Chimneys Farm Miss Keller; and trainers Todd Pletcher, Nick Zito, and Eddie Kenneally are among the growing list of connections making a pledge. New Vocations will continue taking pledges until the start of the Nov. 5 races.
“We are extremely grateful to have owners and trainers who truly care about the welfare of their horses beyond racing, make a pledge to support our efforts,” explained program director Anna Ford in a release.
“We are flooded with requests from owners wanting to get their retired racehorses into our program. The need for our service continues to grow but unfortunately our funding has not, which is why this Pledge Campaign is so important.”
New Vocations hopes that this act of generosity will not only generate much needed funds, but also raise the public’s awareness of the racehorse adoption effort during the Breeders’ Cup. With thousands of horses leaving the tracks each year, there is an ever growing need to support programs like New Vocations. For more information contact Anna Ford at anna@horseadoption.com.