(Edited press release)
A personal visit with superstar filly Rachel Alexandra goes on the auction block Oct. 31 as the grand final item in Kendall-Jackson's "Rachel Alexandra Running Auction," benefiting The V Foundation for Cancer Research. The auction will end after seven days at noon, Nov. 4.
The winning bidder will receive trip for two to New Orleans and a private visit with the multiple grade I-winning filly who ran undefeated in 2009, winning the Preakness Stakes (gr. I) and defeating both the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) and Belmont Stakes (gr. I) winners in her three victories against colts.
The auction is being held at www.kj.com, where full details of the final item will be described. The cumulative total of all auction proceeds will be given to the V Foundation during The Breeders' Cup World Championships at Santa Anita Park.
In June, Kendall-Jackson Winery announced the five-month-long charity auction featuring new items each month, donated by winery owners Jess Jackson and Barbara Banke that are related to Rachel Alexandra's historic 2009 racing season.
As bids are taken and recorded, a real-time total shows where the price stands at any given moment. In addition, a cumulative total of money raised to date will be featured on the Kendall-Jackson Web site home page. Though 100% of each auction purchase will go the V Foundation for Cancer Research, a non-profit organization, purchases of auction items are not tax-deductible.
The V Foundation for Cancer Research was founded by ESPN and Jim Valvano in 1993. Since that time, it has raised more than $80 million and has awarded cancer research grants in 38 states, and the Washington, D.C. Researchers have developed their laboratories and taken their science from the labs to the clinics with the help of funds raised by The V Foundation.
