Edited press release
The Breeders’ Cup announced Sept. 18 that Pamela and Martin Wygod, on behalf of WebMD Foundation, have donated $250,000 to Breeders’ Cup Charities. The donation is the first contribution from the Thoroughbred industry to Breeders’ Cup Charities, which was established this year by the Breeders’ Cup to further its community outreach efforts in conjunction with the 2008 Breeders’ Cup World Championships, Oct. 24-25, at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif.
Martin Wygod, Chairman of WebMD, and Pamela Wygod, co-Chair of WebMD Health Foundation, from Rancho Santa Fe, Calif., have been prominent Thoroughbred owners and breeders for the past 30 years. Sweet Catomine, the 2003 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies winner and champion 2-year-old filly, is among the talented horses the Wygods have campaigned.
The primary beneficiaries of Breeders’ Cup Charities this year are Susan G. Komen for the Cure and the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Breeders’ Cup Charities also will support causes in southern California and Thoroughbred industry charities. The Breeders’ Cup has established a goal to raise a minimum of $500,000 in 2008.
“We are extremely thankful to Pam and Marty Wygod for the leadership position they have taken to benefit Breeders’ Cup Charities,” said William S. Farish, Jr., chairman of the board of the Breeders’ Cup. “This generous donation supports the important causes advanced by Susan G. Komen, St. Jude and our equine beneficiaries.”
The Breeders’ Cup will recognize the Wygod’s donation in a variety of ways during the World Championships, highlighted by a special honor for Sweet Catomine on Championship Friday, which features the five Breeders’ Cup races exclusively for female horses -- the first time a major horse racing event has focused a day solely on female competition.
“We feel strongly that it is important to contribute to the sport of horse racing, which has been so much a part of our lives,” said Pamela Wygod. “Our focus has always been on health-related charities, so the addition of Komen and St. Jude as beneficiaries of the event this year was a natural fit for us.”