NARA Seeking Donated Racehorses

Edited press release

The North American Racing Academy is looking for a few good racehorses in time for its first classes beginning Sept. 11.

NARA, a cooperative program of the Kentucky Community and Technical College System and the Kentucky Horse Park, is the first horse-racing academy in the United States. The academy is interested in making contact with owners who may be interested in donating horses that have been bred and trained for racing, according to Hall of Fame Jockey and NARA director Chris McCarron.

"We're looking for horses that are capable of being placed into a training program that will simulate that of a race track environment," McCarron said. "We are hoping to locate owners who have horses that simply cannot run very fast, are of sound body and mind, and the owners no longer wish or can afford to pay the training bills. The horses in the NARA program will be well cared for and must pass a pre-acquisition veterinary exam."

Interested individuals are requested to visit the NARA website at www.nara.kctcs.edu to file an application. Based on the information supplied, 20 horses will be selected for a trial period at the Thoroughbred Training Center in Lexington. Once the horses are evaluated and final selections are made, their owners will be contacted to determine whether they would like to continue with the donation process. The horses will then be moved to the Kentucky Horse Park in time for classes to begin.