All Breeders' Cup World Thoroughbred Championships purse earnings for Godolphin Stable, the international racing operation of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum will go to the NTRA Charities - New York Heroes Fund, it was announced Tuesday by Tim Smith, commissioner of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, and D.G. Van Clief Jr., Breeders' Cup president and NTRA vice chairman, at a Manhattan press conference. "The donation of all Godolphin purse money from the World Thoroughbred Championships is an extraordinary gesture by Sheikh Mohammed," said Smith. "We appreciate his generosity and his contribution to what promises to be a very special day of racing, and we wish his runners good luck on Saturday." Fantastic Light and Sakhee will lead a strong Godolphin contingent in the Breeders' Cup. Both horses are pre-entered in the $4 million Breeders' Cup Classic and the $2 million Breeders' Cup Turf. A decision will be made tomorrow on which race each horse will contest. Each is expected to be a strong contender in his respective race. Sheikh Mohammed previously donated $5 million to the Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund in September through a fund set up by Keeneland. He was at the Keeneland September Yearling sale when the terrorist attacks occurred. Other Godolphin runners pre-entered for Saturday's World Thoroughbred Championships include Imperial Gesture and Tempera in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies; Noverre and Express Tour in the Breeders' Cup Mile; and Essence of Dubai and Ibn Al Haitham (GB) in the Bessemer Trust Breeders' Cup Juvenile. This year's World Thoroughbred Championships are dedicated to the citizens of New York and to the victims of September 11.
The NTRA Charities-New York Heroes Fund is a special fund established by the NTRA, the New York Racing Association (NYRA) and Breeders' Cup Limited to assist the children and spouses of firefighters, police officers, emergency workers and other victims of the terrorist attacks on September 11. The fund has raised over $3 million to date.