Dottie Ingordo-Shirreffs accept the Frankel Award last year from Michael Blowen
On grounds as magnificent as a Great Gatsby property, horseracing royalty will gather for the second annual Old Friends at the Oheka Castle fundraiser June 5th to support ex-racehorse Thoroughbreds and the Kentucky based charity that houses retired equine athletes.
Jockeys Rosie Napravnik, Julien Leparoux, and Edgar Prado will join Old Friends president Michael Blowen and other friends and supporters in a gala that celebrates the Thoroughbred ex-racehorse and the racing industry’s growing commitment to its retiring stars.
Sponsored by The New York Racing Association, and presented by the Oheka Castle, the evening will feature live and silent auctions of select racing memorabilia and artwork, including an exclusive painting by Leland Neff of 2009 Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra.
Frankel Award
A highlight of the evening, which begins at 6 p.m., is the presentation of the Frankel Award to industry trade publication Daily Racing Form.
The award, named for the late New York-based Thoroughbred trainer Bobby Frankel, is presented to individuals and organizations that best exemplify the Old Friends mission to help ex-racehorses at the end of their racing days, according to a press release.
The publication went above-and-beyond this year when it published a collectible edition of the magazine featuring profiles of the farm’s famous equine retirees, Blowen says.
“We’re extremely grateful to Daily Racing Form for their support of all the retirees at Old Friends,” he says. “The magazine they published in 2013 is a great testimony to our athletes, and it’s done more to showcase the great sport of horse racing than anything else.”
Joining Blowen and his famous cadre of jockeys are other luminaries, including race owners Gary and Kitty Drake, trainer John Shirreffs
Rosie Napravnik is expected to attend again
and Dottie Ingordo-Shirreffs, and hockey star Sean Avery.
Tickets are $250 and tables of 10 are available for $2,000. Reservations can be made by calling Old Friends at (502) 863-1775.
For additional information about Old Friends or to make reservations for the event call the farm at (502) 863-1775 or visit the website at www.oldfriendsequine.org.
