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An opinionated OTTB  at the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation hopes Santa puts something good in his stocking this year because he's been very, very good!

TRF auctions exciting race legend memorabilia

Saratoga Springs, NY – Items celebrating the racing careers of such Thoroughbreds at Triple Crown winners Secretariat, American Pharoah and Affirmed, as well as legends like Man o’War and Seabiscuit will be offered during the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation’s Second Annual Online Holiday Auction fundraiser that begins Monday, November 21st at 8 a.m. concluding Monday, December 5th at 10 p.m. The auction will not only will benefit the horses in the TRF herd, but will make holiday shopping for racing fans that much easier. All auction items have been donated to the TRF and proceeds from the auction will benefit the […]

Michael Blowen, left, accepts a generous donation to his Thoroughbred sanctuary Old Friends.

Spendthrift Farm donates $30K to Old Friends

Spendthrift Farm, one of the Thoroughbred industry’s leading breeding farms, has made a generous donation of $30,000 to Old Friends, the Thoroughbred Retirement Facility in Georgetown, KY. Spendthrift, owned by B. Wayne Hughes and located in Lexington, plans to donate the purse earned by a third-place finish in the inaugural “Spendthrift Stallion Stakes,” which was run at Churchill Downs on October 30. The decision was announced Nov. 25. Earlier this year, Spendthrift Farm partnered with Churchill Downs to create the Spendthrift Stallion Stakes, a $300,000-guaranteed stakes race to be run in the fall for 2-year-olds that are sired exclusively by […]

Officer Shane Clarke of the Virginia Department of Corrections plays an integral role in the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation's racehorse/prisoner program Second Chances. Pictured with one of his favorite ex-racehorses, Toasty.

Va. officer helps inmates heal with horses

Officer Shane Clarke of Virginia’s James River Work Center never gets tired of hearing the voices of paroled inmates who call him on the barn phone; the very barn that was at once a humble home for horses and a kind of schoolroom, where those dispossessed learned to pick hooves, feed and interact with 1,200 pound animals who in turn helped them find their way. “I’d say that when I hear from guys who’ve gotten out of prison and are doing well, that’s about the greatest part of my job,” says Clarke, an officer with James River Work Center for […]