Spendthrift Farm donates $30K to Old Friends

Michael Blowen, left, accepts a generous donation to his Thoroughbred sanctuary 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 Spendthrift stallions.

The inaugural running in 2016 was part of Churchill Downs’ 12th annual “Stars of Tomorrow” program, which is entirely devoted to 2-year-old racing.

Third-place finisher Lawton is the 2-year-old son of Archarcharch.

Spendthrift is home to many other prominent stallions including Into Mischief, Dominus, Malibu Moon, Warrior’s Reward, Temple City, Tizway, and Wicked Strong.

“What Michael Blowen has done with Old Friends has been a great service to the industry,” said Ned Toffey, Spendthrift General Manager, who presented Blowen with a check this week. “It’s a great cause, it’s good for owners, breeders, and also for the fans and so we were very happy to do this.” Toffey added. “We as an industry need to provide for these horses.”

“We are grateful to Mr. Hughes, Ned, and everyone at Spendthrift, and can’t thank them enough for this show of support,” said Michael Blowen, president and founder of Old Friends. “Such a contribution will go a long way in providing for our retired horses.” For more information about Spendthrift visit the website at www.spendthriftfarm.com.