Hagyard Equine Medical Institute in Lexington is one of the oldest and largest equine institutions in the country. Both a clinic and pharmacy, Hagyard has spent the last 145 years caring for horses of all ages and backgrounds, and that includes making sure horses are cared for at the end of their racing careers.
The Race to Give effort was created by Hagyard with the intention of being an annual event that raises awareness and funds for the Thoroughbred aftercare initiative. The initiative, held for the first time this year, has raised nearly $125,000 as of Nov. 2.
"Aftercare is taking care of horses at another phase of their lives," said Hagyard's Dr. Luke Fallon. "When they cross that finish line for the last time in their careers we want them to have a soft landing. … We felt as healthcare administrators and veterinarians this is another way we are taking care of our equine athletes."
Fallon expressed that a crucial incentive behind the Race to Give was to highlight what industry groups like Thoroughbred Charities of America and Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance were already practicing in terms of Thoroughbred aftercare. The money raised from the Race to Give will be directed to the TCA, who will give the money in their 2022 grant cycle to aftercare charities as well as conduit and re-training charities that are TAA-accredited. TCA-supported repurposed Thoroughbred events, such as the Retired Racehorse Project and its Thoroughbred Makeover, will also be beneficiaries of the Race to Give funds.
"I'm a fifth generation veterinarian at Hagyard and it's always been part of our mantra to care for these horses. We are practicing proper stewardship by giving to equine aftercare and trying to highlight the good that our industry is doing already through the efforts of the TCA and the TAA."
Participants in the Race to Give were encouraged to sign up as individuals or as a team and engage in a friendly competition to raise donations. Those donations were tallied each day on the website's leaderboard.
"We are over the moon," said Dr. Fallon. "It far exceeded expectations for the first year. We hoped to raise $100,000 initially but we thought in the last day or so we could get closer to $150,000 but to raise over $120,000 we're just ecstatic with how it wound up."
"It's fantastic," said Mike McMahon, president of the TCA. "This was maybe one of the first real efforts at fundraising strictly to fans and partnership owners. I think it was wildly successful and went beyond anyone's expectations. It's a model that works in other industries and businesses but we've been stuck at asking stallion farms and breeders to carry the brunt of the load for aftercare and it was important to me and the TCA that we start looking at other revenue streams.The guys at Hagyard were able to get this done. They did a great job."
The first annual Race to Give was intended to wrap up Oct. 30, the day of the Hagyard-sponsored Fayette Stakes (G2) at Keeneland, however the website portal is still open for anyone still wishing to make a donation.
