More than 75 equine enthusiasts, many with retired Thoroughbreds, walked, trotted, or cantered their horse across legendary Gulfstream Park Monday morning as part of the second annual Canter for the Cause. The event attracted riders from throughout Florida, as well as several retired Thoroughbreds with the Davie Police Department’s Mounted Patrol Unit and the City of Coral Gables mounted unit. The event, which ran Monday morning and afternoon for all equine enthusiasts, benefited the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (TAA), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that accredits, inspects, and awards grants to approved aftercare organizations to retrain, retire, and rehome Thoroughbreds using industry-wide funding, and Florida Thoroughbred Retirement and Adoptive Care (TRAC), an accredited TAA facility. Canter for the Cause was sponsored by Gulfstream Park, the Florida Horsemen’s Protective and Benevolent Association (FHBPA), Seminole Feed and Purina.   “This is a fun day for us at Gulfstream Park. I guess it’s the equivalent of playing softball at Yankee Stadium,” said Aidan Butler, Chief Operating Officer of 1/ST Racing. “It gives us a chance to not only showcase what we do on the track here but showcase what horses do for aftercare. A lot of people don’t know this but Thoroughbreds, while born and bred to race, are awesome at all kinds of other disciplines. We have some police horses here, we have a bunch of polo ponies, dressage and show jumpers, and other cool disciplines that racehorses excel at. And with the benefit of Florida TRAC and the TAA, which are the beneficiaries of this charity event, we hope to do even more.” Katie Schmit, farm manager and trainer at Florida (TRAC), said: “I think it’s awesome to do things like this and encourage people to see off the track thoroughbreds. We just need to keep raising awareness of aftercare. We need our focus on what horses are going to do after their racing careers and raising awareness at the track, and involving the horsemen is really special.” “We can’t thank Gulfstream Park enough for their continued support of accredited Thoroughbred aftercare and including the TAA in this fun event,” said Alexandra Kokka, Marketing and Communications Manager at TAA. “For some attendees, it was a dream come true to get to ride their horse at this hallowed racetrack and seeing their exhilarated faces was priceless. We are excited to continue working with Gulfstream Park to find new ways to support our beloved Thoroughbreds.” Some of the retired Thoroughbreds returning to the track were Shadow Boxer, who is training for eventing, mounted police horses Tizrobertcharles and Guidoinaspeedo, Sweet Karen Sue, who became a hunter, and Cicerone, who went on to be a jumper. Photos: Coglianese Photo

The International Forum for the Aftercare of Racehorses (IFAR) announced today its lineup of topics and speakers for its fifth conference, which will be held as a series of four virtual sessions on April 6, 13, 20, and 27.

Retired Preakness Runner Hemingway’s Key Remains in Good Company By: Maryland Jockey Club Fifteen years ago, the chestnut Thoroughbred colt Hemingway’s Key was keeping some impressive company. Racing under the silks of Kinsman Stable and trained by Hall of Fame horseman Nick Zito, Hemingway’s Key spent the winter of 2006 on the Triple Crown trail competing against the top 3-year-olds in the country, such as Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Barbaro, Preakness (G1) winner Bernardini, Belmont (G1) winner Jazil and Grade I winners Corinthian, Flashy Bull and First Samurai. After finishing third in the Preakness and that summer’s Jim Dandy (G2) at Saratoga, Hemingway’s Key raced into his 5-year-old season before retiring to TAA-accredited Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation (TRF) in Lowell, FL in August of 2008. Hemingway’s Key has been a favorite at the TRF’s Second Chances Program at the Lowell Correctional Facility. But now the 18-year-old son of Notebook is taking on another role by being selected as one of four horses to work on the just-announced TRF initiative with Florida’s Department of Juvenile Justice aimed at using retired Thoroughbreds to help at-risk youths. The TRF’s Second Chances Juvenile Program will give at-risk juveniles a chance to learn hands-on training in animal skills and life skills that they can use once released. Hemingway’s Key has been a favorite with the women at the Lowell Correctional Institution. “He’s a nice horse and he’s probably the horse my students ride the most,” said John Evans, farm manager at Lowell. “He’s really sound and is a great saddle horse.” Photo: Tammy Gantt

Love at first ride: Tizno makes the leap into a new life

Walk, Trot or Canter Your Horse on Gulfstream’s Legendary Track March 15. Ride Across the Same Track at Cigar, Holy Bull, Gun Runner & Spectacular Bid. Proceeds to Benefit Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance.

After three starts at Penn National, a handsome bay gelding suffered a slab fracture, thus ending his career on the track.

Daily Racing Form, part of the Sports Information Group and a national, multi-platform media and e-commerce company providing premium data and authoritative editorial coverage to horse racing and sports enthusiasts in North America, announced that the sixth annual Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance magazine, which DRF publishes, is now available. Printed copies of the magazine will be available at various race meets, sales, and equestrian events across the country and through TAA-accredited organizations. “On behalf of TAA, I would like to thank DRF for producing this magazine, which is an extremely valuable marketing tool for the organization,” said Janice Towles, TAA accreditation and grants manager. “We are thrilled to have the opportunity to showcase all of the TAA-accredited organizations as well as our accomplishments during the past year and we are grateful to have this platform to highlight the growing aftercare movement and diversity in TAA-accredited programs.” This year’s edition features 108 color pages and profiles of all 81 TAA-accredited organizations. The magazine also includes in-depth articles on expanded sustainable funding for aftercare, the networking initiatives undertaken by aftercare organizations to help each other operate more effectively during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the accreditation process aftercare organizations must complete to be certified. In addition, the 2021 issue features a message from outgoing TAA President John Phillips, a map of TAA-accredited organizations, and a list of TAA’s industry stakeholders. “It’s an honor to publish this year’s edition of TAA magazine and help the TAA address issues that are crucial to all industry stakeholders,” said Itay Fisher, Daily Racing Form’s Chief Executive Officer. “We applaud those involved with TAA-accredited organizations, and DRF will continue to support the TAA’s mission to showcase the vast array of opportunities for thoroughbreds following their racing days.”   View the Magazine

As part of 1/ST’s mission to prioritize the care and safety of Thoroughbred racehorses before, during, and after their careers, the 2021 Pegasus World Cup will recognize the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance as a charitable partner with a $50,000 donation.

Shewasnicerthen made 14 starts at Parx before retiring to After the Races at age 3, having earned $43,011 with a record of 1-3-3.

Before stepping foot on the grounds of TAA-accredited After the Races, volunteer Susan Miller repeatedly told herself that taking a horse home was out of the question. But that changed when she met The Cake Is a Lie.