The Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (TAA) has partnered with StarLadies Racing to present Best Turned Out Horse awards as part of the Hooves & Heels fashion event on Black-Eyed Susan Day (May 20) at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Md.
StarLadies Racing, an all-female racing partnership that exclusively buys and races fillies, will sponsor a $100 cash prize and gift bag to be given to the winning groom for each race on the card.
The TAA has presented these awards in conjunction with StarLadies in the past with great success. Guest judges will select the horse in each race that is deemed to be the best groomed, and the horse’s groom will receive a gift bag and cash prize. The TAA will post photos of the winning grooms and guest judges on its social media platforms.
“We are honored to partner with the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance and to continue to support the great work they do for our equine athletes beyond their racing careers,” said Laurie Wolf, StarLadies founding partner. “It is also important to us to take the time to appreciate and acknowledge the hard work that the grooms put in every day. We are all looking forward to another wonderful Black-Eyed Susan Day.”
Based in Lexington, Kentucky, the non-profit Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance accredits, inspects and awards grants to approved aftercare organizations to retire, retrain and rehome Thoroughbreds using industry-wide funding. Funded initially by seed money from Breeders’ Cup Ltd., The Jockey Club, and Keeneland Association Inc., the TAA is supported by owners, trainers, breeders, racetracks, aftercare professionals and other industry groups. To date, 56 aftercare organizations supporting more than 180 facilities across the U.S. and Canada have been granted accreditation and received funding from the TAA. To learn more about the TAA, visit thoroughbredaftercare.org.
Launched in 2013, StarLadies was the brainchild of Barbara Lucarelli and Laurie Wolf, two of the founding partners in Starlight Racing. Barbara and Laurie thought it would be fun (and, hopefully, rewarding!) to have a small partnership composed of a few fillies and a few great women so that they could enjoy their passion for racing with other like-minded women. To learn more, visit www.starladiesracing.com.
