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All Posts & News Press Releases Success Stories Aftercare Editorials Retraining Tips Supporter Features Inspector Spotlights Humberger Toggle Menu Previous Post Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance Announces Fourth Annual Calendar Photo Contest Winners Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance Announces Fourth Annual Calendar Photo Contest Winners FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 3, 2024 News Tags:2024 Calendar Photo Contest, Accredited Organizations, Calendar Contest, Central Kentucky Riding For Hope, Churchill Downs, churchill downs foundation, Churchill Downs Inc., Churchill Downs Incorporated, CKRH, Photo contest, Thoroughbred Aftercare, Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance LEXINGTON, KY — Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance hosted its fourth annual Calendar Photo Contest this year. Twelve winning photos of Thoroughbreds were selected to be featured in the 2025 Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance Calendar, sponsored by Churchill Downs Foundation. Entries were accepted from June 26 to July 31. All photos feature a registered Thoroughbred that is either in residence at or has been rehomed by a Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance accredited organization. Each winner will receive Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance branded merchandise and a copy of the calendar. Out of the twelve winners, the grand prize winner was selected to be featured on the cover of the calendar and will receive a Tipperary helmet of their choice, sponsored by Tipperary Equestrian. The grand prize and cover feature winner of the calendar is Isabella Norrid. The photo, titled “A Gentle Touch” captures a young boy with Autism, Nolan Conrad, sharing a touching moment with Thoroughbred Appealing Alex. Appealing Alex serves as an equine therapist at Central Kentucky Riding for Hope (CKRH), a PATH Premier Therapeutic Riding Center. Central Kentucky Riding for Hope is a Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance accredited organization, located in Lexington, Kentucky. Established in 1981, CKRH is a nonprofit organization that serves as a Therapeutic Riding Center and a Fayette County Public School. Their mission is to improve the quality of life and health of individuals with special physical, cognitive, or behavioral needs through equine-assisted activities and therapies. The winning photographs are: January: “Aurora Borealis” photographed and submitted by Jenn Marquis, featuring Moonshine Bay and Crossing the Line (NZ) at Down the Stretch Ranch. February: “Sunshine and Smiles” photographed and submitted by Andrea Gustafson, featuring Frosted Temptation and Stun Gun, who were both retrained and rehomed by Bowmen Second Chance Thoroughbred Adoption. March: “Being Seen” photographed and submitted by Joell Dunlap, featuring Fravel, who is currently a therapy horse at Square Peg Foundation. April: “Grazing Lineup” photographed and submitted by Ann Cheek, featuring Exciting Bucket, Play Book, Sweet Ambition, and Jo Jo’s Gypsy, who are residents at Our Mims Retirement Haven. May: “A Gentle Touch” photographed by Mark Mahan and submitted by Isabella Norrid, featuring Appealing Alex, who resides at Central Kentucky Riding for Hope as an equine therapist. June: “Criss-Cross” photographed by Julia Richter (Jules Richter Photography) and submitted by Kara Corpman, featuring Hot Tin Roof, who was retrained and rehomed by New Vocations Racehorse Adoption Program. July: “Diamond Junior and Jolene” photographed by Kylea Daugherty and submitted by Beverly Strauss, featuring Diamond Junior, who is available for adoption at MidAtlantic Horse Rescue. August: “Kansas Sunshine” photographed and submitted by Hillerie Hedberg, featuring Scott Pond, who was adopted from Second Stride. September: “Jumping into a Second Career” photographed and submitted by Addyson Cole, featuring Theheatofthenight who is in retraining at Second Wind Thoroughbred Project. October: “My Best Friend” photographed by Erin Berkery and submitted by Amy Luyster, featuring Holy Moses, who was retrained and rehomed by Secretariat Center. November: “Reminiscence” photographed and submitted by Sandra Pratt Silva, featuring Hi Time Ruler, who was adopted from Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation. December: “Happy Holidays” photographed by Maria Stockinger and submitted by Jenna Stockinger, featuring Long Awaited Guest, who was adopted from This Old Horse. 236 photographs were submitted to this year’s calendar photo contest. Along with the primary winners, 40 additional photos were chosen to be featured in the calendar as honorable mentions. A total of 57 Thoroughbreds are featured in the calendar, representing 37 Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance accredited organizations and participating in many equestrian disciplines including: Hunter/Jumper, Dressage, Eventing, Western Riding, Fox Hunting, Sensory Training, Equine Assisted Therapy, and horses in retirement. “The Churchill Downs Foundation is dedicated to supporting the health, safety and welfare of our equine athletes,” said Cathy Shircliff, Director of Equine Industry Relations, Churchill Downs Incorporated. “The horses featured in the 2025 Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance calendar highlight the versatility and intelligence both on and off the racetrack.” The 2025 Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance Calendar, sponsored by Churchill Downs Foundation, will be available for a $20 pre-sale for the month of October 2025. The calendars will then be available starting on December 1, 2025 with every online donation of $50 or more made during the month of December. Donors may opt to receive a calendar by noting “2025 Calendar” in the comment field of the online donation form. Calendars will be available on a first come first served basis, until the inventory is depleted. Donations can be made at: thoroughbredaftercare.org/donation_now About Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance Based in Lexington, KY, Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance is 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. Along with continued funding from its original partners Breeders’ Cup, The Jockey Club, and Keeneland Association, Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance is supported by owners, trainers, breeders, racetracks, aftercare professionals, and other industry members. Since inception in 2012, Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance has granted more than $31.9 million to accredited aftercare organizations. Currently 86 aftercare organizations comprised of approximately 180 facilities across North America have been granted accreditation. To learn more about Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance, visit thoroughbredaftercare.org.   Contact Samantha Smith859-224-2882ssmith@thoroughbredaftercare.org   Emily Dresen352-362-6934edresen@thoroughbredaftercare.org Share This Release

The Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance will be present this year at Churchill Downs during Kentucky Derby Week for a variety of exciting events culminating in the running of the 149th Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve which takes place on Saturday, May 6, 2023.

Digital Ally, Inc. (NASDAQ: DGLY) (the “Holding Company”), today announced that its newly created entertainment division Kustom440™—along with its other wholly-owned subsidiary TicketSmarter®—will produce its first event, Texas at the Derby, on May 6 in Louisville, KY. Texas at the Derby will feature a VIP concert by Warner Nashville country music artist Randall King the night prior to the Kentucky Derby. The Kentucky Derby event will begin at 7 p.m. ET and will be held at The Pointe, a historic event center located in the Butchertown area of Louisville, just minutes from downtown. The event will benefit three non-profit organizations – Refuge For Women, Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance, and the Texas Horse Racing Hall of Fame. “We are excited to begin producing concerts and events under the Kustom440 name,” said Stan Ross, CEO of Digital Ally, adding, “Our team sets the standard for unique, customizable live experiences and we look forward to working with Warner Nashville and Randall King during the Derby weekend.” Purchase tickets here:  www.texashorsesociety.com/events/texas-at-the-derby Kustom440, a wholly-owned operating company of Digital Ally, is the latest addition to the Holding Company’s growing group of subsidiaries, which are being established as part of DGLY’s previously announced plan to diversify its product and service offerings. Kustom440 leverages relationships built through various venues and partnerships to market & produce unique, customizable live experiences. Kustom440 will also utilize existing synergies between the Holding Company’s other subsidiaries, such as its primary and secondary ticketing platform TicketSmarter.

It was the spring of 2016 when K C Against World began his journey in the heart of the bluegrass. Bred by Kentucky-based Sun Valley Farm, the son of Verrazano was born on March 14 out of Tamdiid. Later that year, K C Against World sold as a weanling at the Keeneland November sale for $34,000. Trainer and pinhooker Trudy Vienot takes pride in her hands-on approach to horse care and racehorse training. So, when yearling student K C Against World developed a nasty case of cellulitis in his stifle, there was no doubt whether she would be in the clinic with him every day as he fought to get better. “He’d lay on the clinic floor for days,” Vienot recalled. “The vet was afraid he would break the opposite leg and so we had to put an epidural in so he would stay in properly on his good leg. There were days I would go to see him in the clinic that he would not lift his head up off of the ground for a peppermint.” While circumstances seemed dark for the young colt, K C Against World managed to overcome his first big challenge—gaining back his health—and sold at the Keeneland September sale later that year. Purchased by trainer Greg Foley for owner Jeffrey Mullins, K C Against World ran twice on the dirt at Churchill Downs before breaking his maiden in a turf race at Ellis Park in 2019. till, it would seem that racing wasn’t the right fit for the handsome chestnut and he ran just three more times before finding an old familiar face. Vienot had been keeping tabs on K C Against World since his racing debut and called in a favor with another trainer to claim him in Indianapolis and bring him home to Lexington. K C Against World was back in the bluegrass on a brief sabbatical with a newfound friend— a miniature pony.                 Vienot wanted to give K C Against World a second chance on the track, but those five and a half furlongs would be his last as a racehorse. “The race came off of the grass, and it made me nervous to watch him run,” Vienot said. “I had them ultrasound the right front ankle and there was an old tear there.” In need of a safe place to retire her now unemployed trainee, Vienot turned to her friend, Dr. Chris Lesbines, DVM. Dr. Lesbines is a Thoroughbred breeder, owner, equine veterinarian at Arlington Park and Hawthorne Race Courses,  retired veteran, and also happens to be on the board of directors at TAA-accredited Out Side In— a Thoroughbred rescue, rehabilitation, and retraining program. It was there that Jennifer McVoy and her daughter Alexa entered K C Against World’s life. The Executive Director of Out Side In, McVoy is a licensed master social worker, which is crucial at the Illinois-based organization where they not only work to rehabilitate and retrain retired Thoroughbreds, but also treat a wide variety of emotional, behavioral, and mental health issues in humans. McVoy and her daughter Alexa immediately took a liking to K C Against World, now known as “Owen.” “There are just too many good things to say about Owen,” Alexa said. “It was like he came off the track just knowing he was going to be a great show horse. He has always been incredibly calm and willing to learn.” It didn’t take long for McVoy to determine Owen would be the perfect partner for her to enter into the 2020 Retired Racehorse Project’s Thoroughbred Makeover. “Like with any horse there were occasional setbacks, we were in absolute disbelief with how quickly he progressed,” McVoy said. Unfortunately for the young team, 2020 came with its own uncertainties and the makeover was postponed. “We were so disappointed when the 2020 makeover got canceled because we knew he had come so far in such a short amount of time,” Alexa said. “He was ready by July and we knew he had to be so much farther along than the other horses. We figured some of the other trainers were probably happy to have the extra year but we didn’t need it. He was ready to go.”  Although they didn’t need the extra time, they did amass a fan base for five-year-old Owen. While waiting for the 2021 Mega Makeover, Owen retrained with Alexa in the Hunter/Jumper ring, and also with Jennifer in the equine-assisted therapy ring.  “When he wasn’t being ridden, he was just as relaxed and sweet and was equally as good of a therapy horse,” McVoy said.  Owen’s own experience fighting for his life did not make him any less fearless or full of personality. Instead, his life experiences both in recovery and as a racehorse made him the ideal candidate for Out Side In’s Heroes for Horses program. There, veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress, transition stress, and other emotional and mental health struggles can receive equine-assisted therapy and a sense of community. “As soon as he came off the track the veteran’s in the Heroes for Horses program started working with him to help him get adjusted to the new environment,” McVoy explained. “They liked to watch me work with him and see him progress so he has always had a big cheering section.” When it came time for the 2021 RRP Thoroughbred Makeover—with his new support team behind them—McVoy and Owen took to the spotlight beautifully. Owen proved Alexa right in both the Show Jumper and Show Hunter divisions by finishing in the top 10 for Hunters and top 15 for Jumpers.  “I guess that is a testament to the value of Thoroughbreds,” McVoy said, referring to Owen’s versatility. “He’s been a racehorse, a show horse, and a therapy horse already, and he’s only 5 years old.” Cover Photo: Alexa McVoy and K C Against World at the RRP TB Makeover (Image credit: Suzie Picou-Oldham)

He made a start in the Kentucky Derby (G1) with Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith aboard before being retired to Second Stride.

Churchill Downs’ second annual Champions Day presented by Twinspires.com will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Triple Crown and honor its winners on Tuesday of Derby week.