Jack Damico

As part of the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (TAA)’s month-long Holiday Giving Campaign, Jack Damico and East Cost Partners have pledged to match all donations up to $3,000 made to the TAA on Dec. 27, 2022. Jack Damico joined the TAA Board of Director’s in 2022, but has been a fierce supporter of Thoroughbred aftercare for decades. The forensic CPA & certified arbitrator has been involved with racing since 1986 as an owner and breeder. Damico also manages The Posse Racing Stable and East Coast Partners Racing Stable, which primarily race on the East Coast. Now, Damico asks those in the racing industry to make a donation to the TAA on Dec. 27 in support of the TAA’s Holiday Giving Campaign. “The Damico family and our East Coast Partners Racing Stable have a passion for Thoroughbreds and a commitment to ensure that these magnificent athletes have a safe and caring home upon their retirement from racing,” said Damico. “We firmly believe that Thoroughbreds love what they do on the track and need a new job at the end of their racing careers. Whether they are retrained to be sport/event horses, track ponies, riding horses, or just pasture pals at a sanctuary, we do our very best to be sure that there is proper aftercare for our horses. “When invited to join the TAA Board of Directors, I was honored to say yes, because the TAA is making a huge difference in aftercare,” Damico continued. “The effort of TAA is such a bright spot in our industry, to counter those organizations and people who wrongly try to drag our sport into the gutter. I hope that along with my friends at East Coast Partners Racing Stable we can continue to be a small but important part of TAA’s future.” “The TAA is making great strides this holiday season to fundraise on behalf of our 81 accredited charities and we are so excited to have Jack Damico’s support and generous pledge today,” said TAA Funding and Events Manager. Emily Dresen. “We invite everyone to join us and double your impact with Jack’s match.” TAA’s Holiday Giving Campaign commenced November 29th and is scheduled to conclude New Year’s Eve. Those wishing to support the TAA, its 81 accredited organizations, and thousands of retired Thoroughbreds can donate through the TAA’s website or text DONATE to 56651. During the Holiday Giving Campaign, TAA is also offering donors the benefit of sending digital holiday cards to colleagues, friends, and loved ones. Throughout the end of the year, the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance will continue to host special one-day only donation matches with some of horse racing’s biggest names. For more chances to double your donation, watch the TAA’s social media, website, and industry advertisements for the next Holiday Giving match day announcement. To learn more and donate to the TAA’s Holiday Giving campaign, CLICK HERE.

The Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (TAA) Board of Directors voted at its meeting Dec. 14 to add six new directors in 2023. For a second consecutive year, Jeffrey Bloom, managing partner of Bloom Racing Stable, will serve as president of the TAA. “It has been incredibly humbling and rewarding to serve as President of the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance over the past year, and I am honored to uphold my role in 2023,” said Bloom. “I would like to extend a warm welcome to the six new directors joining our cause. As Directors for the TAA, it is our duty to act as liaisons for aftercare within the racing industry and to facilitate the TAA’s mission to accredit, inspect, and award grants to our 80+ accredited aftercare organizations.” TAA directors may serve up to five consecutive years and after five years are required to rotate off the board for a minimum of two years before being eligible for renomination. However, directors are still eligible to serve on TAA committees. James G. Bell, former president and racing manager of Godolphin, served as TAA president in 2014, 2021, and remained on the TAA’s board and executive committee for 2022 as immediate past president. After devoting five years of their time, expertise, and resources, Bell, Walt Robertson, Susie Hart, and Nicole Walker will rotate off the TAA Board of Directors come January 2023. “It has been an honor and a privilege to be a part of the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance board all these years,” said Bell. “As the old saying goes: ‘We’ve come a long way, but we have a long way to go.’ Awareness and Aftercare are now in the same sentence, and the focus now must shift to obligation and sustainability. We are grateful to all those that have embraced this very important component to our industry.” Bloom is joined on the executive committee by TAA Vice Presidents Craig Bandoroff, owner of Denali Stud and Madeline Auerbach, founding board member of the TAA, founder of the California Retirement Management Account (CARMA), and a Thoroughbred owner and breeder; TAA Treasurer Melissa Hicks, director of tax services at Dean Dorton; TAA Secretary Walter Robertson, attorney at Stites & Harbison; Aidan Butler, chief executive officer of 1/ST Racing & Gaming; Terry Finley, founder and chief executive officer of West Point Thoroughbreds. The directors beginning service in 2023 are: Price Bell, general manager of Mill Ridge Farm; Dr. Bonnie Comerford, DVM, veterinarian at Tiegland, Franklin, & Brokken; Joe De Francis, HISA director and managing partner of Gainesville Associates, LLC; Georganne Hale—returning for a second term–vice president of racing development of Maryland Jockey Club; Ric Waldman, president of Ric Waldman Thoroughbred Consulting, Inc, Kentucky Thoroughbred Association member; Mark Simendinger, former development manager and general manager of Kentucky Speedway, former member of Kentucky Horse Racing Commission, and former president of Turfway Park. They join current TAA Directors: Bloom, Madeline Auerbach, Craig Bandoroff, Laura Barillaro, Dr. Jeffrey Berk, Simon Bray, Donna Brothers, Boyd Browning, Aidan Butler, Tom Cannell, Jack Damico, Terry Finley, Melissa Hicks, John Keitt, Chip McGaughey, Josh Rubenstein, Richard Schosberg, Tom Ventura.