It has been a whirlwind summer in Saratoga! From celebrating an old friend, to eating gumbo together, to hosting an epic barbeque, this summer has been full of laughs, friendship and some great food – all for our shared love of the horses! We are so grateful to every single one of our friends, supporters and tireless volunteers for making this a summer to remember.
The summer began with a celebration of Quick Call. The warhorse touched the lives of countless people throughout his remarkable life and he will forever have a place at Saratoga – both in the history books and through a memorial marker in Clare Court at the historic Saratoga Racecourse. We were thrilled to get to celebrate his achievements, both on the track and through his role as a teacher in our Second Chances program. The gathering brought together old and new friends and a sense of normalcy returned to Saratoga.
From there, we were out of the gate. We are so appreciative of the many people who invited the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation to events where we could share our mission and spread the word about the importance of Thoroughbred aftercare. There was a night out at an Albany Dutchman baseball game, a brunch with Rainbow’s End and impact nights at Bailey’s and the Ice House.
Then, something magical happened. Jockey Kendrick Carmouche, recovering from an injury, teamed up with the Principessa Elena Society to host a gumbo night to benefit our herd. The community came out in full force and raised over $8,000 for the retired racehorses in our care.
Not to be outdone, there was an equally special Gumbo for the Horses courtesy of Michael Beychok and In the Money Media. The intimate dinner showcased what our herd does best – bring people together for the good of the horses.
The jockey colony came together to support Thoroughbred aftercare in a collaborative effort with the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund at the Adelphi Hotel. The Adelphi was the place to be to get a limited-edition bottle of Casamigos Tequila signed by prominent members of the jockey colony. We are so grateful to the riders for taking time out of their busy summer! Cheers!
Throughout the summer, we were able to welcome visitors to the TRF Summer Farm at Bloomfield Farm. We are so grateful to Bloomfield for opening up their beautiful property to Brickbat and My Teddy Bear. And we have some exciting news: Brickbat has been adopted and will be moving on to a second career. We are so excited for him and can’t wait to share updates.
The big event of the summer was our annual Barbeque at the Barn, back in person this year. Despite a sell-out crowd, the event felt like a family gathering in a beautiful setting at the Saratoga Winery. There were some celebrity sightings throughout the night, but, the real stars are always the horses!
Our final event of the summer involved a road trip to bucolic Sherborn, Massachusetts where Green Hills Farm, a premier hunter/jumper facility, hosted a musical soiree to benefit the horses. The music, company and scenery were incredible!
None of this would have been possible without the support from our friends, donors and volunteers. Thank you for an amazing summer at the Spa. We can’t wait to see you next year.