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Horse Society Magazine Hosts Florida Derby Fundraiser for Thoroughbred Charities

Hallandale, Florida, March 20, 2009. Horse Society Magazine (HSM), in partnership with Gulfstream Park, will be hosting a fundraiser and after-party to support Old Friends Equine Thoroughbred retirement facility and New Vocations Racehorse Adoption Program. The party will take place on March 28, 2009 from 5:30 pm - 8 pm. The festivities will take place at the South Tiki Bar (Frank’s Beach) at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale, Florida immediately following the Florida Derby, and will include a silent auction, a raffle, drink specials, and live music.

Prizes include a Montecristo cigar gift pack, a watch and sunglasses from Lex Diamond, an Origins gift basket, authentic cowboy boots, and gift certificates to various upscale restaurants and spas. Gulfstream Park is calling the fundraiser the “official after-party for the Florida Derby.”

The party will take place on the day of the Florida Derby, a $750,000 race which serves as an important qualifier for the Kentucky Derby, which will take place on May 2, 2009. All eyes will be on the horses that stand out at the Florida Derby as possible contenders for the coveted Triple Crown title.

Old Friends Equine is a non-profit Thoroughbred retirement facility located in Lexington, Kentucky. President and founder Michael Blowen brings at risk racehorses, whose racing and breeding careers had come to an end, to Old Friends, and provides them with the dignified retirement they deserve. Blowen’s unique philosophy is to keep the facility open to the public. Blowen says, “By promoting these one-time celebrated horses through a campaign of education and tourism, we realized we could draw attention to all retired Thoroughbreds and all equines in need.”

Founded in 1992, New Vocations has grown into the largest racehorse adoption program in the nation. Their average placing is an astounding 300 horses a year into carefully screened and loving homes. “Our mission to give these retired athletes a productive retirement,” said program director Anna Ford. “Thoroughbreds love having a job and bonding with people. Our focus is to find each one a suitable purpose where it can thrive and once again be a star.”

For more information on the fundraiser, you may contact Dino Baccari at HSM at dino@horsesocietymagazine.com. Questions for New Vocations can be sent to Anna Ford at anna@horseadoption.com.

About Horse Society Magazine: HSM is a national lifestyle magazine for Thoroughbred racing. HSM features lifestyle, racing, and handicapping coverage of the sport of kings, and aims to promote the sport in a positive light. HSM President and Founder of Dino Baccari says “I want to attract a younger generation to the tracks, to introduce them to how great this sport can be, while at the same time satisfying the older generations who already appreciate the sport.” Baccari continues, “I hope, through fundraisers such as this, that HSM can promote the sport and celebrate the good things that organizations and individuals are doing to improve upon weaknesses within the industry.”