June 23, 2010 Contact: Joan Lawrence (646) 335-6833
JOCKEY AUTOGRAPH SESSION AT BELMONT PARK SATURDAY TO BENEFIT BARBARO FUND FOR EQUINE HEALTH AND SAFETY RESEARCH AND PERMANENTLY DISABLED JOCKEYS FUND
Dr. Dean Richardson Also to Accept $37,276 Check from Barbaro Memorial Fund
Pfizer Animal Health will host a jockey autograph session at Belmont Park this Saturday, June 26, from 11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. to benefit the Barbaro Fund for Equine Health and Safety Research and the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund. Pfizer Animal Health has made a special donation to the Barbaro Fund for Equine Health and Safety Research to kick off the event, which takes place on Mother Goose Stakes day at Belmont.
The autograph session will take place at Belmont’s ground floor grandstand colonnade. There is no charge for autographs, though a donation of $5.00 is suggested. On sale for $2.00 each, while supplies last, will be the popular, blue “Riding with Barbaro” wristbands that have been out of circulation since 2007 when more than 90,000 were sold.
Also at Belmont Park on Saturday, Dr. Dean Richardson, chief of surgery at the George D. Widener Hospital for Large Animals at the University of Pennsylvania's New Bolton Center, will be in the winner’s circle following the third race to accept a $37,276 final disbursement from the NTRA Charities – Barbaro Memorial Fund. Since its inception in 2007, The NTRA Charities - Barbaro Memorial Fund disbursed almost $400,000 in support of scientific conferences, research programs and a half-dozen research projects, all focused on finding a cure for laminitis, the painful and often fatal hoof disease that plagued Barbaro for so much of his recuperative period following his injury in the Preakness Stakes. Dr. Richardson provided surgical treatment and other veterinary care for Barbaro at the New Bolton Center following his injury in the 2006 Preakness Stakes. The Barbaro Fund for Equine Health and Safety Research will now replace the NTRA Charities – Barbaro Memorial Fund and become the primary fundraising arm of the NTRA Safety and Integrity Alliance for equine health and safety research.
“The NTRA Safety and Integrity Alliance is proud to be a part of Barbaro’s enduring legacy on behalf of all Thoroughbreds,” said Alex Waldrop, President and CEO of the NTRA. “We especially appreciate the support of Roy and Gretchen Jackson in the creation of this new fund. We also thank Belmont Park and the Belmont jockey colony for making this day possible.”
The NTRA is a broad-based coalition of horse racing interests consisting of leading thoroughbred racetracks, owners, breeders, trainers, horseplayers and affiliated horse racing associations, charged with increasing the popularity of horse racing and improving economic conditions for industry participants. The NTRA has offices in Lexington, Ky., and Rye Brook, N.Y. NTRA press releases appear on the NTRA web site, NTRA.com.
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