A halter once worn by Triple Crown winner American Pharoah is one of many items of Thoroughbred racing memorabilia offered in the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation’s online auction. Photo: American Pharoah – 2015 Belmont Stakes by Mike Lizzi on flickr.com/CC BY-SA 2.0
Is there someone on your holiday shopping list who would love to have American Pharoah’s halter or California Chrome’s saddle pad? If you’ve got some money to spend, you can be a gift-giving hero by shopping the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation’s online auction.
Although Thoroughbred racing memorabilia makes up a large amount of the auction offerings, there are a few things thrown in that will appeal to non-racing fans, too. Take a look at some of the items offered:
- Secretariat’s Universal Horse ID photo from 1972
- A riding lesson with Olympic show jumper Joe Fargis
- Framed photo of Triple Crown winner Affirmed and his rival, Alydar, from the 1978 Kentucky Derby. Signed by jockeys Steve Cauthen and Jorge Valasquez
- A tailgating spot for cross-country day at the 2017 Nations Cup at the Great Meadow International Three-Day Event in Virginia
- Breyer models of Secretariat and Theodore O’Connor
- Halters of legendary racehorses Songbird and American Pharoah
Proceeds from the online auction will go to the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation, a nonprofit organization founded in 1983 with the mission “to save Thoroughbred horses no longer able to compete on the racetrack from possible neglect, abuse and slaughter.” TRF has rescued and rehomed thousands of horses in its history and currently has facilities in 13 states from coast to coast. Among its facilities are “TRF Second Chances Programs” where inmates at state correctional facilities receive vocational training in horse care and stable management working directly with the ex-racehorses.
Find out more about the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation at www.trfinc.com.
Shop the online auction at www.biddingforgood.com.
Leslie Potter is a writer and photographer based in Kentucky. www.lesliepotterphoto.com
