Jockey Club commits $100K to show horse program

LEXINGTON, Ky. - The Jockey Club has committed $100,000 to a new pilot program it is launching to help raise the profile and value of ex-racehorses competing in the show world. The program, called the Thoroughbred Incentive Program, will sponsor Thoroughbred classes and high-point awards at locally, nationally, or internationally sanctioned horse shows in 2012.

“Thoroughbreds are versatile athletes, which makes them ideally suited for any number of disciplines beyond the racetrack,” said Jockey Club steward Dell Hancock, who also has shown horses. “The Thoroughbred Incentive Program will help showcase and reward the breed’s many talents at all levels of competition and will encourage the retraining of Thoroughbreds once they have finished their racing or breeding career.”

In announcing the program, The Jockey Club spotlighted Kim’s Song, a racehorse who was winless in the early 1970’s before carrying a young Bruce Duchossois to a national hunter championship.

Horse show organizers wishing to offer a TIP Thoroughbred class or high-point award at their shows can complete an online application at www.tjctip.com. Sponsorships and award money are available for a range of equestrian disciplines, including Western and English pleasure, eventing, dressage, hunters, and jumpers. The sponsorships will include ribbons and, in some cases, prize money, according to The Jockey Club.

The Jockey Club also will offer a TIP Young Rider of the Year Award, which will award a total of $5,000 annually to a rider age 18 or younger who owns or leases a Thoroughbred for use in 4-H, Pony Club, or other activities. The winner or winners will be determined through an essay contest and can apply prize money to a college or university of their choice or toward participation in an event that furthers their involvement with horses. Applications for the Young Rider Award also are located online at www.tjctip.com.