BC connections to contribute to New Vocations charity

The owners and/or trainers of 36 horses scheduled to run in Breeders’ Cup races on Friday and Saturday have pledged a portion of their purse earnings over the two-day event to the New Vocations Racehorse Adoption Program, the nonprofit organization announced Thursday.

This is the sixth year that New Vocations, which operates six farms in four states in the Midwest, has asked owners and trainers of Breeders’ Cup horses for pledges. In the previous five years, a total of $220,000 has been raised for the organization, New Vocations said.

New Vocations seeks to rehabilitate and retrain retired Thoroughbreds for adoption. The program takes in approximately 400 racehorses a year, the organization said.