New Vocations to receive ‘Night of the Stars Pledge’

New Vocations, the nation's oldest Thoroughbred retraining and adoption program, will be the beneficiary of the "Night of the Stars Pledge" during one of the nation's marquee mixed stock sales.

D. J. Stable announced this week that it was creating the initiative and inviting others to take part during the elite Fasig-Tipton Kentucky fall selected mixed sale the night of Nov. 7. D. J. Stable said it will pledge 1 percent of proceeds from any sale of its two entries, Eclipse Award champion Wonder Wheel, along with Goddess Pele, a half-sister to Group 1 winner Sibelius and in foal to champion Epicenter. Other sellers and buyers can now register to make a pledge as well.

"We are so pleased to have the opportunity to partner with New Vocations,” stable general manager Jonathan Green said in a release. “We are confident that the Fasig-Tipton Night of the Stars sale provides the best venue to promote our association with this wonderful organization.”

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This initiative joins a similarly-timed, existing annual fundraiser, the New Vocations Breeders’ Cup Pledge, where owners and/or trainers can pledge a percentage of any earnings from the Breeders’ Cup program on Nov. 3-4 at Santa Anita. More than 60 horses who ran in last year’s Breeders’ Cup at Keeneland had pledging connections. Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies winner Wonder Wheel was among nine winning horses who ultimately made contributions, along with Breeders’ Cup Classic winner and Horse of the Year Flightline, plus Caravel, Forte, Goodnight Olive, Malathaat, Meditate, Tuesday, and Victoria Road. The pledge raised over $140,000.

New Vocations said that this year’s new Fasig-Tipton pledge program comes at a critical time, as it has taken in 20 percent more retired racehorses at its several facilities this year, dramatically increasing operational costs.

“We are pleased to work with D. J. Stables and New Vocations on this initiative,” Fasig-Tipton president Boyd Browning, Jr., said in a release. “Fasig-Tipton supports aftercare initiatives, including the [Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance], New Vocations, Old Friends, and many other organizations that do great work with our equine athletes. We hope many owners will join in pledging to support New Vocations in addition to the TAA sales program.”

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