Starlight Racing makes commitment to laminitis research

Starlight Racing partners will make donations to the Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation and the American Association of Equine Practitioners in memory of their Grade 2 winner Intense Holiday, who died of laminitis on June 12.

The racing partnership will offer a matching-funds donation of up to $100,000, earmarked for laminitis research, to be divided between the two organizations.

“Intense Holiday illustrated one of the most frustrating and tragic aspects of laminitis,” said Jack Wolf, founder of Starlight Racing. “That is when an injury seems to be treatable, even to the point where a horse appears to be out of the woods, but then laminitis develops and the horse is lost. Intense Holiday had a condylar fracture, which we were confident could be dealt with, but laminitis developed and he lost a hard-fought battle to the disease.

“Our impetus to donate and raise money for this research really arose, not just from our loss, but from the overwhelming outpouring of support from the racing community,” Wolf continued. “We heard hundreds of stories from people who, like us, lost horses prematurely. While most people know about Secretariat, Barbaro, and St Nicholas Abbey losing their lives to laminitis, there are many lesser known horses as well, including Glen Hill Farms’ [Grade 2 winner] Banned and so many other horses I’ve learned about over the last two weeks. The overarching theme I’ve heard has been enormous frustration with regard to laminitis.”

Intense Holiday, a son of Harlan’s Holiday, won the Grade 2 Risen Star Stakes in February for Starlight and overall won two of nine starts and earned $551,900. He suffered a condylar fracture to his right foreleg while preparing for a start in the Belmont Stakes and following surgery developed laminitis in both forelimbs.

Those wishing to donate to laminitis research can do so by sending a check or online donation to either Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation or AAEP Foundation with a memo designating your donation for Laminitis research in connection with matching the Starlight Donation.

To donate to the Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation, click here.

To donate to the American Association of Equine Practitioners Foundation, click here.