Charles Town Continues CANTER Support

For the seventh consecutive year, Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races is providing funding to CANTER Mid-Atlantic for the organization's ongoing program to rehabilitate and find homes for former racehorses.

The $10,000 donation will be made in a check presentation during the Charles Town Classic (gr. II) card April 18 and will assist CANTER in furthering its ongoing programs and mission to help transition former racehorses into new careers off the racetrack. The funds that Charles Town Races donates annually go directly to the care of horses in the CANTER Mid-Atlantic Phase II program that have come from owners and trainers stabled at Charles Town Races.

Having been granted access to the barn area for nearly two decades by Charles Town management, CANTER Mid-Atlantic's volunteers have built strong relationships with not only track management, but also horse racing professionals on the backstretch, a March 9 release said.

"We continue to be grateful and appreciative of the tireless work CANTER Mid-Atlantic does in rehabilitating horses and putting them on the path to new careers once their racing days have ended," Charles Town vice president of racing operations Erich Zimny said in a statement. "We're confident that CANTER will continue putting these resources to good use in helping horses having raced at Charles Town find new homes, much as they have the last several years."

In addition to Charles Town again providing the grant to CANTER Mid-Atlantic, the organization will again be the presenting sponsor for the $150,000 Sugar Maple Stakes that has been won by grade I winner and Eclipse Award finalist Dance to Bristol in 2013 and multiple stakes winner Flattering Bea.

"This will be the seventh Charles Town Classic card and CANTER Mid-Atlantic has been an integral part of the event each and every time," Zimny said. "Having them continue to serve as a presenting sponsor for the undercard's most lucrative race is another step we hope can further expose people to the great work they do at Charles Town and in the region."

Over the last several years, CANTER Mid-Atlantic has taken in more than 380 retiring racehorses as funding allowed and successfully rehabilitated, retrained, and placed them into caring homes, the release said. CANTER Mid-Atlantic is currently managing the care of 24 ex-racehorses that have begun the rehabilitation and retraining process in order to prepare them for a second career.

Unlike prior years when the check presentation to CANTER Mid-Atlantic has been done during the evening, the 2015 rendition will take place during daylight hours as the Charles Town Classic card will begin at a special afternoon post time of 12:45 p.m. EDT.