TAA Makes Big Strides in Early Part of 2015

The Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance has already seen an increase in awareness thanks to Bob Baffert and the Belmont Stakes. (Photo courtesy of Stacie Clark Rogers)
When Bob Baffert won the Triple Crown and announced that he was donating $50,000 to the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (TAA), it saw immediate results in peoples’ awareness of the organization.
“Recently we’ve had a nice donation from BF Bloodstock and then we had the awesome donation from Bob Baffert and Jill Baffert, really recognizing not just only aftercare in the Thoroughbred industry but also PDJF, which is another important industry consideration that we have to have,” said Stacie Clark Rogers, TAA’s Operations Consultant. “There’s been a big jump in our social media since Bob has made that generous donation of $50,000 to the four charities so we received $50,000 as well as the other three. And when that happened, we had a lot of jump in our social media because when he gave that much money people wanted to know ‘who are those people,’ so that was awesome.”
Baffert’s donation to the organization was the latest big news in a huge year for the TAA. Earlier this year when they opened up accreditation applications, all 20 of the aftercare programs that had applied two years ago reapplied for accreditation (aftercare programs accredited by the TAA have to reapply every two years) in addition to about 20 new programs.
A THOROUGHBRED PERFORMS IN ITS SECOND CAREER

Photo courtesy of Melissa Bauer-Herzog
In February, it was announced that TAA was one of two charities that would be named as an official charity of Pimlico Race Course’s Black-Eyed Susan day. That weekend of racing included “Canter for the Cause,” a handicapping challenge, and Sagamore Racing presenting a $30,000 check to TAA after the Pimlico Special on May 15. In all, Clark thinks that the TAA earned about $54,000 during that weekend of racing.
The TAA’s short-term goal for this year has been to push awareness of the organization both as an accreditation and funding arm of the industry. At the 2015 Pan American Conference in early June, TAA speakers talked about the TAA model and its initiatives, getting more information out about the program.
The long-term goal of the program is to get everyone in the industry to contribute at least a little bit to the funding of the program to help in funding the retirement of Thoroughbreds.
While there is still a lot of work to do to make that a reality, the TAA has had a lot of support this year with over 20 stallion farms donating a portion of their stud fees to the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance in addition to having a list of trainers supporting them and both buyers and consignors at some sales donating money with the purchase of horses at the sale.
The Kentucky Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association, Keeneland and Churchill Downs all signed an agreement in early April with each consenting owner donating $5 each time one of their horses start with the tracks matching the donations.
“The support [of the industry this year] so far has been good,” Clark said. “It’s not perfect but we have support from four corners of this continent from Florida to New York to California to Canada and then Kentucky so it is a whole national or international program. We just have to keep getting the message out there and the more we’re getting the message out there, we’re finding the better the response and the better the willingness to contribute and get involved by the industry.”
This year’s Breeders’ Cup “Win and You’re In Challenge” will also keep the TAA in the spotlight in coming months through the Million Dollar Finish Media Challenge. The fantasy game, which has over 20 horse racing media personalities taking part, will ultimately donate $10,000 to the TAA in the name of the media personality who scores the most points during the game.
The TAA is still a young program, but with the funding it provides to 42 accredited aftercare facilities, it is already making a huge impact on the lives on retired racehorses around North America.