Del Mar to Match CARMA Funds at Summer Meet
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Lava Man is the most famous ex-racehorse to transition to a new career after racing in California. The gelding is a pony for trainer Doug O'Neill's stable and ponied I'll Have Another during his Triple Crown campaign in 2012 (Photo courtesy Eclipse Sportswire).
Edited Press Release
Starting at the Del Mar race meet on July 17, the track will match 50 percent of funds voluntarily contributed by owners during its summer race meet.
In 2014 the track will raise its contributions to match 100 percent of all donations made by owners. All the proceeds will go to the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club and California Retirement Management Account (CARMA), which raises money for retired Thoroughbreds that have raced in California.
“Del Mar is proud to support a leader in the Thoroughbred retirement community by making this contribution to CARMA,” said Joe Harper, Del Mar’s president and CEO. “We are committed to the health and welfare of our equine athletes when their racing careers are over and we believe CARMA will be able to use these additional funds to help many of the horses who have raced at Del Mar.”
Owners have contributed over $1.4 million to CARMA since 2008 through a voluntary 0.3 percent contribution from purse earnings. All the money raised has been given to accredited 501c3 non-profit charities so they can care for racehorses.
“Through the years Del Mar has been a very strong supporter of CARMA and we are so grateful to Joe and the entire Del Mar team for making this additional commitment,” said CARMA founder Madeline Auerbach. “While owners have to be responsible for their horses, it is important for the racing community to support one another and this is an excellent example of that.”
In addition to the purse donations, CARMA holds fundraisers and educates owners and trainers about retiring racehorses. For more information on CARMA, click here.