Florida Charity Golf Outing

Perry’s Tack Shop owned by Greg and Lorraine Perry at Pompano Raceway, and horseman Fred Grant teamed up to help the Standardbred Retirement Foundation (SRF) with a hugely successful golf outing at Palm Aire Country Club in Pompano Beach, Florida on Friday January 13, 2012. The event had eighty five golfers that were swinging for Standardbreds and one hundred guests enjoyed dinner later that evening.

”We are very grateful to the Unicorn Foundation for stepping up to be our primary sponsor,” said Fred Grant.  “There are many Standardbreds capable of new careers but need help to get there.  The funds raised from this event give SRF help in providing that.”  The outing, on the Oaks Course, had the support of many; its major sponsors were Peak Performance Nutrients, S.S.G. Gloves, Walsh Company, and Sunshine Meadows Equestrian Village, and its big ticket item was a signed Sidney Crosby Pittsburgh Penguins Jersey.

“What’s better than enjoying a day on the golf course and giving back to the horses that have given to us,” said Paula Campbell.  “We are so grateful for this event, especially to Greg and Lorraine Perry, and Fred Grant who put so much into this to make it such a success.”

 But the help didn’t stop there, it takes a lot to run an event and the help from volunteers such as Trevor & Gemma Ritchie, Ann Darling, Donna Richardson, Ingrid Glassmeyer, Donna Horley, Jim Kennedy, Bob Rice, Jeff Grimes, and the Perry family, Jason, Andrew, Rynna, and Dan was priceless.

The Standardbred Retirement Foundation truly appreciates the generous support of all who made this event a success, especially the hard working efforts of the Perry’s and that of Fred Grant. All funds raised will help SRF continue to find appropriate new careers for Standardbreds off the track as well as follow up their care in their new homes for the life. 

 PHOTO GALLERY

Angels Among Us Event – An Enlightening Experience

On Friday January 13, 2012, SRF held an unusual and intriguing fundraiser, a dinner event that was a spiritual evening with medium Gail Lionetti at the Radisson in Freehold, NJ.  Guests enjoyed a dinner buffet and raffle but the main focus was on Gail’s unique ability.

Gail has a keen relationship with the departed and brought much comfort and peace to many guests that evening through her ability to connect people with loved ones who have passed on. The evening was deeply compelling, often startling and occasionally humorous; Gail’s down-to-earth approach has earned her a vast and loyal following. SRF would like to thank Gail, all of our donors and attendees for making this event a great success.

SRF "Fall Ball Bowling" Strikes for Standardbreds II

Once again the pins were flying as members of the racing community, friends, and family came together at Knob Hill Country Lanes to support SRF.

Event Sponsor, Mario Mazza made this fun filled night possible. Teams competed for highest team avg. score, best team name, and most team spirit. Karen Fagliarone, Mike Fagliarone, Jim Giorgianni, Alison Giorgianni, Dan Figliolino and Peter Iovino  formed the "Bowl Movements", and were not only awarded best team name but also the highest team avg score.

In the meantime team Deweycheatumatbowlingnhowe (Suzanne D'Ambrose, Tracy Tarantino, Veronica Toth, Jason and Nancy) were busy winning the team spirit prize, with their snazzy hand made team tees.

Other great names included Pin Pals,The Pin Ups, Pin Heads and Lick the Splits. Thank you to everyone who came out to make the night a fun success... and a lot of fun!

SRF Openhouse and Halloween Gymkhana 

A little winter storm in October wasn't stopping SRF from having their first Gymkhana combo Openhouse Event.  Regardless of the previous days storm horses and horse lovers alike came out for this fun event filled day. We started with our Horse Halloween Costume contest which Dr. Patricia Hogan, our judge, picked Tracy Tarantino and Walter the clown as winners from many creative get-ups. Then we moved onto the game classes...finishing with a big favorite of everyones, the Egg and Spoon which was won at a full trot. Additionally, inside the main barn we had various vendors, pumpkin painting, wine tasting, face painting, snacks, pies and drinks to warm you up from the chilly weather. Outside the barn SRF had two adoptable horses, Cherry and Penny,  giving pony rides and we had a meet and greet with more adoptable SRF horses.

Everyone had a wonderful time and we want to thank Rob Pennington for running our first Gymkhana and thank you to all our fabulous volunteers who helped make the day a great success. Hope to see you next year!

 CLICK HERE FOR PHOTO GALLERY

SRF Golf Outing A Great Success

Hamilton, NJ -The weather was perfect this year for the Standardbred Retirement Foundation's (SRF) golf outing at Knob Hill Country Club, in Manalapan , NJ , with warm temperatures and clear skies. One hundred twenty-four golfers enjoyed a grilled lunch, a day on the greens, cocktails, dinner and a night of good times raising funds for the 175+ Standardbreds the SRF is taking care of until homes can be found.

The "Name Your Team" prize went to Dr. Joy Micale's team, "Girls Gone Golfin'", the name that rocked the room when it was time to vote. Trivia had a new twist with a few questions on SRF that brought facts to life. The auction enjoyed record bids for items such as veterinary services from many of the country's best racehorse practitioners, hyperbaric chamber treatment from Elite Equine Oxygen, a Pennsbury jog cart, a day at the clubhouse at the AT&T PGA Tournament with your favorite celebrity golfer, and much more.  The banquet room was full with one hundred-eighty guests enjoying the auction.

The concern for the welfare of horses continues to grow. With SRF struggling to find homes for nearly 200 Standardbreds in their care and 155 more on the waiting list to come into the program, it is clear that owners and trainers are becoming educated on the plight of their horses, and they don't like it. The funds raised at this year's golf outing go directly to the care and upkeep of SRF's available horses.

Many thanks to Vicki Wright for taking the time to photograph the outing!

Special thanks to everyone who helped make this event a success!

Presenting Dinner Sponsor – Valley High Stable

 PHHA
Superfecta Beverage Cart

Yonkers Raceway
Superfecta – Sweets

Gaitway Farm
Superfecta – Lunch

Showplace Farm
Superfecta – Cocktail Hour

Drs. Fox & Bokman and The Hyperbaric Oxygen Chamber at ShowPlace Farm
Superfecta

Lou Pena Racing Stable
Superfecta

Mario Mazza
Superfecta

Trifecta Sponsors

Hogan Equine Clinic, Jeff Webster Stable, Ron Burke Stable & Ray Schnittker

Show Sponsors -  Marc and Marcia Goldberg, Emposimato Stables, Brittney Farms, First Hope Bank, John and Paula Campbell, Shore Thing Stables, LLC and Fairwind Farms

Golfer Door Prize
Philips 46” Flatscreen TV courtesy of Dave and Misty Miller
Trivia Prize & Best Team Name
Liquor Basket and wine courtesy of Central Jersey Tree Experts
Team, Men’s and Womens Golf Prizes – Dicks Sporting Good GC’s and Spa Gc’s
Courtesy of American Racing at Tioga Downs and SPHO
Hole-in-One - New Polaris UV
Courtesy of Xtreme Machines in Millstone, NJ

The iPad2 Black 16GB
with Wi-Fi and 3G Capabilities - Thanks to Mario Mazza  

Please see our upcoming NL for a full list of all auction, cash, best bid donors and players.

Our wonderful golf committee: Ellen Manzi, Suzanne D'Ambrose, Lella Montgomery, Judith Bokman, Dana Letual and Victoria Vaughn

Strikes for Standardbreds - Spring

The bowling alley was packed with players and spectators alike and the pins were flying as members of the racing community, friends, and family came together at Knob Hill Country Lanes to support SRF.

Event Sponsor, Larry Baron from Baron Racing Stable, and Prize Sponsor, Pom Pom BBQ & Chicken Grill (Monte Gelrod and Bob Bongiorno) made this fun filled night possible. Teams competed for high scores, best team names, and most team spirit. Gina Fagliarone, Jen Lauer, Jim Marshall, Marie lauer, Bruce Lauer, and Stephanie Lauer formed the Superbowlers, who were awarded most team spirit and received SRF hats as prizes.

In the meantime team Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy (Robert Beasley, Jason Kajsasz, Chris Uhl, Yaron Baicher, and Tom Fanning) were busy winning the tournament, and $40 gift certificates to the Pom Pom, with the highest team score.

Best team name and $20 gift certificates went to Split Happens, Karen Fagliarone, Mike Fagliarone, Dan Figliolino, Peter Iovino, Jim Giorgianni, and Alison Giorgianni. Other great names included Winning! Ma-Sheen, Beware the Mares, Hardly Able Stable, Chasin 300, Hot Flashers and Ball Busters, 2 Mochas & Alotta Creme, Bowling Stones, The Night Mares , Rock 'N' Bowl Heaven, Major Wood, and Three Friends & A Stranger.

Thank you to everyone who came out to make the night a success... and a lot of fun!

Celebrity Bartending at Redd's Restaurant

Harness Racing Stars Served It Up for SRF

The Standardbred Retirement Foundation (SRF) held a special fundraiser at Redd’s Restaurant & Bar. The night featured celebrity bartending by some of harness racing’s big name drivers and trainers as well as a chicken wing contest, dancing and karaoke. Racing fans were able to get up close as John Campbell, Brian Sears, Jim Doherty, Ray Schnittker, Jim Marohn Jr, Brandon Simpson, and Andy Miller all poured drinks while Ray Remmen, Earl Cruise, Bruce Saunders, and Tom Fanning showed their support. The drivers and trainers then generously donated their tips to SRF.

The chicken wing contest kicked off with a bang. Earl Cruise, Mike Johnson, and Redd’s Restaurant itself kept the judges busy with their excellent array of recipes. After sampling all the different flavors Dave Brower, Bruce Saunders, Roxanne Doherty, and two former New York Giants, Byron Hunt and Billy Taylor took some time to deliberate and vote. In the end, Redd’s was crowned the chicken wing champion, fans and supporters then crowded around to try the various wings for themselves.

Then a 50/50 cash raffle was held and the winners, Ralph and Zorayda Trijillo, graciously donated back their winnings to SRF. The rest of the evening was filled with dancing, singing karaoke and just having a good time. All proceeds from the fundraiser go directly to help the horses and children benefiting from SRF’s program. Special thanks to Doug Palsi at Redd’s and to everyone who came out to support SRF for yet another successful event.

TOLLBOOTH TACK SHOP
Thank you to Tollbooth for featuring SRF as their charity of choice at their recent sale, and thanks to everyone who donated during that time.

SRF Horse, Road Kar, wins Golden Hoof Award at WEG
SRF would like to congratulate Road Kar and his adopter and rider, Lena O'Brien on their participation in the 2010 World Equestrian Games in Lexington, KY.

Road Kar was part of the standardbred breed demo as a Hunter Under Saddle with Lena O'Brien of Lambertville, NJ on board. With fantastic trotters like Meadow Road, Nevele Pride and Speedy Somolli in his pedigree, this horse was bred to race and so he did!  He had 128 starts at many different racetracks on the East Coast and won close to $300,000 by the time he was eight.  He set a track record at Monticello Raceway in New York that was untouched for over ten years.

With their inherent desire to please and capacity to learn quickly, many former racehorses like Road Kar are reconditioned for use in regular riding.  They go from racetrack warrior to show horse and fierce competitor to family companion with relative ease.  After Road Kar hung up his racing shoes, a new phase of his life started.  He was adopted by Lena via the Standardbred Retirement Foundation, just two days after his final race. 

Lena began his saddle training, she taught him to canter under saddle, jump over fences and to go out on trails. Then horse shows entered his life and Road Kar continued his winning ways, with many Blue Ribbons from The Standardbred Pleasure Horse Organization of New Jersey and the United States Trotting Association's Equestrian Program.  Some highlights of his under saddle accomplishments include the 2000 SPHO Horse of the Year, The National Versatility, Driving and Equitation Champion as well as many wins in Non-Standardbred Open Classes.

He especially proves that there is a rich, rewarding life after racing.  Road Kar competes in Pleasure Classes, Dressage, Driving, Hunters, Equitation, as well as Hunter Paces.  Most special, though, Road Kar enjoys being the Equine star during Anatomy classes at summer camp, where students often cover him with post-it notes.

Standardbreds like to work and Road Kar is no exception.  He has been Lena's partner for almost 12 years and they've had many wonderful experiences together.  Their appearance here at the World Equestrian Games is at the top of the list!

"The experience here at WEG has been fantastic.  No one thinks our horses are Standardbreds.   I hope the word spreads that Standardbreds can do everything," explained Lena O'Brien.

3RD ANNUAL GIRL SCOUTS HORSE EXPO

On November 7th, the Girl Scouts of the Jersey Shore held their 3rd annual horse expo at Camp Sacajawea in Farmingdale, NJ. This was a free event for girls and their families to connect with the New Jersey Horse Community. SRF had a table with sale items set up in one of the buildings and spread the word about the breed. There were live demos which featured special appearances by Suzanne's trotter, Indy, and Mackinac who was recently adopted from SRF. The day was a great success and we'd like to thank everyone who came out to support SRF and the Girl Scouts!

2010 Open House

October 24th was a beautiful Sunday with clear blue skies and temperatures in the 70's. The barn doors were open and the crowds swarmed in for SRF's 4th annual Open House, a fall festival during which supporters, fans, adopters, volunteers, and curious bypassers come check out the main facility in Hamilton. There was a wide variety of activites including face painting, carriage rides, pumpkin decorating, and pony rides.

Visitors got to meet some of SRF's available horses up close and personal and even see some of these equines perform under saddle demonstrations in the indoor arena. Ride the Tiger, Tony Fra, EJ's Rayzer, Mister Bingley, Motor City Smitty, and Mackinac all strutted their stuff in front of an adoring crowd. Several vendors took part in this year's event and there was even a dog rescue with available animals as special guests.

Screams of glee could be heard in the background as the haunted hay ride wove through a field of werewolves and goblins who jumped out from their hiding places in the pasture. Careful observers could even spot a man riding a black horse in historic war uniform around the property. It was a great day of activities and food. Pies, pastries, and apple cider were all readily available in the barn's main aisle. Guests ate and sipped as they window shopped an assortment of gifts, raffle prizes, and equine art available for sale and bid. We at SRF would like to thank everyone who came out to make this day a great success.

SRF Charity Ride/Walk

The sky and the trail markings were both clear on a warm October Sunday for SRF’s Charity Ride/Walk, held at Colliers Mills. Sleepy Hollow Stables was kind enough to allow SRF host this event at their property. Riders and walkers alike enjoyed breakfast and lunch on the lawn in front of the barn.

The ride featured over a mile of sandy trails through the beautiful colored woodlands and even offered a lake option for those who were craving a scenic view. Riders of all ages showed up on horses of all sizes and colors to show their support and raise money to support SRF’s 175+ available horses, and several people laced up their sneakers to go the distance on foot. You don’t have to have a horse to support these noble and gentle animals. The weather held through the afternoon and friendships blossomed on the trails as several people went out for another loop. Some riders got brave and explored extra trails in big, smiling groups. The day was a great success and we have the pictures to prove it!

Thank you to the riders and walkers who showed their support:

Linda Matejeck  Susan Laone  Cathy Larson  Dawn Bryan 
Torey Mather  Debbie Artz  Jill & Rich Borowsky  Anouk Busch 
Stacey DeRocker  Jane Meggitt  Monica Shonberg  Bill Blume 
Mary Carey  Barbara Galante  Erin McElwee  George DeRocker 
Diana Balint  Karyn Kempson  Kerry Weed  Pat Brodwater 
Suzanne D'Ambrose  Stacey Chabot  Jill Bussanich  Cara Watkins 
Susan Nichols  Colleen Roses  Marie-Eve Menosky  Keith (SRF's cowboy) 

Congratulations (and thank you) to our biggest pledge earners:
1st place: Torey Mathers
2nd place: Stacey Chabot

Special thanks to Rick's Saddle Shop and Sergeantsville Feed for providing prizes.