| Tuesday, August 11, 2020 | Contact: Kristin Werner (859) 224-2720 |
| 2020 New Vocations All-Thoroughbred Charity Horse Show and T.I.P. September Championships Cancelled | |
August 11, 2020 – New Vocations Racehorse Adoption Program and The Jockey Club Thoroughbred Incentive Program (T.I.P.) have jointly agreed to cancel their 2020 hunter/jumper/pleasure horse show that was slated for September 3-6 at the Kentucky Horse Park. “We are deeply disappointed to cancel the 2020 horse show, but after ongoing discussions with show management, Kentucky Horse Park event staff and horse show managers of other events held at the park, the decision to cancel the event was made,” says Sarah Coleman, director of community and public relations for New Vocations. “Multiple factors contributed to this outcome, including the cancellation of other Kentucky Horse Park championship events, the spike in COVID-19 cases throughout the country, various state travel restrictions that would affect many exhibitors and the inability to ensure that the regional governments would not force the cancellation of the event, potentially once the show was underway.” Now in its sixth year, the New Vocations All-Thoroughbred Charity Horse Show raises much-needed funds to enable the program to rehabilitate, retrain and rehome retiring Thoroughbred and Standardbred racehorses. The T.I.P. Championships celebrate qualified Thoroughbreds in a variety of disciplines. Run concurrently, the show typically hosts more than 400 Thoroughbreds at the Kentucky Horse Park each fall. Sponsors for the New Vocations All-Thoroughbred Charity Horse Show will have several options, including shifting support to a virtual competition in late September. Details of this virtual event are forthcoming. ”Event staff held a lengthy discussion over the last few days and the cancellation was not an easy decision,” says Kristin Werner, senior counsel for The Jockey Club and coordinator of T.I.P. “Ultimately the health and safety of our competitors, officials and staff far outweigh any event.” The dressage competition, set to run Oct. 3 and 4 at the Kentucky Horse Park, remains on the schedule. Show management will evaluate the event in the coming weeks and will announce a decision on holding the show prior to the opening of entries in late August. T.I.P is exploring consolation competition options for early 2021; at this time, the All-Thoroughbred Charity Shows and T.I.P. Championships for fall 2021 are expected to run as planned, and horses qualified and declared by the August 3 deadline for the 2020 championships will be eligible to participate in the 2021 events. A list of those horses is available at tjctip.com/About/CSDH. ### About New Vocations Founded in 1992, New Vocations has grown into the largest racehorse adoption program in the country. Its mission to rehabilitate, retrain and rehome retired Thoroughbred and Standardbred racehorse has led to the placement of over 7,000 individuals, with 500 retirees entering the program each year. With facilities in Kentucky, Louisiana, New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania, New Vocations serves over 40 racetracks, working directly with owners and trainers in need of aftercare options. Newvocations.org About The Jockey Club Thoroughbred Incentive Program Created and announced by The Jockey Club in October 2011, T.I.P. recognizes and rewards the versatility of the Thoroughbred through sponsorship of Thoroughbred classes and high point awards at sanctioned horse shows, year-end performance awards, a recreational riding program, and non-competition awards. Additional information about T.I.P. is available at tjctip.com and on the T.I.P. Facebook page at facebook.com/tjctip. | |