On the heels of the horrible story about breeder/owner Ernie Paragallo, whose horses were rescued from the kill pen (and the subsequent article in Sunday's New York Times that this was not the first time this has happened), comes this wonderful report about the success of Philadelphia Park's program Turning for Home.
Located on the grounds of Philadelphia Park, and sponsored and managed by the Pennsylvania Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association, the non-profit's mission is to serve as an avenue for trainers and owners to provide safe places for retired racehorses.
"Whether they're lame or sound, young or old, we take them into the program, with the exception of an intact horse," says program administrator Barbara Luna. Once they are admitted into the program, the Jockey Club takes them out of the registry. They will not slip through the cracks. They will retire with dignity.
Owners and jockeys actually help pay for the cost of running the program. Every time, they start at Philly Park, owners put in $10.00. Winning jockeys donate $10 for a first place finish and $5 for a second place finish. And Philly Park kicked in $50,000 to match the organization's first yer start-up fees.
The practice of selling horses for auction is strictly prohibited at Philadelphia Park. Horses can be adopted privately from Turning For Home, and one of the most famous adopters is none other than Gretchen Jackson, who rescued six of Turn For Home's pensioners at the end of the summer. According to Luna, "She said she'll take care of them for the rest of their lives. We need more people like that."
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