Donation presented to Friends of Ferdinand

SHELBYVILLE, Ind. (Aug. 13, 2020) – Indiana Grand Racing & Casino made its annual donation to Friends of Ferdinand, Inc., a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization based in Mooresville, Ind. Wednesday, Aug. 12. The racehorse aftercare program, the only Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance accredited organization in the state of Indiana, received $5,000 from the Community Relations program at the track.

“Horse aftercare is such an important part of what we do,” said Eric Halstrom, vice president and general manager of racing. “It is an honor to be able to make a small donation to assist them.”

On average, it costs approximately $3,000 to process a racehorse from start to finish. This fee covers the time frame of acquiring the horse followed by adequate time to acclimate to new surroundings and then beginning the process of retraining with the end goal of rehoming the Thoroughbred into a different discipline. The donation from Indiana Grand will cover the cost for the entire process of nearly two horses in their program for 2020.

“We have 25-30 horses come through our program on any given year,” said Chelsey Burris, marketing and social media for Friends of Ferdinand. “This year, of course, is a little different due to Covid-19. We are able to retrain these horses into all types of second careers. We even have our first calf roping horse ready to head out soon. It just shows how versatile Thoroughbreds are. We are happy to give these horses a job after their racing careers are completed.”

Indiana Grand made the donation to members of Friends of Ferdinand during the special Caesars Stakes Day racing program, marking the richest day of turf racing in the state. The special winner’s circle presentation took place after the second race on the afternoon card.

More information on Friends of Ferdinand, Inc. may be found on their Website at www.friendsofferdinand.com.

Photo by Coady Photography:

Mike Rich, senior vice president and general manager, (far left) and Eric Halstrom, vice president and general manager of racing (fourth from right) make the presentation to members of Friends of Ferdinand, including Wendy Brown, Diane Cooper, Erin Durham, Lori Miller, Susan Machnik, Sara Busbice and Chelsey Burris. Rachel McLaughlin, on-air racing personality, conducted the presentation (far right).