Second Stride Hosts Annual Derby Fundraiser April 28

Second Stride will host its fourteenth annual Derby week fundraiser on April 28th. And this year the event takes on a completely different feel. Champions Night FORE the Horses will take place at Valhalla Golf Club on the Monday of Derby week from 6:30-9:30pm. Board members, volunteers and staff have been hard at work planning a brand new exclusively-Kentucky themed evening that will complement the grandeur of the famous course and the horses it helps. Only 151 tickets will be sold and will require pre-purchase. "An event partnership like this will give people the opportunity to enjoy the beauty and history of Valhalla while also providing needed support for the hundreds of horses we serve in the racing industry. It's a win-win for everyone," says Second Stride founder and Executive Director Kim Smith. As always, proceeds from the event enable the Louisville-based organization to continue to provide professional rehabilitation, retraining and placement of retired thoroughbred racehorses. The event packs a lot into a three-hour window. Guests can meet and mingle with a veritable racing who's who including Triple Crown winning jockey Jean Cruguet, Derby winning jockey Mike Manganello, and successful jockeys Sandy Hawly and Kaoru Tsuchiya-Hawley. NBC racing celebrity and former jockey Donna Brothers will be on hand to lend insight into the big race and interview racing notables including Whit Beckman, trainer of Kentucky Derby contender Flying Mohawk and Kentucky Oaks filly Simply Joking. The evening will also feature Derby handicapping from a panel of experts and friends of Second Stride. Official Derby and Oaks artist Tyler Robertson will be present to sign any posters sold of his limited-edition artwork. Distillers Elijah Craig and Makers Mark will be on hand to provide bourbon tastings for patrons while the heavy hors d'oeuvre menu will feature items like shrimp and grits cups, mini hot browns, beef tenderloin with Henry Bain's sauce as well as staple desserts bourbon balls and Derby pie. As a special favor, Valhalla's pro shop will be open for business during the evening which is normally only open to members. Plans are also in the works for a putting contest to benefit Second Stride on the famous 18th green in front of the clubhouse. A highlight for many will be the chance to interact with the two Second Stride ambassador horses residing on the Valhalla property. Interested parties will be taken by golf cart to visit 2014 Triple Crown contender General A Rod and graded stakes winner Hawaakom who came to reside seasonally at the property entrance just following the PGA Championship last year. Part of a partnership with Valhalla to enhance club members' experience while bringing attention to the role of Thoroughbred aftercare, the horses remain through the golfing season and then return to their home base Chorleywood Farm in Prospect for the winter. An online/on-site silent auction will include a Horcery AI horse monitoring system, Brain Hernandez Jr. autographed jockey pants worn aboard Thorpedo Anna winning the Azeri Stakes, and a custom painted outdoor horse statue by local artist Connie Sandusky, among others. Second Stride will also present its 2025 Champion Award to this year's recipients Austin and Janie Musselman, owners of Ashbourne Farms, for their longstanding family support of Second Stride and their mission dedicated to keeping horses safely transitioning into new life skill roles. Attire is dressy casual. Tickets are $150/person and can be purchased at www.secondstride.org