Page 8 - 2021 TAA Magazine

TAA: An industry-funded initiative

Coglianese PhotograPhy
1/ST donated 2% of purses from the Pegasus World Cup Invitational and the Pegasus World Cup Invitational Turf to the TAA.
Totaling $80,000, it was one of the largest purse contributions to aftercare at a major racing event.

By Erin Shea impactful and long lasting. And many indi- added. “Unfortunately, I don’t think we’ve
viduals and organizations within racing got enough money to take care of the whole
What happens to Thoroughbreds after have answered the call. problem, but we didn’t really define the
they are finished racing regularly gets “I think the industry was just ready to problem that well when we started off with
asked by industry outsiders. Until a few accept the idea,” said Jack Wolf, the first dollars and cents, but anything we get is
years ago, the Thoroughbred racing indus- president of the Thoroughbred Aftercare better than what we had before.”
try in North America did not have a unified Alliance board of directors and manag- Identifying the need and knowing the full
answer. ing partner of Starlight Racing, which scale of the issue at hand proved difficult in
As the sport faced mounting public pres- campaigned 2018 Triple Crown winner the early years of the TAA and still remains
sure after a string of negative headlines Justify in a partnership, as well as Hall of a challenging puzzle to piece together.
in the early 2010s, welfare and the care Famer Ashado, among others. “When we first started, it was very impor-
of retired racehorses began dominating With equine welfare becoming top of tant to first of all identify the need, which
conversations about racing. Slowly but mind for industry participants, Wolf claims we all knew was vast. But how do you actu-
surely, these conversations grew into ideas that striking while the iron was hot with a ally quantify the need with the information
that germinated into meetings and plans team of knowledgeable individuals helped available? We all anecdotally know that
of action by industry leaders. But as any the TAA’s funding get off the ground. He’s the need is great, but there aren’t a lot of
entrepreneur will admit, a good idea is only quick to credit a number of leaders, includ- metrics,” said Madeline Auerbach, found-
as good as the support behind it. ing The Jockey Club, Breeders’ Cup, and ing TAA board member, former vice chair
So as the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alli- Keeneland, all three of which backed the of the California Horse Racing Board, and
ance was kicked off in 2012 with a slew TAA by making initial seed-money contri- longtime Thoroughbred owner-breeder.
of initial supporters to be the industry’s butions, while knowing that additional A few years before the launch of the TAA,
united face of Thoroughbred aftercare, the funding from all sectors was vital. Auerbach founded the California Retire-
last critical piece of the puzzle was clear: “It’s not an option, it’s a responsibility ment Management Account (CARMA),
How to find sustainable sources of revenue that the owners and other people involved which serves as a funding body and place-
within the industry to make the program in the industry are responsible for,” Wolf ment program for Thoroughbreds retir-

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