Breeders’ Cup will mark its 100-day countdown to championship weekend with its first-ever Annual Day of Giving on Tuesday, July 23, launching a significant expansion of the organization’s charitable initiatives.
The fundraising event aims to raise $200,000, bolstered by racehorse owner and philanthropist Ken Freirich’s pledge to match donations up to $100,000 made on the inaugural day.
This charitable push represents part of a broader strategy to elevate the Breeders’ Cup’s industry leadership role.
“We’ve been taking an increasing leadership role over the last five, six years for the industry,” said Breeders’ Cup COO John Keitt. “A lot of issues have arisen, and not just for the Breeder’ Cup, but for all sports, that are focused on accountability, sustainability and social responsibility. We felt this was an opportunity for us to show some leadership. There are some great organizations in the industry that have been donating to charities for a long time. We feel that we can complement that.”
The organization began its charitable efforts approximately 20 years ago, primarily funding initiatives through merchandise sales revenue. This year marks a significant expansion of those efforts.
“We decided this year to launch a revamped, re-purposed Breeders’ Cup charities to try to make a bigger difference,” Keitt said. “We’ve been working on this for about a year. The Board has been very supportive. The first big step was when they authorized us to take all net royalties from merchandise sales and apply that to charity.”
Keitt emphasized the organization’s commitment to creating a sustainable business model for its charitable arm.
“What we’re trying to do is build a more sustainable business model for the charity that relies on potential streams of revenue at our event. We’re really changing things around with the idea of our program making a much more significant impact and to be a little bit more focused than we have been in the past.”
The expanded fundraising approach will incorporate revenue streams directly from the championship event itself. This includes allocating a percentage of revenue from official Breeders’ Cup cocktail sales to charitable causes. Fans will also have multiple contribution options, including an option to donate when purchasing event tickets.
According to a Breeders’ Cup press release, contributions will focus on five core pillars:
- Thoroughbred aftercare
- Jockey health and wellness
- Backstretch and industry workers
- Equine research
- Other impactful community initiatives
Beneficiaries will include the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance, the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund, the Grayson-Jockey Research Foundation and the Race Track Chaplaincy of America.
“The charities that we have identified to start with are more than pleased with what are offering to give them,” Keitt noted.
A second phase of the initiative will involve direct collaboration with recipient organizations to enhance their fundraising capabilities.
“We will look at how we can join with organizations so that we can be even more impactful,” Keitt explained. “We want to partner with these organizations so we can tell their stories as well. This is part of the mandate the board has given us to be as involved in the overall industry as much as possible.”
Donations can be made at www.breederscup.com/charities or by calling 859-514-9428.
