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After the Finish Line

Thoroughbred race horses are gifted animals with an unmatched combination of power and grace.  They’re what make horse racing an amazing, beautiful, and even confounding, sport.  Those lucky to witness Thoroughbred greatness have memories that last a lifetime. For me, it was watching MINESHAFT win the 2003 Jockey Club Gold Cup. And it’s not only the regally bred horses that touch our lives, it can be a North Dakota-bred claimer named SIZZLING GEORGE, who raced at Charles Town many, many years ago. He didn’t win any big races, but his spirit and determination first ignited my passion for the sport.

Yet for any sport to be considered great, it must take care of its athletes after their careers are over, be they human or equine. After all, not all race horses retire to the breeding shed on picturesque Kentucky farms. But they all should have suitable care once their racing or breeding careers are over.  Luckily, there are many volunteers and charitable associations throughout the country committed to Thoroughbred rescue and retirement; to preventing Thoroughbreds that raced for our enjoyment to suffer from neglect, or even slaughter.

One organization that WirePlayers.com is particularly happy to support is After The Finish Line. After the Finish Line, www.afterthefinishline.org, is a national 501 (c) 3 funding non-profit that provides grants to qualified Thoroughbred rescue organizations; funds that help support Thoroughbreds in their care that can no longer race or breed. In addition to yearly grants, After the Finish Line provides monthly emergency funds to rescue horses as needed throughout the year. Once rescued, many of the Thoroughbreds are able to transition into second careers such as hunters, jumpers, dressage, or trail horses.

After the Finish Line is in large part the result of tireless efforts by its President/Founder, Dawn Mellen. She appreciates and understands the horse racing industry and started After the Finish Line to do the following:

• To educate the public about the health, protection, preservation and alternative career options of Thoroughbreds when their racing orbreeding careers are over
• To provide a quality of life for Thoroughbred horses by funding rescue and retirement organizations to help support the current Thoroughbreds in their care
• To save additional Thoroughbreds from slaughter and neglect by contributing funds to the rescue and retirement organization’s efforts to purchase, care for, rehabilitate and retrain horses for a non-racing career

After the Finish Line brings people together that want to help, but might not know how. The easiest, and most productive, way to help is through charitable donations. The financial need for racehorse rescue can include saving horses at auction, surgery, veterinarian, feed, board, and rehabilitation expenses. Lack of funding prevents rescue organizations from being able to accept more horses into their program as they cannot jeopardize the care of existing horses by accepting more horses.

Recently retired Thoroughbred SCOOTER ROACH winning the 2004 Robert F. Carey Memorial Handicap (G3) - photo courtesy of Four Footed Fotos

With so many disparate rescue organizations around the country it’s hard to know which organizations could best use your contribution, and likewise, which will make the best use of your contribution. The individuals at After the Finish Line have been associated with other rescue organizations for the past decade and bring a broad base of knowledge to provide both grants and emergency funds to qualified Thoroughbred rescue and retirement organizations throughout the United States. After the Finish Line does not have any paid staff. Your donation goes directly to the ongoing welfare of the horses. After the Finish Line takes this responsibility seriously as their credibility and reputation has enabled them to increase the amount of funds coming into their non-profit to help more Thoroughbreds. They also understand proper standards of care are essential and monitor the rescue and retirement organizations to be sure that the needs of their Thoroughbreds are being met.

Recently, funding provided by After the Finish Line was used by the Illinois Equine Human Center (ILEHC) to retire 11-year old Illinois-bred SCOOTER ROACH.

SCOOTER ROACH arriving at the Illinois Equine Humane Center (ILEHC) - photo courtesy of ILEHC

Dawn is busy planning After The Finish Line’s biggest fundraising event of the year, their Annual Charity Fundraiser in Del Mar during the Del Mar race meet. To be held on August 5th at the Hilton Hotel and aptly named “A Tribute to the Majesty of Thoroughbreds,” it will include a reception, silent and live auctions, and dinner. Please contact Dawn if you’d like to reserve some seats or a table; she is gathering great items for donors to bid upon and it should be a memorable and rewarding evening. If you cannot attend please consider making a donation to support the Thoroughbreds.

As WirePlayers.com eventually transitions into a full-service advanced deposit wagering platform, we’ll continue to support After the Finish Line.  We know the vast majority of horseplayers care about the health and welfare of the sport of thoroughbred racing, and that includes the human and equine athletes who race for our betting and viewing pleasure. I encourage anyone interested in learning more about After the Finish Line to checkout their website or contact dawn@afterthefinishline.org to find out how to help. Whatever assistance you can provide will certainly be appreciated.

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