Owners John Oxley, Dede McGehee of Heaven Trees Farm and Speedway Stables are the first three owners to pledge earnings from potential graded stakes wins on the road to the Kentucky Derby to the Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation's long-standing “Share the Wins” program to benefit equine research. Each has pledged 1% of net purses for graded stakes up to and including the Kentucky Derby.
“We appreciate the generosity of these owners in agreeing to our request to make these pledges, and we hope many others will follow their lead,” said Edward L. Bowen, president of Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation. “It is very kind of them to share the excitement of being on the Derby Trail, and it certainly is exciting for the foundation to have this connection with the respective owners of these talented racehorses.”
Oxley, who won the 2001 Run for the Roses with Monarchos, is most prominently represented this year by Airoforce (Colonel John), who makes his 3-year-old debut in Saturday's GII Risen Star S. at the Fair Grounds. Airoforce will be joined in the gate by McGehee's Dolphus (Lookin at Lucky), a half-brother to Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra (Medaglia d'Oro). Speedway Stables of Peter Fluor and K. C. Weiner retroactively pledged 1% of their profits from the GIII Sham S., won by the Bob Baffert-trained Collected (City Zip).
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