Backside Learning Center

The Backside Learning Center (BLC), an independent organization providing support and resources for the diverse community of racetrack workers and their families at Churchill Downs and Kentucky racetracks will hold its annual fundraiser "Benefit for the Backside: A Day at the Races" on Friday, Nov. 21 at noon in the First Turn Club at Churchill, the non-profit said via a release on Wednesday. Both a live and silent auctions are planned with a range of different offerings. Sponsors for this year's benefit include: Rocket Ship Racing, Rigney Racing and FanDuel....

The Backside Learning Center (BLC) will host its largest annual fundraiser, 'Benefits for the Backside: A Day at the Races', Friday, Nov. 21 in the First Turn Club at Churchill Downs, the non-profit announced via press release. Set to begin at noon, guests will enjoy a day at the races with front row views from the clubhouse turn while celebrating and supporting backstretch workers and their families. An auction will be available both in-person and online, and a raffle will be held for a chance to win a Derby or...

Brook Smith doesn't own many horses, but when he gets involved with one, things always seem to go right. The latest example is Sierra Leone (Gun Runner), the winner of last year's GI Breeders' Cup Classic and a top contender for this year's $7-million race. Along with the same ownership group that is dominated by Coolmore, Smith also owns a piece of the fast 2-year-old Schwarzenegger (Not This Time), who is pre-entered for the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint. To talk about such things as his Breeders' Cup horses,...

The Backside Learning Center (BLC) will host a Derby Handicapping Social at Angel's Envy Distillery in Louisville on Tuesday, Apr. 15 at 5:30 p.m. ET. A handicapping seminar moderated by Donna Barton Brothers of NBC will feature FanDuel TV's Caton Bredar and Gabby Gaudet, as well as Churchill Downs analyst Joe Kristufek. "All of us on the panel are very excited to be in the new venue," said Bredar. "We all really look forward to the social, as we not only get to reconnect and get geared up for the...

The Backside Learning Center (BLC)--an independent non-profit organization providing support and resources for the diverse community of racetrack workers and their families--will hold its annual fundraiser, "Benefit for the Backside: A Day at the Races Celebrating the BLC's 20th Anniversary," Friday, Nov. 22 at Churchill Downs at noon. The public can participate online to purchase raffle tickets and bid on silent auction items. Information and specifics can be found on benefitforthebackside.com. This will be the second year the event will be held at the Churchill Downs' First Turn Club--a, spacious,...

The Backside Learning Center (BLC)--an independent non-profit organization providing support and resources for the diverse community of racetrack workers and their families at Churchill Downs--will hold its annual fundraiser, "Benefit for the Backside: A Day at the Races Celebrating the BLC's 20th Anniversary", at noon ET on Friday, Nov. 22 at the track's First Turn Club, the organization said via a Thursday release. All money raised through this annual event goes directly toward programming, resources and costs associated with the work of the BLC. Over its 20-year history, the BLC...

Team Kenny McPeek--including jockey Brian Hernandez and exercise rider Danny Ramsey--will be honored along with the Backside Learning Center, turf writer Sean Clancy and broadcaster Laffit Pincay III during the National Turf Writers and Broadcasters' 64th Annual Awards Dinner on Wednesday, Oct. 30 in Del Mar, California. The NTWAB Annual Awards Dinner is the organization's only fundraiser, and a portion of the proceeds of the event will fund Thoroughbred industry charities and internships for prospective racing journalists. The 2024 NTWAB Awards Dinner will be held at The Brigantine Del Mar,...

Trainer Cherie DeVaux and bloodstock agent David Ingordo have taken up Brook Smith's challenge and have joined the Backside Learning Center's "Purses for a Purpose" initiative. "I have a challenge," Smith said last week. "If we can get 150 owners, and 150 horses for that matter, and they pledge to donate 1% of purse winnings with these 150 horses, that moves a bigger needle than people realize. And it means a lot, the thought that the owners think about the backside, and those who support it." DeVaux and Ingordo have...

One of the many trademarks of Kentucky Derby week during mornings on the backside at Churchill Downs is the media frenzy that never fails to ensue as dozens of outlets vie for interviews with Derby and Oaks connections. Some owners shy from the camera, others embrace their moment in the spotlight, and most fall somewhere in between. One owner who will not be hesitating to get his horse's name out there over the next week is Brook Smith, a part-owner in GI Blue Grass S. winner Sierra Leone (Gun Runner)....

A portion of any purse money earned in the May 4 GI Kentucky Derby by Sierra Leone (Gun Runner), winner of the GI Blue Grass S. and expected to be one of the favorites for the American Classic, will benefit the Backside Learning Center (BLC)'s initiative "Purses for a Purpose." In addition, should the 'TDN Rising Star' win the Derby, co-owner Brook Smith has promised an additional $100,000 to the BLC. Smith, who recently joined the TDN Writers' Room, is a Louisville resident and long-time supporter of the BLC, which...

The families and children who rely on the Backside Learning Center have a GI Kentucky Derby horse to root for. Sierra Leone (Gun Runner), the winner of the GII Risen Star S. at the Fair Grounds, is partially owned by Brook Smith, who is part of a partnership led by Coolmore. Smith has been a generous supporter of the Backside Learning Center and, through the Purses for a Purpose program, donates a portion of his earnings every time a horse of his picks up a check. Smith joined this week's...

With 20 questions and a tiebreaker facing contest participants, entries are now open for the 2023 Thoroughbred Idea Foundation Derby Prop Contest, the organization said in a release Wednesday. The entry portal closes at 11:00 a.m. E.T. this Saturday, May 6. Players should keep track of their answers as you will not be able to revisit the survey portal once you submit your entry. Should a horse named directly in a prop be scratched, all answers to that prop may be counted as correct. Winners will be notified by email...