Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation

The Thoroughbred Education and Research Foundation (TERF) announced Friday the awarding of $62,389 in research grants to Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation and Foundation for the Horse. The following grant was awarded to Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation, Inc.: TERF awards $10,000 to support the work of Dr. Sue Stover at the University of California for research involving motion of the proximal sesamoid bones. The project will examine how uneven footing, hoof conformation, shoeing, and uneven racetrack surfaces could contribute to fetlock breakdowns. The following grants were awarded to the Foundation for...

Seven Central Kentucky restaurants will participate in a new "Dine out for Charity" fundraiser for Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation. The restaurants will donate a percentage of all sales--or a percentage of sales from specialty menu items--to Grayson from Oct. 26 through Nov. 29. "Horses of all breeds and disciplines are an integral part of Kentucky's culture and economy, and we are thankful for the support of many of Central Kentucky's best restaurants in facilitating equine health," said Dell Hancock, chairman of Grayson. "We believe that this initiative is a great...

Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation is partnering with Old Kentucky Chocolates to raise money for equine veterinary research through the production and sale of equine-inspired boxes of chocolate. The boxes will contain information on Grayson and ways to donate, and $1 from each box sold will go toward the foundation. "We are excited to partner with Old Kentucky Chocolates to enable anyone who loves horses and sweets to gift a taste of Central Kentucky to others while supporting an important cause," said Dell Hancock, chairman of Grayson. "Horses are synonymous with...

Lexington, KY--The 2022 Welfare and Safety of the Racehorse Summit was held Wednesday, June 22 in the Keeneland sales pavilion. The event was presented by The Jockey Club and the Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation. "This was the tenth edition of the Welfare and Safety of the Racehorse Summit," said Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation's President Jamie Haydon following the event. "It's really astounding to think that we couldn't measure how many horses had died on the racetrack when we started this, and now not only are we presenting risk factors nationally,...

Claiborne Farm's Dell Hancock, longtime chairman of Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation, accepted the Dinny Phipps Award at the Belmont Stakes Charity Celebration Thursday, June 9, at Tavern on the Green in New York. Plans to honor Hancock with the award and details about the nature of the award had been previously announced. "Our families have always shared a common bond and common dedication to the horse, and I think that is what has kept us striving in that same direction toward equine health over all those generations and years," said...

Longtime owner and breeder Helen Groves passed away last Friday at her home in San Antonio, Texas. She was 94. Groves's love of horses began while she was growing up on the historic King Ranch founded by her great-grandfather, Captain Richard King. A skilled rider, she raised and campaigned many champion cutting horses. Known as the "First Lady of Cutting," Groves was inducted into the Cowgirl Hall of Fame in 1998. She also owned Grand Prix jumpers ridden by Olympian Michael Matz. Groves's passion for breeding and racing on her...

Edited Press Release Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation announced today that Dell Hancock, chairman of the foundation, has been named the fifth recipient of the Dinny Phipps Award. She will be presented with the award at the Belmont Stakes Charity Celebration, which will be held Thursday, June 9. Earle Mack, an active participant in Thoroughbred racing and breeding for more than five decades, created the award in 2017 in memory of Phipps to honor an individual or individuals who have demonstrated dedication to equine health. Previous winners of the Dinny Phipps...

The board of directors of Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation announced Tuesday that it has authorized expenditure of $1,661,180 to fund 15 new projects and 10 continuing projects at 16 universities as well as three career development awards. The 2022 slate of research brings Grayson's totals since 1983 to more than $32.1 million to underwrite 412 projects at 45 universities. "Grayson aims to support projects that address a wide range of equine health issues, and this diversity can be seen in our approved projects this year," said Jamie Haydon, president of...

The 10th Welfare and Safety of the Racehorse Summit will take place June 22, 2022, in the Keeneland Sales Pavilion, the Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation announced Feb. 28. The previous summit, held in June 2020, was a virtual webinar due to the COVID-19 outbreak. The event will be free and open to the public as well as being streamed online. The agenda will include a review of the Thoroughbred industry's implementation of safety recommendations developed at the first summit in 2006 as well as a presentation by Dr. Tim Parkin...

Edited press release Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation has issued a formal call for research applications focused on the development of a nucleic acid-based vaccine against equine herpes virus (EHV). Dr. John Ballantyne and Fargo-Moorhead Area Foundation have committed $2 million to fund this research. "We are so grateful to Dr. Ballantyne for his generosity in supporting efforts to address EHV, a disease that affects all horses," said Dell Hancock, chair of the foundation. "This gift will enable Grayson to continue its commitment to funding critical research for horses, and our...

The Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation, the nation's leading source of private funding for equine medical research, has created an endowment to support the "A. Gary Lavin Chair." The full-time position, created in recognition of the late Dr. Gary Lavin's contributions to the foundation and to equine health, will include research advisory committee (RAC) member recruitment, orientation, and management; management of grant applications, reviews, deadlines, and conflict eliminations; fundraising; and publicity. "Dr. Lavin made innumerable contributions to Grayson over the last 40 years, including time spent as a valued member of...

Edited Release The first several months of the year make up the bulk of the busy foaling season in Central Kentucky, so when the region's farms and equine practitioners began noticing increases of diarrhea in foals ages two to seven days old, there was concern. In response, the University of Kentucky Gluck Equine Research Center is using a portion of its existing Koller Emergency Funds, and the Kentucky Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Foundation, Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation and Coolmore America are leading an effort to help provide additional funding, allowing...