Indiana Grand's 'Jockeys & Jeans' Raises $201,000 For PDJF
The second annual “Jockeys and Jeans” event held May 30 at Indiana Grand Racing & Casino, Shelbyville, Ind., raised $201,078 for the Permanently Disabled Jockeys’ Fund (PDJF). The amount raised is the highest since the PDJF’s inception in 2006.
“Jockeys and Jeans” is a group of former riders dedicated to aiding jockeys who have suffered career-ending injuries by increasing awareness of their physical and emotional struggles and providing funds to rebuild their lives. Its motto is, “We are the lucky ones. We walked away intact. We will never forget our brothers and sisters who did not.”
Aided by an all-star roster of honorary committee members who donated several valuable items to the live and silent auctions, “Jockeys and Jeans” brought together Triple Crown-winning jockeys Steve Cauthen and Jean Cruguet in addition to several Hall of Fame and other legendary riders for the event. Honorary Chairman Ron Turcotte could not attend due to his recuperation from injuries suffered in a recent car accident.
The event featured the largest gathering of Hall of Fame jockeys outside of its annual induction ceremony. In attendance were: Walter Blum; Bill Boland; Stacy Burton; Patty Cooksey; Pat Day; Dave Erb; Earlie Fires; Jack Fires; Abigail Fuller; Jack Kaenel; Tad Leggett; Chris McCarron; Mike Manganello; Laffit Pincay, Jr.; John Rotz; Barbara Jo Rubin; Michael Straight; Jorge Velasquez; and Anne Von Rosen.
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“The Jockeys and Jeans committee is absolutely thrilled by the level of success we achieved at Indiana Grand,” said event organizer Barry Pearl. “This will be the standard for our event going forward and we hope other tracks around the country will want to take ownership of this event and make it even bigger and better.”
PDJF President Nancy LaSala added, “We sincerely thank Centaur Gaming, owners of Indiana Grand, and especially President and Chief Operating Officer James Brown and Vice-President of Racing Brian Elmore and their staff for their help in making this event a successful and enjoyable one for attendees and fans alike.”
“The goal of “Jockeys and Jeans” from the very start was to raise money and awareness, and we are overwhelmed at the support brought in by everyone involved,” said Jon Schuster, vice president and general manager of racing for Indiana Grand. “Getting such a national response from the legendary jockeys who were in attendance to show their support for PDJF was a great boost. PDJF supports 60 disabled riders and having some of those jockeys at the event was also very gratifying. We are so grateful to everyone who contributed their time, skills and resources to make this event such a huge success.”
Gold sponsors of the event included Cowpokes Work & Western Wear; John Deere; Helping Hands For Freedom; Indiana Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association; National Thoroughbred Racing Associations; and Wrangler.
A highlight of the evening was the running of the $75,000-added PDJF Stakes, a 7 ½ furlong turf contest which was won by Eoin Harty-trained Crittenden ridden to a neck victory by Fernando De La Cruz. Disabled jockeys gathered in the winner’s circle for the trophy presentation.
Live and silent auctions of sports memorabilia, art, and other valuable items drew a crowd of bidders both online and in person. Auction services were donated by Jeff Boone Auctions. A high bid of $30,000 by Indiana Grand executive James Brown bought a colorful painting of jockeys Chris McCarron, Laffit Pincay, Jr., and Steve Cauthen by noted sports artist Bill Lopa. It was the evening’s top seller. In addition to the auctions, Helping Hands For Freedom, which supports military families facing injuries, loss, and deployment, generously donated $10,000 to the PDJF.
