Racing fans will have the unique opportunity to bid on and acquire halters and hats of this year’s Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic entrants during “Hats and Halters,” an online auction fundraiser that opens Oct. 25 and runs through Nov. 4 at 7 p.m. ET.

The auction will raise funds for the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund (PDJF) and The Jockey Club Safety Net Foundation, a charitable trust that provides financial relief and assistance to in-need members of the Thoroughbred industry and their families.

The auction winner of each halter gets a meet and greet with the horse by January 2023, and if they select the halter of the subsequent Breeders’ Cup Classic winner, they receive $5,000. There will also be a limited number of Breeders’ Cup hats of all Classic entrants provided by the Breeders’ Cup and signed by the jockey slated to ride the horse in the Classic. They will be offered for $200. Displays will be featured at Jocktails, Fashionable Fillies, and A Call to Post.

“Hats and Halters” Gold Sponsors include WinStar Farm and CHC (Life Is Good); Lane’s End, West Point Thoroughbreds, Siena Farm, Hronis Racing, and Summer Wind Equine (Flightline); Gainesway, LNJ Foxwoods, Grandview Equine, and Cheyenne Stable (Olympiad); Gainesway, Strauss Bros. Racing, and Roadrunner Racing (Hot Rod Charlie); Zedan Racing Stables (Taiba); Wertheimer and Frere and Airdrie Stud (Happy Saver); Red TR Racing (Rich Strike); and Spendthrift Farm.

The Jockey Club Safety Net Foundation’s assistance includes financial aid, medication, surgical and hospital costs, therapeutic equipment, voice-recognition computers for quadriplegics, and wheelchair-accessible vans, among other needs. Recipients of the Safety Net Foundation’s support represent nearly every facet of the Thoroughbred industry, from jockeys, trainers, exercise riders, and grooms to office personnel and other employees of racetracks, racing organizations, and breeding farms. The Safety Net Foundation has provided more than $16 million in assistance. For more information, visit www.tjcfoundation.org.

“Our heartbeat is for the people who work so hard to care for our beloved athletes,” said Shannon Kelly, executive director of The Jockey Club Safety Net Foundation. “Thanks to all the owners and bidders who will participate.”

The PDJF is a 501 (c) (3) public charity that provides financial assistance to approximately 60 former jockeys who have suffered catastrophic on-track injuries. Since its founding in 2006, the PDJF has disbursed more than $12 million to permanently disabled jockeys, most of whom have sustained paralysis or traumatic brain injuries. For more information and to donate, please visit www.pdjf.org or call (630) 595-7660.

“We are always grateful for the support of our beloved jockeys by the owners,” said Nancy LaSala, PDJF president. “Their support means the world to our recipients.”

For more information and to participate in the online halter auction, visit 32Auctions.com/BCHatsandHalters2022. For the hats, visit https://pdjf.org/shop/.