
A Day in the Life of a Kentucky Derby Horse
Tickets are now available for the 10TH annual America’s Best Racing (ABR) Pre-Preakness Party. In celebration of the 150th running of the Preakness Stakes, the ABR Pre-Preakness Party is set to be held on Wednesday, May 14, 2025, at the Mt. Washington Tavern in Baltimore, Maryland.
Proceeds from the ABR Pre-Preakness Party will benefit Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance and The Jockey Club Safety Net Foundation. Registration is also open for the correlating silent auction that benefits Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance and occurs during the live event. The event will also strive to raise awareness for a continued event partner, the Ed Brown Society, which celebrates the rich history of African Americans in the equine industry and creates opportunities for young people of color to gain industry exposure. New to the Pre-Preakness Party this year will be a meet and greet with jockeys in support of the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund (PDJF).
Presented by title sponsor Maryland Jockey Club and supporting sponsor Ambassador Earle Mack, the Pre-Preakness Party is one of the most anticipated events of Preakness week. The party is fully open to the public and provides an opportunity to mingle with racing personalities, which over the years have included Preakness trainers, owners, and jockeys.
“We are thrilled to support this great event as it marks a 10-year milestone and sets the stage for the historic running of the 150th Preakness Stakes,” said Bill Knauf, president and general manager of the Maryland Jockey Club. “In addition to the party, which is accessible to all fans of racing, this is an opportunity to recognize and support the vital work of Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance, as well as The Jockey Club Safety Net Foundation, Ed Brown Society, and PDJF.”
Tickets for the event are available online for $35 per person and will be available at the door for $50 per person. The ticket price includes:
To purchase tickets online visit here.
In addition to an evening of networking, cocktails, and hors d’oeuvre – which all begins when doors open at 6 p.m. ET – the silent auction will again be one of the main attractions of the Pre-Preakness Party. The auction items will be on display at the party location but bidding can be done either in-person or remotely. Registration for the auction is open, and items will continue to be added. The auction will open on Monday, May 12, at 10 a.m. ET, and will close just before the conclusion of the party on Wednesday, May 14, at 8:30 p.m. ET.
To register for the auction and for bidding, visit here.
“We always get excited this time of year as Triple Crown season approaches and for me, personally, this is the one event I look forward to more than any this time of year,” said Dan Tordjman, ABR’s vice president. “When we initially launched this event, we just wanted to bring people together in a space that was fun and accessible to everyone. As I look back, I couldn’t be prouder of the fact that this is now an event that everyone looks forward to annually and that it continues to raise awareness for causes that are essential to the work we do all year around in marketing the sport.”
About America’s Best Racing
America’s Best Racing is a multimedia fan development and awareness-building platform, initiated by The Jockey Club, designed to increase the profile and visibility of North America’s best Thoroughbred racing events and is the online destination for all things related to the sport. Through expert content, human and equine interest features, award-winning video content, livestream, second-screen productions, and wide-reaching programs, America’s Best Racing introduces the love of horse racing to the next generation of fans, turning them into lifelong fans of the sport and lifestyle. For more information about “A Stake in Stardom” and the Road to the Triple Crown visit americasbestracing.net. You can follow America’s Best Racing at americasbestracing.net as well as on social media platforms Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok.
]About Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance
Based in Lexington, KY, Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that accredits, inspects, and awards grants to approved aftercare organizations to retrain, retire, and rehome Thoroughbreds using industry-wide funding. Along with continued funding from its original partners Breeders’ Cup, The Jockey Club, and Keeneland Association, Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance is supported by owners, trainers, breeders, racetracks, aftercare professionals, and other industry members. Since its inception in 2012, Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance has granted more than $36.04 million to accredited aftercare organizations. Currently, 83 aftercare organizations comprised of approximately 175 facilities across North America have been granted accreditation. To learn more about Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance, visit thoroughbredaftercare.org.]
About The Jockey Club Safety Net Foundation
The Jockey Club Safety Net Foundation is a charitable trust that provides, on a confidential basis, financial relief to needy members of the Thoroughbred industry and their families. Recipients of the Safety Net Foundation’s support represent virtually 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. Assistance can come in any number of forms, including financial aid for basic living expenses such as rent and household bills, and for medication, surgical, and hospital costs. Since 1985, The Jockey Club Safety Net Foundation has provided more than $19 million in assistance. To learn more about The Jockey Club Safety Net Foundation visit tjcfoundation.org.
About the Ed Brown Society
The Ed Brown Society is named after the noted African American horseman, Edward Dudley Brown from Lexington, who achieved great success as a jockey, trainer and owner from the latter 19th century through the time of his retirement in 1903. Brown, who won the 1870 Belmont Stakes aboard Kingfisher, trained Baden-Baden to win the 1877 Kentucky Derby and developed future Derby winners Ben Brush and Plaudit, was inducted into the Racing Hall of Fame in 1984. For additional information about the Ed Brown Society, visit edbrownsociety.org.
About the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund
The Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund (PDJF) is an independent charitable organization that provides financial assistance to jockeys who have suffered catastrophic on-track injuries. The PDJF was created in 2006 as a collaborative effort of leaders representing race tracks, jockeys, horsemen’s groups, and others within the Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse industries. The PDJF provides much-needed financial support to permanently disabled jockeys who have given so much to the sport of horse racing. Currently, the PDJF supports 60 former riders who have suffered paralysis, brain injuries, or both. Since its founding, the PDJF has disbursed nearly $13.5 million dollars in aid.