Nestled on 230 acres in the heart of New Jersey’s horse country, historic Moorland Farm plays host to the annual Far Hills Race Meeting, a one-day celebration of the equine athlete. The card attracts the best of the steeplechase division, with jockeys, trainers, and horses from across the sport convening in pursuit of rich prizes. Thousands gather on the gorgeous green to watch, wager, and revel in the spectacle.

The celebration goes on long after the last horse has crossed the finish line. Proceeds from Far Hills’s day of racing support multiple charitable efforts in the region, including a special fund inspired by a member of the Far Hills family that offers comfort to cancer patients during their greatest time of need.

An Emphasis on Generosity

First contested in 1915 as the Farmer’s Day Race Meeting, Far Hills began as a thank you from the Essex Fox Hounds to the farmers who allowed the group to hunt on their land. The event has evolved to become one of the premier steeplechase race meetings in the country, drawing top horses, riders, and spectators each year. Now approaching its 104^th edition, the single-day meet includes the Grade 1 American Grand National, the 2 5/8-mile test that influences the Eclipse Award for champion Steeplechase Horse.

Racing action at the 2024 Far Hills Race Meet. (Far Hills photo)

With Guy Torsilieri and Ron Kennedy at the helm, the Far Hills Race Meeting Association annually draws more than 30,000 people for the day’s festivities, while Fox Sports broadcasts the card and partner Monmouth Park provides pari-mutuel wagering through the 4NJBets app & fixed odds betting through MonmouthBets. Proceeds from ticket sales go toward the Association’s philanthropy, which has been an integral part of Far Hills’s mission since its earliest days.

 “We’ve been a 501(C)(3) since I’ve been involved with it,” Torsilieri said. “We had given so much money to Somerset Medical Center that when they built their cancer center, they named it in our honor. You go into the lobby, and there’s a huge trophy case inside the lobby. So, all the trophies, the Grand National, the Breeders Cup, all these trophies are on display year-round there along with pictures of steeplechase jockeys and horses in the lobby and on the walls and so forth.”  

“Far Hills has had a relationship with us since the ’50s,” said Donna Castronovo, vice president of foundation and development for Somerset Health Care Foundation, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset’s fundraising arm. “We’re the only hospital in Somerset County. And they have been so philanthropic with us, but it’s really about health care in the region and how we help the patient population that we serve.”

In addition to the Steeplechase Cancer Center, RWJUH Somerset’s behavioral health unit is also named for the association. “That also shows the longevity of their relationship with the hospital and their generosity over the years,” Castronovo shared.

Far Hills’ philanthropic spirit has supported RWJUH Somerset, a partnership that became especially meaningful when one of their own sought treatment there. A moment of serendipity there planted a seed that has grown into a unique opportunity to help those wrestling with cancer in their community.

The Start of Something Special

This most recent charitable effort started in 2018, when former Far Hills event planner and two-time cancer survivor Mindy Ashe crossed paths with a fellow patient who was struggling to find daily rides to radiation appointments.

Mindy Ashe woking at RWJUH Somerset wellness boutique. (RWJUH Somerset photo)

“When you go through radiation, you do it the same time every day for weeks and weeks and weeks. I came across a woman who was on the same schedule that I was, and she would come in late every day, but I didn’t know why. And I just assumed that it was traffic. One day I asked her, ‘Did you hit traffic?’ That’s when she told me that she didn’t have a ride to treatment and she would struggle every day trying to find somebody to get her there,” Ashe recalled. “It was like a ton of bricks that hit me, and I immediately went back and spoke with Guy Torsilieri and Ron Kennedy, and said, ‘We have to do something.’ ”

When Ashe came to them with her idea to start a fund to do something simple — “I was at the time focused on getting these people rides” —  both Torsilieri and Kennedy were on board.

“It was something that was very important to me,” Ashe said. “And I think Guy and Ron knew it when I came back and said to them, ‘We have to do something. This is a specific need that we need to address.’ And they were more than willing to do it.”

Their initial vision was simple: figure out a way to provide transportation for oncology patients at RWJUH Somerset.

From there, they went to Castronovo with the idea, where Ashe’s simple request blossomed into something bigger: “Guy wanted to get a van. He wanted to be able to transport patients back and forth. A lot of that was not feasible for any of us to do once we looked into it,” she shared. “We talked about a fund that we could put together and try to keep the criteria as loose as we could so we could really serve a lot of people and at their time of need, without a long, drawn-out application process.”

That has since evolved into the Far Hills Race Meeting Association Oncology Patient Assistance Fund. This fund supports cancer patients with whatever needs arise during treatment. They can cover everything from stocking a pantry to supplying a home with heating oil for the winter months to providing for needs not covered by health insurance, like wigs and lymphedema sleeves.

Steeplechase Cancer Center at RWJUH Somerset. (RWJUH Somerset photo)

To identify those in need, RWJUH Somerset learns about its patients. “We’re not just focused on, ‘OK, here’s your diagnosis, here’s your treatment.’ They get to know the patients. Like I said, they do a distress screening as part of their intake process. They ask, ‘What are things that you’re worried about?’ Then they can direct people to the fund if there’s things that they need,” explained Kathleen Roberts, assistant vice president, marketing and communications for RWJUH Somerset.

Over seven years, the fund and the Steeplechase Cancer Center “have served about 150 patients annually, including about 1,500 Uber health rides to and from medical appointments; grocery gift cards for those who need help purchasing food or medicine; and utility bills that we’ve paid,” Castronovo shared.

For Torsilieri, this cause is a personal one: his brother passed away from pancreatic cancer in 2007.

“Cancer touches everybody. We’ve given millions and millions to health care in the region, and this fund is the nearest and dearest to me,” Torsilieri said. “I know it’s really close to Ron Kennedy, my partner as well.”

As the 104^th edition of Far Hills approaches, racegoers will once again have the opportunity to take part in a grand tradition, celebrating the horse and the sport while knowing that their revelry will yield another year’s worth of benefits for those in their community battling cancer.

A Simple Idea Yields Profound Benefits

Ashe’s vision has morphed into a collective effort that benefits people just like her and so many in the Far Hills region. Both the association and the people behind RWJUH Somerset know the impact of their work.

“People are very thankful. We hear that via word of mouth, but there are acknowledgement letters that go to the social workers or the doctors, and they share them with us,” Castronovo said. “We read those anonymously just to let the employees know what’s happening and how thankful people are for this.”

Ashe’s vision has had a profound impact. (RWJUH Somerset photo)

That feedback has led Far Hills to invest even more so they can continue the work Ashe inspired. “We’ve been increasing the annual donation from the race. We also have other events on the property at Moorland Farm that have been donating to the fund as well,” Torsilieri said. “The more you talk about it, the more it grows, the more you need more money, the more you got to feed it.

“Every penny goes back to a patient. We’re not paying for salaries. We’re not paying for overhead. We’re not paying for a roof. We’re not paying for any of that. When you tell people that are interested in doing philanthropy and helping people and so forth, when you tell them that, that’s impressive.”

Ashe not only inspired the Far Hills Race Meeting Association Oncology Patient Assistance Fund but continues to serve her fellow patients at the Steeplechase Cancer Center. She now works in the wellness boutique helping provide essentials like wigs, mastectomy bras, prostheses, and more. She draws her inspiration for her work from Robin Roberts from “Good Morning America.”

“[Roberts] says, ‘Make your mess your message.’ I am a two-time cancer survivor, and I will admit there was times where I was very angry at the universe because I’m asking, ‘Why me?’ ”  Ashe said. “What she said stuck with me. It’s about turning your personal struggles into opportunities to help others. And that’s what I did. It’s helped me to manage. Maybe I got cancer because I was supposed to help other people.”

Thanks to Ashe’s determination and that serendipitous encounter, she not only survived cancer, but has given her friends at RWJUH Somerset and the Far Hills Race Meeting Association another avenue to impact the lives of those battling the disease in its many forms.

“Cancer is not going away anytime soon. And so, this fund is just so valuable and so important to so many people,” Ashe shared. “And I’m glad to now be working at the Steeplechase Cancer Center. Seeing the people who benefit from it is great.”

For Torsilieri and his Far Hills partner Kennedy, carrying on the charitable legacy of those who came before them is essential to their work. Their partnership with RWJUH Somerset creates meaningful ways to give back to the community that supports them, work that delivers lasting, immeasurable benefits for all involved.

“It’s something that’s in our blood. It’s in our DNA,” Torsilieri said. “Once you get involved with it, you see what you’re doing for people and so forth, and it grows on you. It becomes part of your soul. You really enjoy giving back.”

If you would like to contribute to the Far Hills Race Meeting Association Oncology Patient Assistance Fund, please visit http://www.rwjbh.org/somersetcancersupport.