GOOD NEWS FRIDAY sponsored by Liberation Farm - SCRATCHING THE SURFACE
By Ray Paulick
This has been a very difficult year, not just for people in the horse industry, but in communities across the United States and throughout the world that have been adversely affected by the global economic crisis. For the international community involved in the breeding, raising and selling of Thoroughbred racehorses, the hardships were never more evident than in the recent 14-day Keeneland September yearling sale.
But what a resilient community we have. As yearling prices spiraled downward day after day, we heard slivers of optimism from breeders who felt something good may come out of this depressed market: more opportunities for horse buyers; further downward adjustments in the number of mares being bred to help balance supply vs. demand; smaller books for stallions and more selectivity in the process.
Those slivers of optimism and points of light are what led Brad Cummings, my partner in the Paulick Report, and me earlier this year to create a new feature celebrating “good news” in the industry and bring it to our readers each Friday. Liberation Farm’s Rob Whiteley, whose voice message on his office phone tells callers they can leave a message “if you’ve made the world a better place today,” loved the initial Good News Friday feature on Father Chris Clay, the son of Runnymede Farm owner Cateby Clay who gave up an opportunity to run that historic farm and follow a higher calling that led him to the priesthood. Rob liked it so much, in fact, he asked if Liberation Farm could sponsor the Good News Friday feature, but wondered if we could find and relate enough good news out there to sustain it each week.
“Yes,” I said without hesitation, though if truth were to be told I had the same concerns as Rob. Is there really enough good news and enough people and organizations in the industry making a positive difference to make this feature last?
“Yes,” I can say again without hesitation, and this time—as the Paulick Report this week celebrates its six-month anniversary for the Good News Friday feature—I really mean it.
Forgive me for getting a bit personal here, but the search for good news has been an enlightening journey of discovery. Researching and writing these features has been great therapy for me, and I can confidently say that Brad and I have barely scratched the surface of the wealth of people and organizations performing meaningful and sometimes profound service in so many different ways.
Who knew? Certainly not me.
During this process, we’ve learned and shared stories about individuals like Mary Jo Pons, the tireless matriarch of Maryland’s Country Life Farm who for the past 30 years has volunteered countless hours reading to the blind on the Radio Reading Network of Maryland, and Southern California jockey David Flores, who has given so much back to the impoverished children of Tijuana, Mexico, where he launched his riding career; focused on little-known programs like the Fred Russell-Grantland Rice scholarship program for aspiring journalists started long ago by Oaklawn Park’s Charles Cella and administered by the Thoroughbred Racing Associations of North America; gone behind the scenes at special events like Keeneland’s Military Appreciation Day, a wonderful and unique event for those who serve our country; and explained the critical work being done by numerous charitable organizations, including the Jockey Club Foundation, the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund, the Race for Education, Horse Farm Workers Educational Assistance Fund and Boys’ Haven.
If it wasn’t for Good News Friday, I wouldn’t have had any idea how important the Blue Grass Farms Chaplaincy is to my local community in Lexington, Ky., and I certainly wouldn’t have shown up and learned how to be a blackjack dealer at last night’s “Racino Grande” annual fundraiser at Keeneland. And, no, Kentucky’s Senate president, David "Blackjack" Williams did not attend, or if he did, he didn’t play cards at my table (pictured, left).
But to conclude on a serious note, all the individuals and organizations doing good work to make our industry stronger, better and more responsible have enriched my life in ways they’ll never know, and I thank all of them for it. We’ll be back next Friday with more good news, as always, sponsored by Liberation Farm.
Liberation Farm celebrates the many horsemen and horsewomen who strive each day to make things better for horses and those who work with them. To learn more about Liberation Farm, click here.
Copyright © 2009, The Paulick Report
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Tags: blue grass farms chaplaincy, Boys' Haven, Brad Cummings, catesby clay, Charles Cella, david flores, father chris clay, Fred Russell-Grantland Rice scholarship program, Good News Friday, horse farm workers' educational assistance fund, Jockey Club Foundation, Keeneland September, Keeneland's Military Appreciation Day, liberation farm, Mary Jo Pons, oaklawn park, permanently disabled jockeys fund, race for education, Radio Reading Network of Maryland, Ray Paulick, rob whiteley, runnymede farm, thoroughbred racing associations of north america
October 2nd, 2009 at 1:20 pm
Amen to today’s Good News Mr. Paulick! Someone once said to me - An attitude of gratitude reaps abundance. Maybe if we all said our thank yous for what we have instead of complaining about what we don’t have this industry would reap some much needed abundance! Thank you for what you do and I thank God every day for this industry and for keeping me employed!
October 2nd, 2009 at 1:25 pm
And I hope many will take money for a wager or two on weekends and donate them to some of the causes. Each person may not be able to help them all, but this column has opened my eyes to many good folks who are making positive change in the industry.
October 2nd, 2009 at 2:50 pm
Dear Ray. Thanks for the Good News. With the world full of bad news a bit of GOOD NEWS is a wonderful antidote. The racing industry is full of wonderful people doing wonderful things for their fellow man. The Good Book (the Bible) instructs us to “Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” Not always easy, and it doesn’t change anything but your attitude, but that is the one thing we have control over. Keep up the good work.
October 2nd, 2009 at 7:12 pm
Thank you Ray for sharing. I think the best thing about good news is that it’s contagious. As you have found, the more you look the more you find. There are so many wonderful people in this industry who generously give their time with no expectation of even acknowledgement to make this earth a better place for other people and the horses.
I have a dear friend who is 63 years old, has a very limited income, a 20 year old broken down truck with no heater or defroster (near Chicago), and a room to live in. She has no telephone or cable tv or anything the majority of us take for granted. What she does have is 4 horses, two geriatric horses she bred and two she took on because they were going to a killer sale. She puts every dime she makes into caring for these horses. They are fat, healthy and well cared for. Most importantly, she has made them her family. Her life is devoted to taking care of these horses and every starving stray she comes across. Despite the incredible financial hardship she lives under, she is very happy. Her secret, attitude. She is grateful for the opportunity to make a difference in these animals’ lives.
October 3rd, 2009 at 10:52 am
Thanks for those comments Marcia, Richard, Pat and Susan. They are greatly appreciated. And Pat, thanks for your encouragement over the years and for being an inspiration for so many of us through the way you live your life.
October 4th, 2009 at 7:08 am
Ray
Great idea and the best of luck. Life is too short for us to concentrate on the not so good moments that life tosses us
This down turn will bring new blood into the fold ,I have seen it before and I know it will come again.
Never been a better time to get back in the saddle
Dermot