Turfway Park has given Second Stride $3,832.58 to pay for the aftercare of 12 retired racehorses that were last stabled at the Florence, Ky., racetrack or ran there during 2011.

Turfway officials sent the money after learning those horses had been cared for by Second Stride after their racing careers were over. All of those horses have been placed in new homes.

“It is wonderful to see how much Turfway cares about its horses. This was not a solicited donation; they came to us,” said Second Stride President Kim Smith. “Caring for and retraining retired racehorses can be very expensive, and we rely solely on donations. To see a racetrack step up, and without being asked, to help ensure a better future for these horses sets an example we hope other tracks will follow.”

The money was generated by owners pledging $1 per start toward thoroughbred aftercare, with Turfway matching the owners’ donations.

Newly named Kentucky State Racing Steward Barbara Borden, a former horse identifier at Turfway, played an instrumental role in the donation. Chip Bach, Turfway’s Director of Operations, signed the letter with the donation check. Together, Borden, Bach and the track’s Director of Communications, Sherry Pinson, make up the Turfway Aftercare Program (TAP), with track President Bob Elliston supporting the efforts.