Courtesy L’arte LG Photography
Founded by Anita Motion in 2017 as a celebratory way to bring racing personalities together to raise funds and awareness for Thoroughbred aftercare, the Real Rider Cup today announced that it has raised over half a million dollars since its inaugural event.
The Real Rider Cup, now running its seventh consecutive year, has endured through a pandemic and changes of venue, and triumphed with added beneficiaries and additional legs of competition. The concept of inviting racing personalities to ride their Thoroughbreds in a show jumping competition was unique at the time, but the spirit of collaboration towards the shared goal of providing quality homes and fulfilling careers for Thoroughbreds beyond racing holds true to this day.
“The way that the Real Rider Cup has been embraced and the legs it has grown is inspiring and rewarding,” said Motion. “Our industry believes in Thoroughbred aftercare and it shows.”
Current beneficiaries of the Real Rider Cup, who represent the diverse types of organizations that make up the aftercare industry, work together to produce what now includes two separate legs of competition. Competitors, who pledge to raise a minimum of $1,000 each for the cause, still include representatives from across the racing industry but now also individuals from within the aftercare industry as well.
“We’re honored to have been a beneficiary of the Real Rider Cup since the beginning, but we’re especially proud to now work alongside New Vocations Racehorse Adoption Program and the Fair Hill Thoroughbred Show to support Anita in producing the event,” said Retired Racehorse Project executive director, Kirsten Green. “It’s important to demonstrate that we can all work collaboratively towards a shared goal, and the Real Rider Cup illustrates that collaboration exceptionally well.”
With the second leg of the Real Rider Cup set to be held at Fair Hill September 15th, there is still plenty of time to get involved. Rider registration is open through September 8th with a variety of sponsorship packages available.
Learn more at www.therealridercup.com.
