Justify’s co-owners honored by Chaplaincy
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. » Triple Crown winner Justify’s principal co-owners Ken and Lisa Troutt were honored Wednesday for their long-time support of New York Racetrack Chaplaincy, which serves the more than 1,000 backstretch workers who come to Saratoga each year.
More than 200 people turned out for the organization’s annual brunch at Saratoga National Golf Club.
The event raised tens of thousands of dollars for Chaplaincy programs such as a children’s summer camp, teen mentoring, women’s seminars and a benevolence fund that provides food, clothing and medical care to people in need.
The Troutts couldn’t attend the fundraiser, for family reasons, but expressed thanks to the Chaplaincy through a prepared video message.
“You’ve touched thousands and thousands of people,” Ken Troutt said.
“We’ve met wonderful people and we’ve witnessed God at work by people helping people,” his wife said.
The Troutts own WinStar Farm in Kentucky, where Justify is preparing for a new career as a highly-prized sire, after being retired from racing following a recent ankle injury.
WinStar Farm President and CEO Elliott Walden accepted a colorful painting on the Troutts’ behalf from Chaplaincy Programs Director Nick Caras. The scene depicts jockeys and race horses coming around a turn, upheld by the hands of God.
Quoting a Bible verse, Walden explained how Justify was named: “For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified.”
“Ken and Lisa’s faith, and jockey Mike Smith’s faith were on display during the entire Triple Crown run,” he said.
However, Caras said the Troutts were selected as this year’s Chaplaincy honorees long before Justify achieved racing immortality.
“It had nothing to do with the Triple Crown,” he said. “They have been supporters prayerfully, financially to Racetrack Chaplaincy national and New York for many years.”
The Chaplaincy provides a variety of children’s enrichment, social service, recreational, and educational programs, as well as non-denominational religious services.
During the brunch, emcee Liz Bishop, a CBS6 News anchor, introduced Nancy Kelly as New York Racetrack Chaplaincy’s new president.
“I didn’t even think about it,” Kelly said. “I just said yes. I’m hoping we can do many great things for the backstretch industry in New York.”
Backstretch workers are racing’s unsung heroes whose skill, dedication and experience is needed to care for the sport’s expensive animals that can be quite difficult and dangerous to handle at times.
Bishop challenged attendees to meet specific fundraising goals for various Chaplaincy services such as $10,000 for a sixweek Summer Enrichment Pro-
gram provides daily children’s activities; $5,000 for women’s seminars focused on topics such as domestic violence, immigration and food nutrition; $8,000 for holiday events and worker transportation; $5,000 for a benevolence fund; $5,000 for providing 300 kids with backpacks filled with back-to-school supplies; and $5,000 for teen mentoring.
Brunch attendees were also given an opportunity to have their picture taken with New York Racing Association’s new Triple Crown trophy. The sterling silver and 14-karat gold award stands more than three feet tall and has semi-precious stones representing the colors of the three Triple Crown tracks - green, red and green with a horse and jockey on top.
The trophy was awarded to Justify’s team including trainer Bob Baffert after the champion 3-year-old’s Belmont Stakes victory in June.
Fans many also have their picture taken with the trophy from 1:30-3:30 p.m. Saturday at Saratoga Race Course, at the Community Outreach Booth located outside the Jockey Silks Room and across from the Saratoga Walk of Fame. A $5 donation is suggested to the Lustgarten Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to funding pancreatic cancer research.
Also Saturday, an autograph signing with Saratoga’s leading trainers is scheduled from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. near the paddock mutuel building. Autographs will be available for a suggested $10 donation to the Lustgarten Foundation.
Trainers expected to participate include Hall of Famers Bill Mott and Shug McGaughey, seventime Eclipse Award winner Todd Pletcher, current meet leading trainer Chad Brown, Gary Contessa and Linda Rice.
For more information about New York Racetrack Chaplaincy or to make a donation, go to: rtcany.org.