EDITED PDJF PRESS RELEASE
METAIRIE, LA—Jockeys and Jeans, which raises funds for the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Funds, has announced Gulfstream Park and 1/ST Racing will host their 10th annual fundraiser on Saturday, Jan. 11 beginning at Noon.
Gulfstream, which played host to Jockeys and Jeans in 2016, will become the first facility to host the event twice.
“Gulfstream Park and 1/ST are pleased to host Jockeys and Jeans during our Championship Meet, and we’re proud to partner as we work together to advance and promote the welfare and security of jockeys and riders during and after their careers,” Stephen Screnci, 1/ST Racing President of Racing and Business Development Stephen Screnci said.
To date, Jockeys and Jeans has raised $3.4 million for PDJF through its fundraising efforts that include an annual stallion season sale. This is the first time there will be an autograph signing for the local jockey colony before the races and then one later for the Hall of Fame riders attending. This year’s event will also honor the memory of Hall of Fame members Walter Blum and Bobby Ussery. The event will be held in the track’s spacious Flamingo Room.
Early Bird Tickets are $100 with each attendee receiving a buffet luncheon, a poster signed by the Hall of Fame and other legendary jockeys attending and the unusual opportunity to mix and mingle with those famous jockeys. Tickets are available at pdjf.org/purchase-tickets.
“The event date is prime time for the track’s Winter Championship season that features Pegasus World Cup Day and the Florida Derby,” Jockeys and Jeans Interim President Eddie Donnaly said. “The track is the winter home of several Hall of Fame jockeys and arguably the most talented riding colony in the nation. We expect to attract at least 15 retired Hall of Fame and legendary jockeys there to honor several of their fallen brother and sister jockeys.”
Jockeys and Jeans will soon announce the recipient of its annual Person of the Year Award, traditionally a household name in the racing industry, others who will attend the event, and the racing celebrity who will be the event’s Master of Ceremonies.
“Last year at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas we raised a record $425,000 for PDJF, and that is a high bar to clear,” Donnaly said. “But we have assurances from officials at Gulfstream Park that they will go all out to promote the event. Our all-volunteer committee members know that the racing community understands the critical need and will again respond to our appeal to aid the 60 riders who suffered career ending injuries, with some 40 no longer riding races but wheelchairs.”
