From the graceful mastery of dressage to soaring across the course as a jumper – it will not be a typical day out for horse lovers.
Run for the Ribbons Inc. invites you to be their guest at the Run for the Ribbons Florida Thoroughbred Expo to be held March 24-26 at Florida Horse Park in Ocala, Florida.
Competing for over $36,000 in prize monies, 31 former Florida-racehorses, some known to fans of Thoroughbred racing, have spent up to 4 years training and fine-tuning their skills in one of 8 select disciplines including hunters, jumpers, cross-country, dressage, free style, barrel racing, working ranch and polo.
Prizes will consist of Champion 1st Place- $1000 Reserve Champion 2nd Place- $800 3rd Place- $650 4th Place- $550 5th Place- $450 6th Place- $350 Top Amateur in discipline- $350 Top Junior in discipline- $350.
““I was ecstatic when I got the chance to launch Run for the Ribbons,” said President Laurine Fuller-Vargas (Barreira). “I have been intimately involved with thoroughbred racing since I was a child, and being a person who loves the industry and wants to see the industry thrive, I decided after-care is important. In fact, it’s very important if you are going to make your living off of race horses.”
Laurine’s family has deep roots in the Thoroughbred industry at all levels. She is a licensed thoroughbred trainer with horses running at Tampa Bay Downs. Her passion and dedication to this cause is unequaled, and who would expect less?
Her father, Antone Barriera, was a multiple stakes-winning jockey with over $5 million in earnings. Her mother, Lori Lockhart, was a top New England-based trainer with over 500 wins and was consistently atop the trainer’s standings. Her grandfather, Lloyd Lockhart was an owner/breeder/trainer for over 50 years and is a member of the New England Racing Hall of Fame.
Her husband retired jockey Jorge Fuller-Vargas is the son of Jorge L. Vargas Sr. excellent gate rider and finisher at Suffolk Downs, and his mother, Abigail (Abby) Fuller shattered the jockey gender-gap by famously guiding Mom’s Command to the 1985 Triple Crown for fillies.
Abby herself boasts a remarkable family tree, its branches heavy with lords, warriors, and politicos, among them an eighth great-uncle named Benjamin Franklin!
“We intend to educate the community on the versatility of the Thoroughbred breed. We also want to encourage the community and the Thoroughbred racing industry to further support our efforts, as well as other charitable organizations in Florida who also dedicate their time and resources to positively impact the lives of these horses,” Laurine said, “Our goal is to create an outlet for the horses, post racing. We also hope to encourage post-racetrack owners and trainers to pave the road to successful futures for these transformation horses through proper training techniques and strong foundations.”
“At the end of the day, we really hope the Expo will increase the demand of Thoroughbreds and encourage people to take on a ‘project horse,’” she concluded. “We certainly appreciate any level of support horsemen throughout Florida can provide, be it adopting, monetarily, or simply attending our events.”
About Run for the Ribbons, Inc.
Run for the Ribbons Inc. is a non-profit program dedicated to improving the lives of OTTB’s (off-track Thoroughbreds) after their racing careers. They rescue, rehab, retrain, provide events and re-home these horses. They specialize in re-schooling from track to trail.
Visit them at: http://runfortheribbons.org
More Information about the Event
For more information on the Run for the Ribbons Florida Thoroughbred Expo, including entry forms for horses and vendors and donation information, go to: http://runfortheribbons.org/florida-thoroughbred-transformation-exposition
Event Location
Florida Horse Park: http://www.flhorsepark.com/
Who to Contact
Run for the Ribbons President, Laurine Fuller-Vargas @ 774-328-1760 OR by emailing runfortheribbons@gmail.com
Watch Online
To view the event EQTV Network go to: http://eqtvnetwork.com/category/upcoming-broadcasts/
Donate
To donate to the cause go to: http://runfortheribbons.org/donor-form/
Follow on Social Media
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/runfortheribbons/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runfortheribbons/