Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Barbaro Fund for Equine Health and Safety Research Makes Disbursement of $49,000 for Laminitis Study

The National Thoroughbred Racing Association’s (NTRA) subsidiary, NTRA Charities, announced today that the Barbaro Fund for Equine Health and Safety Research has disbursed $49,000 to support the second year of a research project on laminitis.

The funds from the Barbaro Fund for Equine Health and Safety Research will support:


· “In Vivo Gene Transfer for the Treatment of Laminitis,” by Dr. Dean Richardson at the University of Pennsylvania. The project seeks to develop a gene therapy approach to prevent laminitis in the contralateral hoof when a horse is being treated for a musculoskeletal injury.

The balance of the “In Vivo Gene Transfer for the Treatment of Laminitis” project costs in 2011—$14,924—will be funded by the Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation. The Barbaro Fund for Equine Health and Safety Research also supported this project in 2010 through the Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation.

“We are proud to continue our support of this important laminitis project, which has already come up with some promising preliminary data,” said NTRA President and CEO Alex Waldrop, who is also the president of NTRA Charities. “We thank Pfizer Animal Health for its continued strong support of the Barbaro Fund for Equine Health and Safety Research. Pfizer’s generosity—along with the contributions of so many of Barbaro’s fans—have kept Barbaro’s memory alive in this very constructive way.”

Since Barbaro’s passing, hundreds of his fans have given to his legacy fund. And in 2008, Pfizer Animal Health teamed up with the NTRA to generate funding for laminitis and equine safety research. Thanks to these efforts, the Barbaro Fund for Equine Health and Safety Research has disbursed almost $400,000 in support of conferences, research programs and several research projects—virtually all focused on finding a cure for laminitis, the painful and often fatal hoof disease that plagued Barbaro for so much of his recuperative period following his injury in the 2006 Preakness Stakes.

Formed in 1999 as a subsidiary of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA), NTRA Charities is a nonprofit, 501 (c) (3) public charity whose mission is to promote and support charities in or related to the Thoroughbred industry. For more information contact Peggy Hendershot, NTRA Charities executive director, at (800) 792-6872 or visit NTRACharities.org.

The NTRA is a broad-based coalition of horse racing interests consisting of leading thoroughbred racetracks, owners, breeders, trainers, horseplayers and affiliated horse racing associations, charged with increasing the popularity of horse racing and improving economic conditions for industry participants. The NTRA has offices in Lexington, Ky., and Rye Brook, N.Y. NTRA press releases appear on the NTRA web site, NTRA.com.