Tournament Raises Money for TRF

[Wandering Eyes]

A total of 118 individuals participated in the first edition of the DerbyWars Charity Tournament to benefit the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation (TRF) Apr. 20. Broadcast live on the DerbyWars website with special guests and live coverage of the tournament and leaderboard, the telethon-esque coverage was enhanced with the DerbyWars chat feature, the video participation of featured guests, and ongoing Twitter conversation among players to bring a truly interactive live-sports feel to a tournament based on eight races.

The event was the brainchild of Peter Thomas Fornatale, founder and host of the In the Money Players’ Podcast in collaboration with Mark Midland, Founder & CEO of DerbyWars.

“We anticipated a field of 50 players and were simply blown away when we found ourselves oversubscribed with 118,” said Midland. “The response to the charity angle was fantastic and I credit Pete and JK [Jonathan Kinchen, co-host of the In the Money Players’ Podcast] for their amazing outreach and promotion.”

As of Monday, donations in excess of $3,800 had been received as a result of the inaugural contest.

“It has been an amazing week for all of us at the TRF. We are gratified to hear so much passion for our horses and our programs from so many new friends from the handicapping community thanks to DerbyWars and the In the Money Players’ Podcast team” said Kim Weir, National Spokeswoman and Major Gifts Fundraiser for the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation. “On behalf of the valiant herd of equine athletes in our herd, we offer our heartfelt thanks to Mark, Pete, JK, and all of the players and fans who participated in the DerbyWars Charity Tournament on Saturday. The money raised will directly and immediately support our care for the horses to whom we offer a lifelong promise of sanctuary, and the expanded awareness will meaningfully impact on our ability to expand the reach of our work–saving horses and saving lives.”

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