Following the devastating loss of 30 Standardbreds in a Tioga Downs barn fire last Thursday, Nov. 9, the global harness racing community has rallied in support of the horsepeople who have suffered unimaginable emotional and financial loss associated with the fire.
The 30 horses lost in the blaze, which investigators found to be a cruel and senseless act of arson, were trained by Allison Kolesar, Daniel Harvey, Edgar Clarke, Kevin Reynolds and Lee Morris. The horses have been given a proper burial near the backstretch of Tioga Downs and the stories of those horses have been shared in a tribute written by Jessica Hallett.
The outpouring of support for all those who suffered is being met by admirable contributions from all the wonderful people in the sport.
Donations from individuals, stables, businesses, racetracks and associations across the industry have poured in via various GoFundMe campaigns and fundraising efforts to aid in the recovery of the horsepeople that lost their beloved animals and livelihoods. In less than a week, as of Wednesday morning, Nov. 15, more than $167,000 USD has been raised through the Tioga Downs Horsemen campaign.
In addition to those contributions, Tioga Downs owner Jeff Gural pledged to match up to $100,000 of the money donated via the Tioga Downs Horsemen GoFundMe account from his tracks, which include The Meadowlands and Vernon Downs.
"It's just sad and senseless that this can happen so randomly," said Gural. "I have a farm 10 minutes away and I love my visits to Tioga for the racing and to spend time with the mares and foals at the farm.
"We're here to help and support these people who have suffered an unthinkable horror and must now rebulid their lives."
The United States Harness Writers Association (USHWA) has announced it will be making a $10,000 donation to the Southern Tier Harness Horsemen’s Association, designed to reach those directly affected by the senseless tragedy to start to rebuild their lives.
USHWA has a Welfare Committee, chaired by Treasurer Bill MacDonald and consisting of the president of each of the USHWA chapters, which usually reviews requests for aid by those touched by hardship. In this case, the loss was tremendous and obvious, and USHWA immediately initiated the poll within its Welfare Committee and executive members.
“The membership of USHWA is devastated by the events taking place at Tioga,” said Barry Lefkowitz, USHWA President. “We stand behind the horsemen affected by this horrific incident and are trying to help them to make some headway into the incalculable damage as they try to bring some part of normalcy back to their lives, working with the horses they love so much.”
The Standardbred Owners Association of New York's Board of Directors has also announced a donation of $5,000.
"This was a tragic incident for the Morris family, which took the lives of 12 of their beloved animals and will have a serious impact on the lives of this family," said Joseph Faraldo, SOA of NY President. "Hopefully, our donation will help ease their pain and assist them in recovering some of their losses and help rebuild their barn."
The Meadows Standardbred Owners Association (MSOA) announced its board voted on Tuesday to donate $5,000 to the relief effort.
“A barn fire is the worst nightmare of horsemen and horsewomen, destroying beautiful animals who are at once beloved companions and sources of income,” said Richard Gillock, MSOA President. “We want that nightmare to end as quickly as possible for our Tioga brethren.”
Gillock noted that MSOA members know first hand what the Tioga community is enduring, as The Meadows suffered a July 2001 barn fire that killed 28 horses.
“We’ve been in that situation,” said Gillock, “so we know that it will take support from our entire industry to help Tioga recover.”
The Western New York Harness Horsemen’s Association (WNYHHA) announced on Friday, Nov. 17 that the organization will be donating $2,500 to support the affected individuals who are struggling with their loss, trying to recover financially and also move forward with their livelihoods.
Bruce Tubin, President of the WNYHHA, said, “There is no bigger tragedy in our sport than a barn fire. We share the grief of our fellow horsemen and women and hope that through all the fundraising efforts, they can begin to rebuild.”
Additional funds are being raised through stallion auctions via onGait.com and Preferred Equine Online.
Forty stallion breedings, including Confederate, Captaintreacherous, Tactical Landing, Tall Dark Stranger, Gimpanzee, Bettors Wish, Crazy Wow and Sweet Lou, were sold through onGait.com auctions on Tuesday with all proceeds -- more than $300,000 -- going towards the Tioga Fire Relief Fund.
Additional breedings to Jujubee (via OnGait) and Perfect Sting (via Preferred Equine Online) are being offered to support the fund.
Over the weekend, various regional racetracks also hosted memorials and tributes honouring the horses lost in the fire, including Vernon Downs, Batavia Downs, Saratoga Raceway and Northville Downs.
This story will be updated as recovery efforts continue.