The Meadows Standardbred Owners Association is proud to announce that on Saturday night of Memorial Day Weekend (May 25), horsemen at The Meadows will honour veterans that have lost their lives for their country.
At 6:30 p.m., prior to the first race of the evening (6:55 post), horsemen will walk from the paddock to the winner’s circle for the National Anthem, accompanied by a local military Colour Guard.
The fifth race of the evening will be then dedicated as the “Ruffner/Yoder Gun 23 Memorial” race.
Pennsylvania horseman Grant Boudreau, who is currently serving in Afghanistan as part of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard, helped to coordinate the event with the MSOA’s Heather Wilder.
“We recently lost two members of our unit, Chief Warrant Officer 3 Mathew Ruffner and Chief Warrant Officer 2 Jarret Yoder, in a helicopter crash,” said Boudreau.
As a horseman and longtime racing fan, Boudreau wanted to find a way to honor the memories of his fallen friends, and since he still follows the races as often as he can, enlisted the help of the MSOA.
The unit’s motto was “One Heart on Three,” and on Saturday night, that message will appear on a blanket to be presented in the winners circle after the fifth race. Boudreau will be attempting to watch the event live via The Meadows’ website, along with other members of his unit.
“We still follow racing when we can,” said Boudreau. “Our Internet is very slow but we enjoy and miss the Meadows. We are looking forward to Saturday night’s race. God bless everyone back home.”
(MSOA)