Hall of Fame Jockey Pat Day will speak at the Kentucky Circuit Chaplaincy dinner event on Wednesday, March 29 for Turfway Park racers and their families to tackle the joys and the hardships. in the saddle career of a thoroughbred racehorse.
Chaplain Pavel Urrichi and the newly hired assistant chaplain, Fabian Crespo, in talking to the racers as they met and prayed with them on race days, learned to be an athlete. Competitive horse racing is a demanding and stressful job. Two recent jockey suicides (Alex Canchari and Avery Whisman) underscore the need to ensure that jockeys know chaplains are with them at all times.
Pat Day is a former president of the Kentucky Race Track Chaplaincy and still serves as the “face” for Kentucky’s chaplain, so he’s a natural choice to talk about the joys and hardships that the athletes have. Equestrian athletes face. These include eating disorders when they try to maintain their weight while riding, frequent falls with serious injuries, substance abuse, competition in general and the stress of just waiting for race day. car was the inspiration for this outreach event. Pat’s own struggles would be a great fit for his fellow horse racers.
Beyond the riders, developing relationships with the families at the back has been an ongoing focus since hiring the Women and Children ministry directors at Churchill Downs a few years ago, and now, Chaplaincy Kentucky Raceway is extending that reach to Turfway and the other tracks they serve. Romina Crespo, the wife of Chaplain Fabian, is helping organize this and other efforts to reach families, as they all know that stress affects the whole family.
Dinner at 6pm We are grateful to Chip Bach, General Manager at Turfway Park for arranging the donation of event space at the Turfway Event Center. Erlanger Baptist Church will provide childcare and activities.
Chaplains hope that they can provide opportunities for athletes and their families to better understand chaplains and encourage them to contact chaplains when things get tough.
Every year, more than 7,000 licensees work on the Kentucky and Southern Ohio tracks that the Kentucky Circuit Chaplaincy caters to steady workers, racers, starting gatekeepers, and road workers. race, making sure they can have a family church and a home away from home. There are 3 chaplains at 5 races and multiple training centers, as well as directors of women’s and children’s ministries. Chaplaincy provides a wardrobe, food bank, weekly services and Bible study, women’s and children’s ministry, transportation to no-track appointments, and emotional support when necessary.
Join us May 1 for a “Hoops and Horses” talk with Coach D. Wayne Lukas and Coach Bellarmine Scotty Davenport as Kentucky Raceway Chaplain Celebrates 21 Years of Ministry of Public Service assistant at the Kentucky and Southern Ohio Circuit at the Race for Grace Gala and Auction to be held Monday, May 1, on Millionaires Row in the clubhouse at historic Churchill Downs from 6-9 pm This is Chaplaincy’s main fundraising event of the year.
For more information about Kentucky Raceway Chaplaincy or to purchase Race for Grace tickets, please visit https://kychaplaincy.org. Sharallyn Unthank at 502-297-3508 or [email protected]
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