Curlin did more than satisfy thousands of racing fans on Saturday afternoon; he also made the lives of the folks on the backstretch in New York a little better. The sale of Curlin T-shirts made $10,500 for Backstretch Employees Service Team, and the future sale of any shirts will also benefit BEST.

Thanks to those who have contacted me regarding purchasing one of the shirts. I’ve been told that the T-shirts will shortly be for sale on the NYRA website, and I’m going to keep my eye on it and I’ll post here when that happens. If you’re interested in purchasing a T-shirt, please e-mail me (e-mail address in the right column) and let me know how many you’d like, so that that I can pass on that information. Even if you purchase from the NYRA website, proceeds will benefit BEST.

And based on yesterday’s comments, it seems that the antipathy that the horseplayers at Belmont felt for golf is reflected in the section of the racing fan community that checks in here. That in itself may be good marketing information, but at the risk of information falling on deaf ears, I’m passing on that BEST is holding a benefit golf tournament on Long Island on October 21st. The event will be held at Wheatley Hills in East Williston, and trainers, owners, and jockeys from the New York circuit are expected to attend. The cost is $260 per person; a variety of sponsorships and other donation opportunities are also available.

For more information, you can contact tournament director Bill Hirsch: 718.428.5167; 516.356.6678; whirsch@nyc.rr.com. I can also e-mail you a flyer with more detailed information if you’re interested if you contact me.

As noted here over the weekend, Curlin and his connections didn’t forget about the children at Anna House. According to the folks at the Belmont Child Care Association, on Saturday morning, Barbara Banke, part owner of Curlin and Jess Jackson’s wife, visited Anna House to give books to the children and (symbolically) present the BCCA with a check for $100,000. The preschool children entertained Ms. Banke with two songs and, as are most visitors to Anna House, Ms. Banke was very impressed with the children and the work that the BCCA is doing for them and their parents.

The preschoolers gave Ms. Banke a huge “thank you” card” that they had prepared for the visit and presented her with a painting of Curlin by renowned equine artist Robert Clark.

Photo credit to Adam Coglianese, used with the permission of the BCCA

There are myriad volunteer, donation, and event opportunities available at both of these terrific organizations. You can contact them to be kept apprised of upcoming fundraisers, news, and volunteer opportunities.

On quite a different note, if you follow Brooklyn Backstretch and the other writers of the Thoroughbred Bloggers Alliance via RSS, please note that the address has changed, and bookmark or join the new feed.