Over the last week, I’ve had multiple opportunities to feel grateful. In addition to the everyday reasons to be appreciative, for family and friends and health, for a home and a job, I am grateful for having the chance to cover the Kentucky Derby, and grateful to be at Madison Square Garden last night for not just a playoff game, but for an overtime game from which the Rangers emerged victorious.

But right up there with all of that is gratitude to all of you, you who have so generously donated $1,000 to the Brooklyn Backstretch Road to the Roses charity league. $1,000! $1,000 that a person that most of you don’t even know can donate to the racing charities of his choice.

Congratulations to Matt Shifman for winning this year’s league. The contest went right down to the wire, with Matt surging to victory to the finish, not unlike I’ll Have Another, whose late run in the Kentucky Derby led to Matt’s title.

Matt has chosen three recipients for his donation: the Belmont Child Care Center, Our Mims, and Old Friends at Cabin Creek. He wrote to me,

I know the BCCA is important to you and I feel strongly that they should benefit from your hard work. [which I find so kind and generous – thank you, Matt]

I was going to give to Old Mims after they took in Elmhurst recently, but didn’t get around to it, so now I can.

Because we all love Saratoga so much, I’d like to include Old Friends, also.

If you made a pledge, I’ll be in touch this week to let you know how to make the donations. If you’re still interested in pledging, please e-mail me or leave a message in the comments.

Thanks again to everyone who played and everyone who donated; your prodigious generosity is why this contest works every year. In the four years we’ve played, we’ve donated over $2,000 to a variety of racing charities that help both horses and humans. Thank you all, very, very much.