In 1986, a horse named Ferdinand won the Kentucky Derby. A couple years later, he was sold into slaughter, as his racing career had ended. Rather than finding a home or rehabilitating a champion, he was simply destroyed. Ferdinand’s Ball exists to raise money for The Old Friends Thoroughbred Retirement Facility . They ensure that retired racers have a place to live out their lives, along with helping other horses avoid the same fate as Ferdinand.
The evening was nothing short of glitz, glamour, and gilt - the silent auction was one of the most outstandingly amazing selections of items I’ve ever seen (7 days/6 nights in a Tuscan Villa sound good? How about seats at the royal enclosure at Ascot?), the Muhammad Ali Center played a perfectly beautiful host, and the drinks were free and plenty.
Musical entertainment was provided by Louisville’s own , who played a mix of classic hits and folk numbers. They were excellent, and helped lend a great atmosphere to the event.
It was packed tight in the Muhammad Ali center, with around 600 people in attendance. Even with the even mainly being located outside, it was still a large crowd, and the festivities seemed to be constantly stepping up as the evening progressed. While I don’t have figures for how much money the ball earned, I’m sure it was a lot - it was well attended, had some amazing auction items that were sure to bring some money in, and at a minimum of $125 a ticket, it was sure to help Old Friends keep helping retired thoroughbreds for quite a while.
