For Immediate Release
Friday, October 14, 2011
Remington’s Best To Receive RTCA’S 2011 White Horse Award
Lexington, KY – The Race Track Chaplaincy of America has selected its 2011 White Horse Award recipient – Remington Park starting gate crewman Jeremy Best.
Best, 36, rescued the legendary 69-year-old Quarter Horse jockey Roy Brooks from the wild thrashings of the panicked and entangled Fit Ta Fly on April 17th of this year. Video of the incident can be seen at www.youtube.com/user/remingtonpark1.
Best has been on the track all of his life. His father, Frank Best, was a leading rider in the Northwest. The younger Best has been a valet and worked on the starting gate crew at Remington Park since 2001. He still gallops horses every morning.
“When you don’t know what to do, you just do it,” said Best, regarding a prior incident in 2010 in which he hefted a car to rescue a pinned 83-year-old neighbor. His humility continues when speaking of the Brooks incident. “It’s our job on the starting gate, to protect the jockeys, then the horses, then ourselves. It’s what we’re supposed to do.”
Upon learning he had been selected as the 2011 recipient of the White Horse Award, Best was generous as well. “I would like to thank the Chaplaincy and thank my family at home along with the numbers of people that have helped me in what I consider my family here at Remington Park. I praise God for it all.”
The White Horse award is presented annually by RTCA to a backstretch worker who has done something heroic on behalf of human or horse. The annual luncheon is slated for Thursday, November 3 in the Triple Crown Room at Churchill Downs, one day prior to the Breeders’ Cup World Championships beginning on Nov. 4 and 5.
Bill Casner will address the guests and the Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association will receive a Community Service Award. Also, RTCA will pay tribute to the late Chick Lang, a Pimlico legend.
Tickets to the luncheon are $125 each (or Table of 10 for $1,100), and are available by calling (859) 410-7822 or emailing info@rtcanational.org. All proceeds benefit RTCA.
The Race Track Chaplaincy of America currently sanctions 61 chaplains to work in the backstretch communities of 82 racetracks nationwide. Its mission is to make disciples for Jesus Christ through teaching, preaching, and ministering to the spiritual, emotional, physical, social, and educational needs of those persons involved in all aspects of the horse racing industry.
Contact:
Paul Ransdell
Race Track Chaplaincy of America
2365 Harrodsburg Road, A-120
Lexington, KY 40504
(859) 410-7822