The Florida Thoroughbred PAC announced the 2024 golf tournament has been set for Friday, October 4 at Stone Creek Golf Club in Ocala, Fla. The shotgun scramble tournament begins at 12:30 p.m. with many promotions throughout the course, an awards dinner, evening band, and a silent auction. Members of the Thoroughbred industry, vendors, local businesses, and the community attend annually.

“We know this event means a lot of exposure for businesses and those providing services to the equine community and it’s an opportunity for participants to get in front of key decision makers and industry leaders while showing support for the industry, whether that be onsite, through the auction, or from industry awareness of their support through media coverage of the event,” said Valerie Dailey, golf chair.

Players receive a golfer swag-bag valued at more than $100, including a cooler bag provided by Showcase Properties of Central Florida, premium golf ball courtesy of Eddie Woods Stables, a custom polo, premium hat, golf towel, among other sponsored and donated premium items and discounts. Teams can request celebrity NFL players and other retired professional sports athletes coming to the event to join their teams.

Promotions include a Whiskey Tasting & Cigar Bar by Paul James’ Two Brothers Distillery in Ocala, where the ingredients for the spirits are sourced from local horse farms, and a Hole-in-Two contest in which teams can opt in for a player to shoot a long drive for them and the teams that play are entered in a chance to win play at Pebble Beach. Additional promotions include hole-in-one opportunities to win farm equipment, among others.

The silent auction is filled with opportunities to bid on equine services, baskets of equine products, photo packages, art, sports packages, and autographed sports memorabilia. The autographed items include signed pieces from Hall of Fame jockeys Ron Turcotte and Steve Cauthen, several Woodford Reserve 150^th anniversary Kentucky Derby limited edition bottles each signed by the winning jockey of a Kentucky Derby, among many others.

“We’ve worked hard to get some one-of-a-kind items donated for the auction and to provide opportunities for donors to showcase their products and services. We are also bringing some excitement back with the celebrities coming who missed last year. We are also making sure there are more fun hole promotions than ever before and bigger swag bags,” said volunteer golf co-chair Debbie Green.

Donations for the auction are being accepted through September 13 and will be placed on the online auction beginning shortly after that. The auction then moves from online to in-person on October 4 and is open to the public to stop in and bid throughout the day. Donations can be dropped off or mailed to Attn: Tammy Gantt, FTBOA offices, 801 SW 60^th Avenue, Ocala, FL 34474, or e-mail certificates to tgantt@ftboa.com.

For a schedule of the day’s events, team sign-up and sponsorships available, click here.  For a donation form, click here.

For more information, contact Jon Rees, Florida Thoroughbred PAC, at jrees@smithbryanandmyers.com.

Return to the Aug 14 issue of Wire to Wire