Derek Braun, a top show jumper, turned his equestrian talents in a different direction in mid-March, riding in a games competition as part of the Fete Cheval held at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center in Florida. The activity benefited the Equus Foundation, raising $200,000 for this national charitable foundation.

Braun joined professional riders from the disciplines of dressage, eventing, hunter, jumper, and polo to participate in various activities before an enthusiastic audience. Braun was part of a team of riders and drivers that won a timed relay race. Braun is sponsored by Hallway Feeds, a Team Member of Kentucky Equine Research.

The Equus Foundation is dedicated to improving the quality of life of horses, fostering the use of horses to enrich the lives of people in need, and educating the public about the horse's unique ability to empower, teach, and heal. The Foundation has awarded nearly $2 million in grants to equine charities across America, provides academic and equestrian scholarships to reward volunteerism, and has achieved national recognition as the primary organization in the equine world solely focused on both horse welfare and fostering the horse-human connection in the therapeutic, recreational, and sport communities. Funds raised by the Fete Cheval will be used for programs that secure homes and useful lives for horses and enrich the lives of people who benefit from horses therapeutically, recreationally, and competitively.

Secret Circle won the $500,000 Grade 2 Rebel Stakes at Oaklawn Park on March 17. Trained by Bob Baffert, the bay colt bested eleven other three-year-olds in the 8.5-furlong race.

Baffert also trained the winners of the race in 2010 and 2011. Lookin at Lucky, the 2010 victor, went on to win the Preakness Stakes. The Factor, victorious in 2011, is still in Baffert's stable and has most recently won the San Carlos Stakes (Grade II) in February.

To fuel their training and performance efforts, Baffert chooses feeds manufactured by Hallway Feeds, a Team Member of Kentucky Equine Research. 

The 2012 Tampa Equestrian Series has named Hallway Feeds as the official feed and title sponsor of the 1.40m Open Jumpers during its two-week horse show to be held March 28 to April 7 at the Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa.

Hallway Feeds, a Team Member of Kentucky Equine Research, is a family-owned and operated business that uses time-honored commitments to maintain high standards of quality combined with the latest scientific advances in order to produce the ultimate in equine nutrition. Combining a premium nutrition package with a professional level of dedication in horsemen and women provides equine athletes with the Formula for Success.

The Tampa Equestrian Series will begin its competition with the Tampa Bay Classic CSI-W, which features the $50,000 FEI World Cup Qualifier CSI**-W Grand Prix of Tampa. It will be followed by the Tournament of Champions, which includes the $10,000 CWD American Invitational Stake Class. The 40th Annual $200,000 Gene Mische American Invitational, presented by G&C Farm, will be the highlight event on April 7, the final day of competition.

Bob Baffert, perennially successful racehorse trainer and three-time Eclipse Award winner, was named Trainer of the Week by Thoroughbred Times Today. Baffert saddled four horses to first-place finishes in graded stakes over the President's Day weekend in mid-February 2012. For the entire week, horses trained by Baffert secured eight wins from ten starts, boosting the trainer's earnings to twice that of the second trainer on the list.

Baffert has a long history of choosing feeds manufactured by Hallway Feeds, a Team Member of Kentucky Equine Research. Hallway offers a selection of racing feeds to meet the requirements of horses in heavy race training.

When the Eclipse Awards were announced in January of 2012, Kentucky Equine Research (KER) and its Team Member Hallway Feeds had a share in the glory. The common factor for Kentucky Derby winner Animal Kingdom, named top three-year-old male, and Royal Delta, chosen as top three-year-old female, is that both horses trained and raced on products manufactured by Hallway and containing a fortification package supplied by KER.

Bill Mott and Bob Baffert finished one-two in the contest for top trainer, and both trainers are Hallway clients who choose these products to keep their horses in optimal racing condition. Graham Motion, trainer of Animal Kingdom, also placed well up in the voting for this honor.

Bill Mott and Bob Baffert made the top-five Thoroughbred trainer list for 2011 based on total earnings. Mott, who swept the Breeders' Cup Classic with Drosselmeyer and Ladies' Classic with Royal Delta, finished the year in fourth place with $10,600,000 in earnings. Baffert, who led all trainers in number of Grade 1 victories with eleven, had a total of $13,940,000 in winnings to finish in third place on the list.

These successful trainers have selected products manufactured by Hallway Feeds, a Kentucky Equine Research (KER) Team Member, to support their elite equine charges as they train and race. Fortified with a proprietary nutrient package formulated by KER, these feeds meet the requirement for superior vitamin and mineral content that is highly bioavailable to the horse. By providing the nutrients necessary for tissue maintenance, nerve health, and metabolic function, Hallway products are a vital part of the success of these trainers and the health of the horses they oversee.

The Thoroughbred Times has announced its "Best of 2011 in Racing" selections, and three of those chosen for honors have a link to Kentucky Equine Research (KER) Team Member Hallway Feeds.

Bill Mott was named Best Trainer. Mott saddled numerous winning Thoroughbreds in 2011 including Aviate in the Churchill Distaff Turf Mile Stakes; Drosselmeyer in the One Count Stakes; Courageous Cat in the Poker Stakes and Shoemaker Mile; and Royal Delta in the Breeders Cup Ladies' Classic.

These horses trained and raced on feeds manufactured by Hallway Feeds and formulated to include KER fortification pellets. Turbulent Descent was chosen as Best Female Sprinter. Trained by Mike Puype and fed Hallway Feeds products, Turbulent Descent won the $150,000 Santa Anita Oaks, the $90,000 Beaumont Stakes, and the $150,000 Test Stakes. Animal Kingdom, winner of the Kentucky Derby before being sidelined by injury, was named Best Three-Year-Old. He also trained and raced on Hallway Feeds products under the guidance of trainer Graham Motion.

Liaison, a two-year-old Thoroughbred colt by Indian Charlie, won the CashCall Futurity (Grade 1) at Hollywood Park on December 17. The victory was the horse's second win in five weeks, following a first-place finish in the Real Quiet Stakes on November 12. Liaison has a lifetime record of three wins and a show in his four-start career. 

Liaison's win is an important step on the Triple Crown trail. This destination will be the focus of leading three-year-olds after their January 1 birthday.

Trainer Bob Baffert saddled Liaison for the race, also sending out fourth-place finisher Sky Kingdom. Baffert was the trainer of Indian Charlie, sire of Liaison. Liason picked up the victory to become Indian Charlie's fifth Grade 1 winner less than a week after Indian Charlie's death.

Baffert, a top trainer who has claimed five CashCall Futurity wins in 14 years, trusts products manufactured by Hallway Feeds, a Kentucky Equine Research (KER) Team Member, to fuel the winning efforts of the horses in his stable. Feeds provided by Hallway are formulated to include fortification pellets from KER, guaranteeing the proper level of protein, vitamins, and minerals needed to support the demands of growth, race training, and performance.

Kentucky Equine Research (KER) played a part in the 2011 Breeders' Cup wins for five top horses. These winning equines trained and raced on concentrates produced by Hallway Feeds, a KER Team Member.

In the Filly and Mare Turf, Perfect Shirl pulled off an upset victory over the favorite Stacelita, a French horse who came into the race at odds to 1.9 to 1. Running in the middle of the pack until the top of the home stretch, Perfect Shirl found some reserve energy to pass the field and win in the last sixteenth of a mile. Trained by Roger L. Attfield, Perfect Shirl improved her record to four wins in 15 starts for earnings of $1.3 million.

After setting a fast pace early in the race, favored colt Secret Circle had a tough stretch battle against the English-bred filly Shumoos before pulling out a win for trainer Bob Baffert in the Juvenile Sprint. The victory was Baffert's third win in this Breeders' Cup race.

Royal Delta was the third KER-connected winner on the first day of Breeders' Cup competition. Royal Delta, trained by Bill Mott, outdistanced all rivals in the Ladies' Classic to win by 2½ lengths. Mott has saddled three previous winners of the Ladies' Classic.

Mott and Baffert had a second day of Breeders' Cup honors when Drosselmeyer and Game On Dude finished first and second in the Breeders' Cup Classic. Both horses were fed Hallway Feeds products during their training, and their performances in the twelve-horse field showcased their excellent conditioning.

Hallway Feeds products contain a premix formulated by KER to provide the proper balance of vitamins, minerals, and other important nutrients to racehorses and other horses in heavy training. KER congratulates these successful trainers and horses.

Here's your chance to have some fun and learn more about conditioning sport horses during the Hallway Feeds Field Day on Friday, Sept. 16, starting at 5:00 p.m. at Split Rock Farm in Lexington. The topic for the evening will be "Conditioning Your Sport Horse for High Performance."

International show jumper and hunter rider Derek Braun, owner of Split Rock Farm in Lexington, Ky., and Wellington, Fla., will be the featured clinician during the Hallway Field Day. There will be training, conditioning, and riding demonstrations. The farm offers hunter and jumper training and horses for sale at the operation, where Braun is the trainer. They also stand the stallion Jestar Du Lozon.

Braun's accomplishments include:

• 2001 1st place BET/USET talent search Finals
• 2002 Team Gold medal Prix de States
• 2002 3rd place National Medal Finals
• 2003 1st place Amateur Grand Prix of Valkenswaard, Holland
• 2007 2nd $50,000 Commonwealth Grand Prix of Lexington, KY
• 2007 2nd $50,000 Country Heir Grand Prix II of Lexington, KY
• 2007 6th $100,000 Footing Authority Grand Prix of Ocala, FL

There will be free food and drink along with horse feed samples to take home.

No RSVP is required; feel free to come and enjoy this educational and entertaining event hosted by KER Team Member Hallway Feeds at Split Rock Farm in Lexington.

For further information contact Hallway Feeds at 859-255-7602, toll free at 800-753-4255, or e-mail us at info@hallwayfeeds.com.

Visit Hallway Feeds' website at HallwayFeeds.com, find them on Facebook, and follow them on Twitter.