For immediate release

$41,500 DONATED TOWARDS AIDS AWARENESS FROM TURF & SURF 2007 CHARITY HORSERACING NIGHT

Tuesday, February 6, 2007 - For about 15 minutes last Saturday evening, the grand ballroom of the Beaches Resort & Spa in Turks & Caicos was transformed into Kempton Park, an all weather racetrack, for the second Turks & Caicos Derby that concluded Turf & Surf 2007 and raised $41,500 for the Turks & Caicos AIDS Awareness Foundation (TCAAF).

Turf & Surf 2007 combines charity and chance in an entertaining and unique venue that brings the panache and thrill of British horse racing to Turks & Caicos. The evening's participants were treated to a multi-course meal of typical punter fare while they had the opportunity to bet on eight exciting horse races from premier tracks throughout the UK. The races were prerecorded and shown on large screen TVs throughout the room. The highlight of the evening was that all races were called live by Mr. Mark Johnson, an internationally renowned horseracing commentator.

"Mark's enthusiasm and expertise in horseracing was contagious - he set the pace for the evening and made us all feel as if we were actually sitting in Britain at the horse track," said Micky Shoulak, chairman of the TCAAF. "This is the second year we've had the fortune to be the beneficiary of this event and we are so grateful to Mark and all the sponsors for making it possible. The funds raised will go directly towards the youth center we are building and will end up having a wide reach into the community. In addition, with so many in attendence, this event helped achieve another important key goal, which is raising awareness and reducing discrimination."

Approximately 300 people attended Turf & Surf 2007 including H. E. the Governor Richard Tauwhare and his wife Amanda and Honorable Galmo Williams, patron of the TCAAF.

Turf & Surf was the brainchild of Nick & Sarah Haywood, who not only convinced PricewaterhouseCoopers and Beaches to sign on as major sponsors but also secured the support of Johnson, who originally just planned to come to Turks & Caicos for a well-deserved vacation. Johnson didn't need any convincing; he jumped at the chance to turn his passion for horseracing along with his vacation time into a worthwhile event that would benefit a worthy cause. As the host of the event, Johnson chose the TCAAF as the beneficiary.

"I had so much fun hosting this event last time I couldn't wait to come back again this year," said Johnson, who traveled from the UK with his partner Katherine to host the event and spent several weeks preparing for it. "Its great to be able to bring racing excitement here to the island while also raising money for an important cause that deserves as much support as possible."

While live horse race action filled the evening, the most exciting races were the last two. Race seven took place at Cartmel Chase, a little-known jewel of British racing with a unique layout and long run-in. This was a close race that originally had the favorite, horse number two, in first place with the outsider, horse six, in second. However a steward's inquiry ultimately reversed the winner in a dramatic turnaround.

The last race of the evening - Turks & Caicos Derby - gave top bidders the chance to own their own race horse. With names like "Coming from Behind" and "Norfolk and Chance" the creative juices were flowing as participants bid thousands of dollars to own and name a stallion for the evening. This year's derby resulted in Win, Place and Show for "Billy Boy" owned by Chrysalis', "Ride My Pole" owned by Nick Haywood and "Bouncing Bettie" owned by Temple Group respectively (see attached document for full results). All winners received bottles of Don Perignon, courtesy of The Wine Cellar. The first and second place winners received cash and the winner of the derby gets to have the silver cup trophy for a year.

A percentage of all bets made during the evening as well as the funds from ticket sales were donated to the TCAAF. In the spirit of the evening, Nick Haywood donated his cash winnings from the derby back to the TCAAF. This year's event exceeded last years in terms of money raised and cumulatively has resulted more than $75,000 for the TCAAF.

In addition to the headline sponsors - PricewaterhouseCoopers and Beaches Resort & Spa who provided generous support and commitment to this event and donated the venue, the evening would not have been possible without the support provided by: Business Solutions for printing the race cards, The Wine Cellar and Digicel for donating prizes, The Security Center for providing escort security service, the volunteers who served as tote runners and worked out the win dividends and all the table sponsors who purchased tickets and attended the event.

About the TCAAF
The TCAAF is a non-profit organization that was founded in December of 2003 by a group of individuals who lost friends and/or family members to AIDS. The mission of the organization is to raise awareness and eliminate the stigma and discrimination associated with HIV and AIDS through education and community participation to affect positive lifestyle and behavioral changes. In addition, the TCAAF supports the efforts of the Turks and Caicos National AIDS Program and has recently broke ground on a new youth center that will be open to everyone in the community. The TCAAF relies on its membership fees for existence. Individual memberships are $100, corporate memberships are $500, please call 941-2222 for details. "AIDS…. Help us make a difference."

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Press Contact:
Toni Sottak
Wired Island PR
941-4218 or 331-6833
Press Notes:
  • See below for details and full results of the Turks & Caicos Derby
  • High-resolution photos are available by request via email to: toni@wiredislandtci.com
Results of the 2nd Turks and Caicos Derby As part of Turf & Surf 2007
Place Horse Name Owner Bought For
1st Billy Boy Chrysalis Center for Health & Wellness $2000
2nd Ride My Pole PricewaterhouseCoopers $1800
3rd Bouncing Bettie Temple Group $1200
4th Coming From Behind Ocean Point Development $4500
5th Canadian Dancer Temple Group $3200
6th Norfolk and Chance Jaca & Ashtrom $3000
7th Ride Sally Ride Temple Group $4000
8th Salopia Cove Construction $2000