Laurelville, OH — The second session of the Lexington Selected Yearling Sale on Tuesday (Oct. 6) opened with the auction of a limited-edition Ernst Benz watch to benefit the Standardbred Transition Alliance. The watch, a Tim Tetrick Hall of Fame Series Chronoscope, the first of only 20 to be made, brought a cool $13,000 for retired racehorses.

The winning bid came from Michelle and Al Crawford of Crawford Farms, well-known supporters of Standardbred aftercare.

STA Administrator Jennifer Daniels said, “We’d like to give a heartfelt thank you to Ashley and Tim Tetrick for the generosity they’ve shown the STA, and their ingenuity in coming up with this unique fundraiser. Their partnership with Ernst Benz is very exciting. It’s great to see outside interest coming into our sport. Ernst Benz has a reputation for being first class — and that goes beyond their craftsmanship; it’s evident in the way they treat people and in their philanthropy.

“I’d also like to sincerely thank the management of the sales company, David Reid and Randy Manges, for their wonderful cooperation in getting this watch to the auction block. The STA is reliant on exactly this type of industry collaboration to further its mission.”

STA accreditation provides aftercare organizations with independent verification that their program is fully functional and well established, and they are demonstrating stability, financial and operational transparency, responsible use of resources, and are adhering to sound and ethical business practices.

Organizations that secure STA accreditation are eligible for grant awards.

The deadline for submitting the 2021 application for STA accreditation is Oct. 15.

Previously accredited groups must re-apply each year.

The STA is an industry-led charitable 501(c)(3) organization established in 2018 to advance the field of Standardbred aftercare. The STA mission is to inspect, accredit and award grants to approved organizations that acquire, rehabilitate, train and rehome Standardbred horses. This work is made possible through the generous financial contributions of the collective harness racing community and its participants.

To learn how you can make a difference in the future of Standardbred aftercare, visit Standardbredtransition.org.