Buckeye Classic Donkey Races Provide Barrel of Laughs and Raised $29,000 For Military Veterans!

July 21, 2017 | Filed under: Featured,The Buzz | Posted by:

“We can stay up late, swappin’ manly stories, and in the mornin’, I’m makin’ waffles!” – Donkey

By: Brittany Bevis

Just like Shrek’s well-meaning, but feisty sidekick, the Buckeye Classic donkeys provided a barrel of laughs with their hilarious antics and stubborn personalities during the inaugural Buckeye Classic Donkey Races. Not only did the event bring in huge crowds of spectators to watch as trainers, exhibitors, and OQHA board members tried their best to pilot their donkeys around the racetrack, the entire event was for a good cause- helping to raise funds to benefit military veterans.

So many riders participated that there had to be five splits and a finals. Prior to the race, riders were encouraged to raise funds from sponsors. The rider with the most sponsorship money in each split got first pick of the donkeys. Riders who decided to chicken out had to pay $500 for a buy out.

The first and second place winners in each split advanced to the finals, resulting in a final race of the best 10 rider and donkey duos. The winning rider of each split received $100, and the runner up received $50. The finals were run in a calcutta format, and the prize for the winning bidder was a $5,000+ Quarter Horse Congress package, courtesy of the Ohio Quarter Horse Association. The event was sponsored by Kari Craft and her stallion, Gone Viral.

The overall winner was Julian Harris, who won $1,000 in cash, while his calcutta bidder, Tammy Dyer, received the Congress package that included VIP camping, golf cart, parking passes, VIP club access, and tickets to all the Congress special events. Overall, $29,000 was raised to support veterans through Expedition Orange and Buckeye State Council of the Vietnam Veterans of America, along with three individual veterans who received $1,000 each.

In addition, a representative from Governor Kasich’s office, who presented the show with a proclamation in front of the crowd of 500 spectators. After the event, they were all fed a free BBQ exhibitor’s dinner, courtesy of The Buckeye Classic.

Special thanks to Becky Ruehle of Ruehle Photographix and Justin Billings for providing some great photos from the event!

Donkey Races Rider List