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______________________________ Current Auction Hat The
Derby Hat Collection by MAGGIE MAE DESIGNS® ______________________________
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Please join us once again for the The
Sixth Annual sponsored by For the sixth consecutive year, MAGGIE MAE DESIGNS® and Old Friends are teaming up again for an unparalleled online shopping experience beginning November 1st with their "Hats Off to the Horses: The Road to the Derby" auction. This unique Derby hat fundraiser is now an annual event which features one-of-a-kind couture Derby hats created by MAGGIE MAE DESIGNS® to benefit the retired racehorses of Old Friends. To learn more about Old Friends at Dream Chase Farm and bid on the hats, please visit the Old Friends website, or call them at 502-863-1775. We are delighted to have Rosie Napravnik modeling our “Hats Off to the Horses” chapeaux for us this year. And this season she will be joined by some special friends who wanted to lend their support to Old Friends as you will see in the upcoming auctions, so stay tuned! Thank you, Rosie! A very special thanks also goes to Matt and Wendy Wooley of EquiSport Photos for their photo shoots with Rosie and the horses of Old Friends. Thank you as well to Bella Rose Clothing Boutique, Lexington, Kentucky for furnishing Rosie's stunning dresses for the photo shoots.
The first hat that is up for bid in our fundraiser auction series honors Kentucky-bred 2010 Breeders' Cup Marathon winner and millionaire, Eldaafer. The 9-year-old bay gelding, whose name means “victorious”, was retired to Old Friends in May, 2014, accompanied by his ever-present companion goats, Google and Yahoo, thanks to the help of his breeder, Diane Alvarado.
The "Eldaafer" Hat
To read about this magnificent Thoroughbred athlete, please click on the photo below of Eldaafer courtesy of Rick Capone.
Everyone
who has met Eldaafer agrees that there is something very special
about him. Volunteer Beth Shannon of Old Friends says that
“Eldaafer is very confident and absolutely sure he's hot
stuff. He's energetic, friendly and royally bred by A.P. Indy,
and a real firecracker like his dam, runner-up juvenile champion,
Habibti.”
According
to Michael Blowen, President and founder of Old Friends, Eldaafer
arrived at Old Friends with much more than just a stellar track
record. Blowen states, “Eldaafer, whose name means
victorious, was exactly that in the 2010 Breeders' Cup Marathon
when he set the Churchill Downs track record for 1 3/4 miles.”
Blowen adds, “Little Silver Charm taught him to bang on the
stall door, while his security goat guards, Google and Yahoo,
look on. He's settled in very nicely and is a big hit on the
tours except I think he resents sharing the limelight with the
omnipresent goats. They are like the Secret Service to Eldaafer,
but they do a better job.”
A dramatic chapeau was needed to honor this accomplished equine athlete and celebrate his new life that he now shares with Google and Yahoo at Old Friends. A stylish Derby hat design was created with a unique blend of colors, shades and textures that showcases Eldaafer's medium bay coloring, fiery temperament and his racing silk colors of white, red and blue.
The foundation for the “Eldaafer” design was fashioned out of a white dupioni silk overlaid with a rich black lace. A bold red dupioni silk underbrim creates a vibrant, colorful effect when the wearer's face is upturned.
A large red silk organza Marguerite fleur with a red rose curl center adorns the front of the hat. The rose curl was created out of alternating layers of satin and silk organza and then nestled in a bed of black and deep blue netting. A black button was added for a final accent.
This floral centerpiece is framed by a bed of black silk organza leaves and shimmering bow loops created out of chocolate crinkle taffeta and black silk organza.
A red taffeta sash encircles the crown of the hat; a black pebble button adorns the sash in the back.
The lining was created from chocolate brown satin to coordinate with the trims and to reflect Eldaafer's bay coat.
The finished “Eldaafer” design measures approximately 19 inches end to end.
As a physical remembrance of Eldaafer, several strands of the great gelding's tail hairs were braided and woven into the trim of the hat, creating a unique, one-of-a-kind Derby chapeau that captures Eldaafer not only in spirit but in substance as well. The purpose of this amazing millinery delight is to honor the life of Eldaafer and all of the horses who, thanks to the generosity of those who support their aftercare, now graze in the warm sunshine of Dream Chase Farm for the rest of their lives. "Sally Faith Steinmann's works of millinery art have raised thousands of dollars and a priceless amount of awareness for all these great retired athletes. Their stunning beauty and indescribable originality symbolize what one great artist can do to positively alter the lives of so many deserving athletes." - Michael Blowen, President and founder of Old Friends
Welcome
home to Old Friends, Eldaafer and
Family!
__________________________________________________________________________ The “Eldaafer” is the first hat in our “Hats Off to the Horses” Derby hat auction series this season, and is up for bid from November 1st through the 11th, 2014. To read more about Eldaafer, the horse, please click on the following link - Featured Horse. _______________________________________________________________________________ Bid as many times and on as many hats as you like during this running auction. For further information about the eBay bidding process, please contact Old Friends at 502-863-1775. If you don't desire to place a bid on a hat, please contact Old Friends to see about what other ways you might be able to help out at Dream Chase Farm. Freight charges will be at the expense of the winning bidder. Winning bidders, please allow 3-4 weeks for delivery of your hat in order to ensure proper sizing. To view the couture Derby hats from previous auctions, please click on the following - Old Friends Hat Auction Portfolio.
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