USET Foundation Announces Extraordinary Items for Live Auction at "Hong Kong by Night," an Olympic Benefit Gala
RELEASE: January 24, 2008
AUTHOR/ADMINISTRATOR: Brian Sosby
Excitement and fundraising will soar as bidders vie for three once-in-a-lifetime live auction packages offered by the United States Equestrian Team (USET) Foundation at its "Hong Kong by Night" Olympic benefit gala that will be held on February 8, 2008, at the International Polo Club in Wellington, FL.
The USET Foundation is pleased to announce that donors have contributed extraordinary items for the live auction. Up for bid will be a Macau High Rollers' Luxury Gambling package donated by Mark and Lindsay Harms; a Five-Star Olympic Games package donated by Cross Country International; and a VIP Kentucky Derby package donated by Moxie Equestrian and Fenwick Farm.
VIP Kentucky Derby Package for Two
Take a trip to the 2008 Kentucky Derby in Louisville and see the "Run for the Roses" up close and personal. The winning bidder will have a true VIP Kentucky Derby experience. The trip will start off with private tours of farms not open to the public: Lanes End Farm (home to leading sires A.P. Indy, Kingmambo and recent Horse of the Year, Mineshaft), Darley Stud (owned by Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, ruler of Dubai and home to 2007 Kentucky Derby winner Street Sense), and fabled Ashford Stud (Coolmore's American outpost and home to Kentucky Derby winners Fusaichi Pegasus and Thunder Gulch and champion sires Giant's Causeway and Tale of the Cat).
On Saturday, prior to the races, you will be guests at a private Derby brunch hosted by Carl Pollard, Chairman of Churchill Downs at his Heritage Farm, where you will also see some of his outstanding yearlings and two-year-olds. This will be followed by a private tour of the barns at Churchill Downs and a visit to the paddock area, where you will mingle with the owners and watch the jockeys mount up and head for the track. Then you will be escorted up to the 5th floor Sky Terrace of Churchill Downs, “Millionaire's Row,” to a private table and balcony to watch the most exciting two minutes in sports – the 134th Kentucky Derby! Later that evening you will attend a private dinner party at “The Mansion” in Lexington.
Guests will stay at the Marriott Griffin Gate Resort in Lexington from Thursday to Sunday, May 1-3, 2008.
Five-Star Olympic Games Package
The high bidder on this timely package will visit Hong Kong in style and comfort and stay close to the action of their favorite horse sport at the XXIX Olympiad's Summer Olympic Equestrian Games, August 9-22, 2008. The winning bidder will choose an equestrian discipline-specific package (Dressage, Eventing or Show Jumping) and will receive roundtrip airfare, tickets for that discipline's events at the Olympic Games, and accommodations at the Intercontinental Hotel, a five-star property located in the heart of Hong Kong.
Macau High Rollers' Luxury Package
The high bidder on this remarkable package will receive two nights in the High Roller Suite (not available to the general public) at the fabulous Galaxy Starworld in Macau, China, approximately 40 miles from Hong Kong. Transportation is by helicopter to this marvelous island where every form of gambling is legal. The Galaxy Starworld, the only five-star hotel on Macau, is located on the Cotai Strip, which is widely regarded as the "Las Vegas of Asia." The high bidder will also have the opportunity to book discounted rooms for friends at the Galaxy Starworld.
This is the perfect jaunt before, after or in between events at the Olympic Games. Formerly a Portuguese colony, Macau is the oldest European settlement in China, serving for 400 years as a gateway for cultural exchange between the East and West. Fusing cultures from Asia and Europe, this fascinating territory was handed back to the People's Republic of China in 1999 by the Portuguese government.
Tickets and Tables Available for "Hong Kong by Night"
Funds raised at the USET Foundation's "Hong Kong by Night" will benefit the U.S. equestrian teams competing in the 2008