In an unprecedented show of compassion from the Thoroughbred community, contributions to the disaster relief fund organized by Keeneland have soared to $5.7 million, Keeneland President Nick Nicholson revealed today in an interim progress report on the fund.

Contributions have ranged from $10 … to hundreds of thousands of dollars … to $5 million pledged by Dubai’s Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum. Sheikh Mohammed breeds and races Thoroughbreds throughout the world and has purchased horses at Keeneland since the early 1980s. He also is the Crown Prince of Dubai and is the Minister of Defense of the United Arab Emirates.

“Sheikh Mohammed was deeply touched by the tragic events and the recovery and relief efforts that followed,” said Nicholson. “His donation is a wonderfully generous display of leadership and humanity.”

Keeneland was minutes away from starting the second session of its 13-day September Yearling Sale when terrorists initiated an attack on America. The Tuesday, September 11, session was postponed. The auction resumed on Wednesday following an announcement that Keeneland, in conjunction with buyers and sellers, had organized a relief fund that would be forwarded to the American Red Cross