The Maryland Horse Foundation today issued the following press release:

The Maryland Horse Foundation (MHF) is pleased to announce the participants for the 7th edition of the Maryland Thoroughbred Career Program. The competitive group of applicants ranged in age from high school juniors to college graduates and hailed from a diverse group of schools. This year’s participants are:

Kate Benjamin – Westminster, MD. Kate Benjamin is a junior in high school and plans to study engineering in college. She is a c-2 in Burntwoods Pony Club. Kate has two horses including an off-the-track thoroughbred that she events with. She enjoys working with young horses and is very excited to learn about the opportunities in the Thoroughbred industry. 

Daria Bogdanov – Baltimore, MD. Daria Bogdanov, known to everyone as Dasha, was born in Budapest, Hungary. Now a proud Maryland local, she aims to become a veterinary technician with a focus on the Maryland equine industry. Eager for new challenges, Dasha currently works at several local horse farms, where she continues to gain practical experience with the goal to become a professional Eventer. Through the Maryland Thoroughbred Career Program Dasha hopes to meet and learn from veterinary professionals as she prepares to go back to college to pursue becoming a veterinary technician.

Emily Cross – Westminster, MD Emily Cross is a 17-year-old junior in high school who spends almost every day with her two horses. She competes in recognized Eventing and Show Jumping shows. Emily has competed in the Carroll County 4-H/FFA year for four years and the Maryland State Fair for two years. She has a passion for retraining racehorses and giving them a second chance and has retrained several of her own. In the equine industry, she sees her future as a horse trainer, but the door is always open. The Maryland Thoroughbred Career Program is a great way to meet many new friends and explore the different opportunities! 

Keely Flynn – Harwood, MD. Keely Flynn is currently a Junior in South River High School in Edgewater, MD and enrolled in the STEM program. At the age of 5, Keely found her love of horses when she began taking lessons. She now competes in Hunter/Jumper as well as Eventing. Keely was a participant in the 2022 Waredaca 3 Day where she successfully qualified and completed all phases. She plans to pursue a career in veterinary medicine and is looking forward to learning more about all aspects of the equine industry in the Maryland Thoroughbred Career Program. Keely lives on a small farm with sheep, goats, chickens and her two beloved horses, Galloway Girl, an Irish Sport Horse, and Gold Mine, an Off-the-track Thoroughbred.

Claire Superczynski – Sykesville, MD. Claire is a rising junior at Century High School in Sykesville, Maryland. She is an active member of several organizations including the National FFA Organization, the United States Pony Club (USPC) and the Interscholastic Equestrian Association (IEA). Claire has competed at the state level in FFA’s Veterinary Science competition, and the national level in USPC and IEA. Claire is interested in pursuing an equine veterinary medicine career and is very excited to learn more about the many aspects of the thoroughbred industry. 

“Every year, with the Maryland Thoroughbred Career Program (MCTP), we look forward to introducing our industry to a new group of young people”, says Cricket Goodall, executive director of the Maryland Horse Foundation, “and we always learn from them about their interest in and experiences with horses, and their hopes for a continued connection in the future.”

Previous Maryland Thoroughbred Career Program participants have gone on to other educational opportunities such as an internship with 1/ST Racing and the Ed Brown Society, Kentucky Equine Management Internship, internship at Keeneland, and the Maryland Horse Foundation’s Work Experience Program. Others are working in a variety of industry positions including sales administration, farm and broodmare management, communications, and higher education.

Graduates of the MTCP are eligible for Career Development Funds, a one-time scholarship to support their post-MTCP career pursuits. To date, the Maryland Horse Foundation has paid out over $34,000 in Career Development Funds to cover a variety of expenses including veterinary school applications, conferences, and career development opportunities.

Follow along with the 2024 Maryland Thoroughbred Career Program participants June 3-7 on the Maryland Horse Foundation’s Facebook page.

CHECK OUT THE LATEST OFF TO THE RACES RADIO!