Napravnik and Old Friends launch fifth annual 'Hats off to the Horses'

On November 1st, leading jockey Rosie Napravnik will throw off her helmet and

don a one-of-a-kind Kentucky Derby chapeau to launch the fifth annual "Hats Off

to the Horses: The Road to the Derby," an online auction that raises money for

Old Friends, the Thoroughbred Retirement Facility in Central Kentucky.

One of the most successful female jockeys in horse racing, Napravnik is also

an avid Old Friends supporter and a member of its board of directors. Throughout

October she graciously posed for the photographers of EquiSport Photos wearing

each of the six beautiful designs that will be auctioned, one per month, leading

right up to the 2014 running of the Kentucky Derby.

The campaign kicks off on the evening of November 1st with this year's first

hat "The Sean Avery," named for the Grade 1-winning sprinter who retired to Old

Friends in February of this year. Bidding will begin at 8 p.m. (ET) and be open

for 10 days only.

This is the fifth consecutive year that Old Friends has joined with acclaimed

milliner Sally Faith Steinmann of the Massachusetts-based Maggie Mae Designs to

auction six handcrafted Kentucky Derby hats, each inspired by one of the

non-profit organization's 120 retired racehorses. To date, this unique

fundraiser has earned nearly $17,000 for Old Friends.