The Jockey Club has pledged its continued support for the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation (TRF), the country’s largest equine retirement program that has come under scrutiny over the past week.

In a statement following publication of a New York Times article alleging that some horses at farms under TRF care were starving and were in poor health, James L. Gagliano, president and chief operating officer of The Jockey Club said the breed registry organization would continue to support the aftercare program while looking into the matters covered in the Times article.

"The Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation has done terrific work with retired Thoroughbreds for a long period of time," Gagliano said in the statement. "We are working with the foundation’s board and management team to get a better understanding of this matter and to ensure that all TRF horses are cared for in the appropriate manner. We will continue to support retirement efforts, including those of the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation, and we encourage others in the Thoroughbred industry to do the same."

Through a checkoff program that enables owners and breeders to support Thoroughbred aftercare programs at the time they register their horses, The Jockey Club has contributed $300,000 to both the TRF and Thoroughbred Charities of America since 2009