Maggie Mae Designs and Old Friends Auction The “Thunder Rumble” To Benefit Retired Racehorses

A new handcrafted Maggie Mae Design Derby chapeau lovingly named “Thunder Rumble” is up for bid to benefit the non-profit organization, Old Friends, which is devoted to a dignified retirement of former racehorses.

Old friends has teamed up with Sally Faith Steinmann of Maggie Mae Designs to auction off a hat monthly all the way up to the first weekend in May. It’s never too early to think about what hat you’ll be wearing to the Kentucky Oaks and the Kentucky Derby. The “Thunder Rumble” hat is the perfect derby couture millinery that will set you apart from the pack! What’s even better is your hat money is well spent, benefiting thoroughbred retirement center Old Friends!

The “Thunder Rumble” hat is inspired by Thunder Rumble (Thunder Puddles – Lyphette, by Lyphard) who resides at the Old Friends satellite facility in Greenfield Center, NY, Old Friends at Cabin Creek: The Bobby Frankel Division. The near-black stallion had career earnings of over $1 million and, in 1992, was lauded as the first New York-bred to capture the Travers Stakes at Saratoga in more than 100 years. That same season Thunder Rumble year also won the Jim Dandy Stakes, the Count Fleet Stakes and the Montauk Handicap.

The Thunder Rumble derby hat creation, which stretches a dramatic 19 inches from end to end, is a luscious combination of black dupioni silk and ruched black satin highlighted by two elegant rose curls, each made of swirling cranberry taffeta. Several strands of the great Thunder Rumble’s tail hairs have been braided and woven into the trim.

“I had a wonderful conversation about Thunder Rumble with Cabin Creek owner/manager JoAnn Pepper,” says Sally Faith Steinmann of Maggie Mae Designs. “She described him as her dream horse, her own ‘Black Stallion.’ This inspired me to create this beautiful hat. It’s really a unique blend of colors, tones, and textures that showcases the horse’s coat and the bright colors of his racing stable of red, black, and white.”

Sally Faith Steinmann has been extremely generous by creating “Dancin Renee” and “Rapid Redux” in this series of “Hats Off To The Horses” online auction. Last month, “Dancin Renee” netted over $700! “Hats Off To The Horses” is currently in its fourth year raising over $14,000 since 2009 for Old Friends.

The beautiful derby hat “The Thunder Rumble” is up for bid on a virtual auction found on the Old Friends website. Interested bidders should place their bids soon. The online auction ends at 8:00 PM on January 11, 2013.

To read more about Old Friends thoroughbred retirement center and find out how you can help, please visit www.oldfriendsequine.org. If you’re interested in purchasing a one-of-a-kind Maggie Mae Designs millinery handcrafted by the talented Sally Faith Steinmann in addition to your auction bid for “The Thunder Rumble”, you can view salons of her fashions at www.maggiemaedesigns.com.