Belmont Park, N.Y.- Nassau County Executive Thomas R. Suozzi announced today that tomorrow, October 18th, Nassau County's Horses of a Different Color will be up for auction at Belmont Park racetrack in Elmont. Twenty-three horses are going to auction at the Marquee Tent at 8:00 p.m. The proceeds will go to benefit Nassau County Parks and Recreational Facilities, Tourism and Charities (Grayson Foundation & B.E.A.T - Backstretch Employee Assistance Team) chosen by NYRA. The horses have been on display on Ebay.com October 8th and will featured on a live online auction.

Horses Of A Different Color was first shown on the grounds of the Museum of Art in Roslyn in April of 2003 and subsequently appeared on the lawn of the Roosevelt Legislative Building in Mineola. The horses were showcased at Belmont Park Racetrack for the Nassau County Breeders Cup and the Belmont Stakes and a number of the horses have been on display throughout Nassau County in communities such as: Cedarhurst, Merrick, Great Neck, Elmont, Syosset, Uniondale, Locust Valley, Glen Cove, Garden City, Mineola, and Melville.

A little more then 60 horses have been completed to date. Sponsors paid $4,000 to create a horse and if the sponsor wished to own the horse sculpture they can pay an additional $3,500. The sponsor makes the choice to purchase or let the horse be available for auction. Approximately 30 sponsors have decided to purchase their horse sculpture.

Horses Of A Different Color was created with the approval of the County Executive and is run by the Nassau County Sports, Entertainment & Tourism Commission (SET). SET is the County's arm of assistance to enhance various venues where Nassau County has participation. SET's activities range from the development of new programs, such as Horses Of A Different Color, to running events and raising sponsorship funding. Horses Of A Different Color was run at no cost to the residents of Nassau County. The program is funded by sponsorship dollars.