A rainbow of fascinators fluttered, linen fits caught the breeze, and company sipped mint juleps as if Churchill Downs had taken a trendy detour by the Galleria. Greater than 350 partygoers turned out on the Put up Oak Resort for Bo’s Place’s ninth annual Hats, Hearts and Horseshoes on the Houston Polo Membership, a Derby day celebration as vibrant as a jockey’s silks.
And one which raised a record-breaking $362,000.
The afternoon affair was chaired by Christina and David McAllen and Maddy and Patrick Moffitt, who set the tone for a day stuffed with festivity, philanthropy, and a contact of Southern pageantry. A full slate of honorary chairs turned out in help, together with Fady Armanious and Invoice Baldwin, Amanda and Terry Boffone, Julie and Stephen Chen, Megan and Luke Hotze, Jayne and Garrett Johnston, Alice and J.W. Lodge, Carol Lee and Allen Lyons, Alissa and Kevin Maples, Hannah and Cal McNair, Sheridan and Robert Plumb, Millette and Haag Sherman, Christie and Mark Sullivan, Hallie Vanderhider, and Kelli and John Weinzierl — all serving to to crown Bo’s Place as a successful trigger.
Inside, the decor nodded to bluegrass allure with racing-themed tapestries, umbrellaed backyard tables, and a life-size horse draped in a lush blanket of purple roses. H-E-B’s purple rose centerpieces bloomed from each desk, and the entire area shimmered with a “wait, are we nonetheless in Houston?” power.
The gang, decked in full Derby dazzle, leaned into the theme.
Huge-brimmed hats, feathered fascinators, and seersucker fits made the room appear to be a couture-clad stampede. Sunshine poured by as company clinked glasses, positioned pleasant bets on the racing wall, and delighted in video games like “Heads or Tails,” the place one fortunate winner trotted off with a 14k diamond bar bracelet from Christina Greene.
David McAllen took a quiet second to current Carol Lee and Allen Lyons with the Champion of Hope Award, a poignant pause in an in any other case high-spirited afternoon. Lee shared her shifting story of how Bo’s Place supported her and her daughter 20 years in the past, reminding attendees why they got here dressed to the nines.
Emcee Stephen Lewis, ever the gang favourite, saved issues rolling whereas attendees bid on public sale packages and cheered on their Derby picks. And when Sovereignty sprinted throughout the end line to win the 2025 Kentucky Derby, the cheers may have shaken the chandeliers.
Amongst these noticed beneath the plumes and pastels had been Debbie and Mark Gregg, Rick Smith, Stacey and Al Lindseth, Julia and Harvin Lawhon, Lesha and Tom Elsenbrook, Gaye Lynn and Stuart Zarrow, Lauren and Rob Grey, Tammie and Andy Johnson, Jenn and Nick Altman, Kaci and Abraham Garza, Heather and Wade Clark, and Jordan and Cliff Vaughn.
