Month: December 2019

OBS Winter Mixed Sale catalog now online

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The catalog for the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Company’s 2020 Winter Mixed Sale is now available on the OBS website at http://obssales.com. The online catalog’s main page contains a link to a sortable master index providing searchable pedigree and consignor information as well as access to pedigree updates occurring since the catalog was printed.

The iPad version of the catalog can be accessed via the equineline Sales Catalog App. The App allows users to download and view the catalog, receive updates and results, record notes and also provides innovative search, sort and rating capability. For more information and downloads go to: http://www.equineline.com/SalesCatalogApp/

There are 167 horses cataloged in the Preferred Session, scheduled to begin Tuesday, January 28th at 11:00 a.m., followed immediately by 122 horses currently cataloged in the Racing Age Session (Hip Numbers 201 – 322).  Supplemental entries will be accepted through January 15th. A separate supplemental catalog will be available on the OBS website and in printed form at the sales grounds. The 298 horses cataloged in the Open Session (Hip No.’s 401 – 698) will be sold Wednesday, January 29th, beginning at 11:00 a.m.

The Racing Age section’s optional Under Tack Show is scheduled for Monday, January 27th at 10:00 a.m.

As always, the sale and Under Tack Show will be streamed live via the OBS website and the Blood-Horse, DRF and TDN websites.

There are 296 yearlings in the sale by a large and diverse group of sires. Bernardini heads a roster of established stallions, a group that also includes Awesome Again, Blame, Central Banker, Distorted Humor, Hard Spun, Kantharos, Malibu Moon, Mineshaft, Quality Road, Shackleford, Speightstown, Tale of the Cat, Union Rags, Violence and Will Take Charge.

American Pharoah heads the roster of up and coming yearling sires, along with Bal a Bali (BRZ), Bayern, Brody’s Cause, Connect, Exaggerator, Frosted, Keen Ice, Liam’s Map, Lord Nelson, Mastery, Noble Bird, Practical Joke, Speightster and Upstart.

Broodmare buyers will find mares in foal to a stallion roster which includes Bucchero, First Dude, Girvin, Goldencents, Khozan, Klimt, Lookin At Lucky, Midnight Lute and The Big Beast.

The Racing Age section is headlined by J P’s Delight, unbeaten in three starts and winner of the recent FTBOA City of Ocala Florida Stallion Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs. The daughter of J P’s Gusto sells as Hip No. 224. Notorious Nick, a son of Uncaptured, sells as Hip No. 283. An allowance winner in his last two starts at Gulfstream Park West, he has earned $119,640 to date.

Current information about OBS sales, consignors and graduates is now also available via social media sites Facebook and Twitter. A link on the homepage directs users to either site.

Sales results will be available on the OBS website, updated hourly during each session of the Winter Mixed Sale. In addition, the latest news regarding OBS graduates, sales schedules, nominations, credit requests, travel information and other news relevant to OBS consignors and customers is also available. E-mail should be addressed to obs@obssales.com.

For more information regarding the Winter Mixed Sale or OBS website, please call (352) 237-2154.

Obituary: Donna B. Brown

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Donna Bean Brown passed away on Wednesday, December 18, 2019 at the age of 64. Beloved wife and best friend of 37 years to Danny Mack Brown. Loving mother of Misty Brown Spiers (Jason). Daughter of the late Norma Burford Bean and Aaron Eugene Bean. Sister to the late Pamela Bean Cousins, her precious baby doll. Grandmother to Jacob, Dylan, Jadyn (Tater) and Xander. All the light of her life. Steve Cousins, a cherished brother in law, niece Stephanie Irwin (Ryan), great nieces Ferin, Kyley, great nephews Camden, Ryker, and Slayden, nephew Steven Cousins (Connie), great niece Makayla, and great nephews Steven and Austin. Late brother-in-law Alton Brown, niece Jenny Brown, nephew Chris Brown, great nephew Brandon, and great nieces Kayla and Marissa. Mother-in-law Genevieve L. Brown. She leaves behind many true friends and loved all of them unconditionally.

Donna loved boiled seafood and a beer every Friday night of her married life and was a diehard #1 fan of the Dallas Cowboys, New Orleans Saints, and the LSU Tigers. Donna was also the farm manager for Brown’s Thoroughbred Farm, a true horse woman that raised and raced many winning racehorses over the years. She was also a member LAHBPA and LTBA. Among her talents, she was also a very good bass fisherman, along with other things too numerous to mention.

She fought a courageous battle with Hodgkin’s cancer 37 years ago, and an ongoing battle with heart disease since 2007, however she could not survive her most recent diagnosis of Leiomyosarcoma, a rare aggressive cancer, and will be sorely missed by all.

Relatives and friends are invited to attend the funeral services at E.J. Fielding Funeral Home, 2260 W. 21st Avenue, Covington, LA 70433 on Monday, December 23, 2019 at 2:00 PM with visitation on Sunday evening from 5:00 PM until 8:00 PM and on Monday beginning at 1:00 PM until service time. Interment will follow in Pinecrest Memorial Gardens. E.J. Fielding Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements. Please sign the E.J. Fielding Funeral Home online Guest Book at www.ejfieldingfh.com.

Nominations Ongoing For Randy Romero Pure Courage Award

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Nominations accepted through Jan. 15, with a presentation to be made March 21.

Following the death of Hall of Fame jockey Randy Romero this past summer at 61, supporters in his native Louisiana are keeping his legacy alive at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots in New Orleans. Besides the track naming a race after the famed jockey—the Feb. 1 Randy P. Romero Memorial Stakes—a group of nine friends have created the Randy Romero Pure Courage Award to honor a North American jockey who, like Romero, battled back from injury and adversity to achieve success.

The recipient of the award will receive a bronze trophy in a presentation at Fair Grounds on Louisiana Derby Day March 21, organizer Rick Mocklin said.

Romero, a winner of 4,294 races and $75.2 million in earnings over a career from 1973-99, was the regular rider of such elite distaffers as Go For Wand and Personal Ensign, with whom he teamed to win the Breeders’ Cup Distaff (G1) in 1988 to finish an unbeaten career. He won 122 graded stakes and riding titles at 10 tracks, including Belmont Park, Arlington Park, Gulfstream Park, Keeneland, and Fair Grounds.

He managed to do this despite a slew of injuries that shortened his career and left him fighting pain for much of the second half of his life. Among these injuries was a near-fatal sauna explosion at Oaklawn Park that burned 60% of his body in 1983, after which he contracted hepatitis C from blood transfusions during skin graph operations. He returned to riding 14 months after the Oaklawn accident.

The 1990s brought more physical setbacks, including when Go For Wand was fatally injured in the 1990 Breeders’ Cup Distaff and Romero crashed to the ground, breaking eight ribs and a bone in his shoulder. He finished riding later that decade, with Mocklin acting as his agent for a couple of those years.

“He went through so many things that 10 riders might not go through in their career, but Randy was always looking to ride again,” Mocklin said. “No matter what the injury was, he was looking when he could ride again and get back in the saddle.”

The goal of the Randy Romero Pure Courage Award is to honor a rider who shows the same kind of determination.

Mocklin said the nine people organizing the award—which include trainer Dallas Stewart and Kentucky restaurateur Tommy Walters—are funding the trophy’s purchase and will vote to determine the winner. To be eligible, a rider needs to be nominated before the committee’s Jan. 15 deadline, with nominations made to Mocklin at 504-382-9787 or via email to info@shantellaneriefoundation.com.

BRIAN HERANDEZ JR. SCORES CAREER WIN 2,000 THURSDAY AT FAIR GROUNDS

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Afleet Roger_F_2019
Brian Hernandez, Jr, aboard Afleet Roger, wins his 2000th win at the Fair Grounds in New Orleans, LA. Hodges Photography / Amanda Hodges Weir

New Orleans (December 19, 2019) – In 2004, Brian Joseph Hernandez, Jr. earned the Eclipse Award for outstanding apprentice jockey. A mere 15-years later in Thursday’s fifth race at Fair Grounds, the Lafayette, Louisiana native captured career win number 2,000 aboard Afleet Roger for trainer James Baker.

The 3-year-old gelding Afleet Roger broke alertly and was well-placed early, sitting just off the pace as the first flight of leaders went a quarter in: 23.99. Down the backstretch, Hernandez made a middle move down on the inside, took the lead at the half-mile pole and opened up down the stretch, running away from the field to win the $12,500 maiden claimer by 9 1/4thlengths in a final time of 1:46.98 for the 1 1/16 miles journey.

“When I first started, I never really thought I’d get to 2,000,” Hernandez said after the race. “It just started to get brought up and all of a sudden they were counting it down and I was getting closer and closer. To get to 2,000 is a cool milestone to have on a resume, now I just want to keep working hard and reaching for more.”

Brian Hernandez Jr. rode his first winner in 2003 at Delta Downs in Vinton, Louisiana. Just three  later, Hernandez was aboard Cielo Gold when winning the 2006 edition of the Indiana Derby (G2) giving the young jockey his first of 51 career graded stakes wins.

The highlight of Hernandez’s career came in 2012 when he guided the Ian Wilkes-trained Fort Larned to victory in the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1). Locally, he is best known for his work with Girvin, winner of both the 2017 Risen Star (G2) and Twinspires.com Louisiana Derby (G2) for trainer Joe Sharp.

“As a young rider you are just excited to go out there and win as many races as you can,” Hernandez said. “Even to this day, years later, it’s fun to go out and win. We just try to win as many races as possible and we’re always looking for the next top level horse.”

 

Three-Year Racehorse Depreciation Extension Passed by Both Houses of Congress

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LEXINGTON, Ky. (December 19, 2019) – A key provision that extends three-year tax depreciation for all racehorses through 2020 passed the Senate by a vote of 71-23 earlier today. The racehorse provision was passed by the House of Representatives on Tuesday by a vote of 297-120 as part of a larger tax package.
“We appreciate the Senate’s work to include this important provision,” said NTRA President and Chief Executive Officer Alex Waldrop. “We especially applaud the efforts of Leader McConnell, who does so much to support Kentucky’s signature industry.”

 

Uniform three-year racehorse depreciation was among numerous tax provisions across many industries that either expired at the beginning of 2018 or this year, or were set to expire as of Jan. 1, 2020. The bill reinstates the 3-year schedule for all racehorses retroactive to 2018 and through 2020.
The provision allows taxpayers to depreciate, on a three-year schedule, racehorses 24 months of age and younger when purchased and placed into service, as opposed to a seven-year schedule.

 

Three-year racehorse depreciation was most recently available to the industry in 2017 but Congress did not renew it for 2018 as part of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) passed in December 2017. The TCJA did include 100% bonus depreciation and a $1 million Sec. 179 expense allowance for qualified depreciable property, two important investment incentives that lessened the need for three-year depreciation in many cases. However, three-year depreciation continues to be a beneficial option for many racehorse owners, especially racing partnerships with multiple passive owners, as it better aligns deductions with corresponding income opportunities on an annual basis.

 

Maintaining the three-year recovery period for racehorse purchases has been a top legislative priority for the NTRA federal legislative team since the provision’s initial enactment as part of the 2008 Farm Bill.

 

About the NTRA
The NTRA, based in Lexington, Ky., is a broad-based coalition of more than 100 horse racing interests and thousands of individual stakeholders consisting of horseplayers, racetrack operators, owners, breeders, trainers and affiliated horse racing associations, charged with increasing the popularity, welfare and integrity of Thoroughbred racing through consensus-based leadership, legislative advocacy, safety and integrity initiatives, fan engagement and corporate partner development. The NTRA owns and manages the NTRA Safety and Integrity Alliance; NTRA.com; the Eclipse Awards; the National Horseplayers Championship; NTRA Advantage, a corporate partner sales and sponsorship program; and Horse PAC®, a federal political action committee. NTRA press releases appear on NTRA.com, Twitter (@ntra) and Facebook (facebook.com/1NTRA).

Ninety One Assault Takes Louisiana Champions Day Turf

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Louisiana Champions Day Turf
Fair Grounds, 12-14-19, @ 8.5 furlongs, turf
Three Year Olds and Upwards, Accredited Louisiana Bred, $100,000

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Ninety One Assault, with Shaun Bridgmohan aboard, wins the 29th running of the Louisiana Champions Day Turf at Fair Grounds in New Orleans. Hodges Photography / Amanda Hodges Weir

NINETY ONE ASSAULT
Artie Schiller–Lilly Ladue
Breeder: Richey & Strode Stables, LLC
Owner: Thomas Morley and Paul Braverman
Trainer: Thomas Morley
Jockey: Shaun Bridgmohan

2nd
Remembermis
Misremembered–School Girl
Breeder: J. Adcock & Hume Wornall
Owner: Raise the BAR Racing, LLC
Trainer: Thomas M. Amoss
Jockey: Corey J. Lanerie

3rd
Budro Talking
Tale of Ekati–American Placed
Breeder: J. Adcock & Hume Wornall
Owner: Jason S. Guidry and Karl Broberg
Trainer: Karl Broberg
Jockey: Colby J. Hernandez

Laughingsaintssong Fastest In Louisiana Champions Day Sprint

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Louisiana Champions Day Sprint
Fair Grounds, 12-14-19, 6 furlongs
Three Year Olds and Upwards, Accredited Louisiana Bred, $100,000

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Laughingsaintssong, with Colby Hernandez aboard, wins the 29th running of the Louisiana Champions Day Sprint. Hodges Photography / Amanda Hodges Weir

LAUGHINGSAINTSONG
Songandaprayer–Laughing Saint
Breeder: J. E. Jumonville Jr. & Bunny Jumonville
Owner: Rodney J. Verret
Trainer: Allen Landry
Jockey: Colby J. Hernandez

2nd
Takes Two to Tango
Half Ours–Doyouwanttodance
Breeder: Melissa Cantacuzene
Owner: Melissa Cantacuzene
Trainer: J. Luis Garcia
Jockey: Diego Saenz

3rd
Double Barrel Man
Musket Man–Double Points Day
Breeder: Michele Rodriguez
Owner: GK Racing LLC
Trainer: Karl Broberg
Jockey: Jack Gilligan

Net A Bear Nets Louisiana Champions Day Ladies Turf

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Louisiana Champions Day Ladies Turf
Fair Grounds, 12-14-19, @ 8.5 furlongs, turf
Three Year Olds and Upwards, Accredited Louisiana Bred, Fillies and Mares, $100,000

Net A Bear_F-12-14-2019
Net A Bear, with Florent Geroux aboard, wins the 29th running of the Louisiana Champions Day Ladies Turf at Fair Grounds. Hodges Photography / Amanda Hodges Weir

NET A BEAR
Awesome Bet–Edacious Reality
Breeder: Lora Pitre & Elaine Carroll
Owner: Maximo Lamarche and Federico Deltoro
Trainer: Allen Landry
Jockey: Florent Geroux

2nd
Room to Finish
Giant Oak–Can’t Roll a Seven
Breeder: Mike Meeks
Owner: West Point Thoroughbreds, Forge Ahead Stables, LLC and Jerry Caroom
Trainer: Wayne M. Catalano
Jockey: Shaun Bridgmohan

3rd
Eskenformore
Eskendereya–Madel
Breeder: Sugarland Thoroughbred, LLC
Owner: Sugarland Thoroughbreds LLC
Trainer: James E. Hodges
Jockey: James Graham

Pound For Pound Edges Trevilion for Louisiana Champions Day Classic Victory

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Louisiana Champions Day Classic
Fair Grounds, 12-14-19, 1 mile and 1/8
Three Year Olds and Upwards, Accredited Louisiana Bred, $150,000

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Pound For Pound, with Aubrie Green aboard, wins the 29th running of the Louisiana Champions Day Classic at Fair Grounds. Hodges Photography / Amanda Hodges Weir

POUND FOR POUND
Redding Colliery–Buttercup’s Song
Breeder: J. Adcock & B&B Bloodstock
Owner: Israel Flores Horses LLC
Trainer: Andrea Ancil Ali
Jockey: Aubrie Green

2nd
Trevilion
Lone Star Special–Spotsylvania
Breeder: Tigertail Ranch
Owner: Tigertail Ranch
Trainer: Victor Arceneaux
Jockey: Diego Saenz

3rd
Underpressure
Birdstone–Charming Colleen
Breeder: James McIngvale
Owner: Mallory Greiner
Trainer: Chris Richard
Jockey: Corey J. Lanerie

 

Minit To Stardom Awarded Louisiana Champions Day Ladies Sprint Win

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Louisiana Champions Day Ladies Turf
Fair Grounds, 12-14-19, 6 furlongs
Three Year Olds and Upwards, Accredited Louisiana Bred, Fillies and Mares, $100,000

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Minit To Stardom, with Alex Cintron on board, wins the 14th running of the Louisiana Champions Day Ladies Sprint at the Fair Grounds in New Orleans. Hodges Photography / Amanda Hodges Weir

MINIT TO STARDOM
Star Guitar–Wild About Marie
Breeder: Brittlyn Stables, Inc.
Owner: Brittlyn Stable, Inc.
Trainer: Jose M. Camejo
Jockey: Alex Cintron

2nd
Midnight Fantasy
Midnight Lute–St. Jean
Breeder: J. Adcock & Hume Wornall
Owner: Carl R. Moore Management LLC
Trainer: Joe Sharp
Jockey: Adam Beschizza

3rd
Ours to Run
Half Ours–Brown Eyed Baby
Breeder: Clifford Grum
Owner: Colonel Thoroughbreds LLC
Trainer: J. Larry Jones
Jockey: Gabriel Saez

 

Minit to Stardom capped a three-race win streak with a 1 1/2length victory in the July 24 GII Honorable Miss H. She was second in the Sept. 22 GII Gallant Bloom H. and most recently captured a Laurel allowance Nov. 8. The bay filly pressed Midnight Fantasy through fractions of :21.64 and :44.67. Minit to Stardom briefly got a head in front in upper stretch and, as Midnight Fantasy battled back from the inside, was bumped as that foe drifted out. Strides later, Midnight Fantasy once again drifted out and impeded Minit to Stardom. The pacesetter ultimately was two lengths in front at the wire, but was disqualified and placed second as Minit to Stardom was promoted to the victory.