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Month: April 2021
You Can Lead A Horse To Water, But Study Shows He’ll Only Drink If It’s The Right Flavor
You can take a horse to water but you can’t make him drink. A new study says adding a little flavor to the water may solve that problem.
Tessa Van Diest, a second-year veterinary student at Washington State University’s Veterinary Teaching Hospital, and Dr. Jamie Kopper, associate professor at Iowa State University, were concerned that hospitalized horses that did not consume enough water could develop colic, a potentially life-threatening condition.
Traditionally, horses hospitalized at Washington State that don’t voluntarily drink are offered water flavored with peppermint, sweet feed, or apple electrolytes. Until this study, no one had documented the horses’ response.
Oklahoma Attorney General Files Lawsuit Challenging HISA
Racing at Oklahoma’s Remington Park | Dustin Orona Photography
A federal lawsuit spearheaded by the state of Oklahoma to try and get the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) voided for alleged constitutional violations was filed Monday, meaning there are now two active legal challenges in the United States court system attempting to derail the regulatory powers of the HISA “Authority” prior to that regulatory body’s planned 2022 phase-in.
According to a press release issued by the state attorney general’s office in Oklahoma, the suit is challenging that “HISA gives a private corporation broad regulatory authority over Oklahoma’s horse racing industry, and does so with no funding mechanism, forcing the financial burden onto states. If a state refuses to pay, the state’s legislature and executive agencies would be punitively banned from collecting taxes or fees to enforce their own state regulations.”
The complaint demanding declaratory judgment and injunctive relief was filed Apr. 26 in United States District Court (Eastern Division of Kentucky) even though most of the plaintiffs are based in Oklahoma or West Virginia. The lawsuit’s timing coincides with the start of the GI Kentucky Derby week festivities in that state.
LOUISIANA DOWNS 2021 THOROUGHBRED LIVE RACING SEASON TO GET UNDERWAY ON SATURDAY, MAY 1
Opening Day Features the Simulcast of the 147th Kentucky Derby
Bossier City, LA – The 2021 Thoroughbred racing season at Louisiana Downs commences on Saturday, May 1. Opening day will include seven live races beginning at 2:45 pm (Central) and the simulcast of the 147th Kentucky Derby from Churchill Downs.
Louisiana Downs will honor its local heroes on Saturday with Bossier City First Responders/Law EnforcementAppreciation Day. Presentations will be made to several groups who have served and protected the Bossier City/Shreveport Metroplex throughout the year. In addition to enjoying live racing and the entire card from Churchill Downs, fans can enjoy the day from the suite level or on trackside apron with culinary delights from the most popular food trucks in Shreveport-Bossier City.
“We are pleased with the support of our horsemen and horseplayers and look forward to a very competitive 2021 live racing season,” said David Heitzmann, Director of Racing.
2020 Leading Rider Joel Dominguez Ready for Opening Day
Jockey Joel Dominguez captured the first leading rider title of his career last September at Louisiana Downs. The native of Durango, Mexico began in 2017 as an apprentice, and has progressed solidly over the last five years. Dominguez completed the 2020 Louisiana Downs meet with a record of 71 wins, 59 seconds, 50 thirds and $903,325 in purses.
Last year, he rode first call for Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen, who he galloped for in Kentucky when he first came to the United States.
“To ride for Steve has given me a great deal of confidence,” explained Dominguez. “I am grateful for his support and that of other trainers, including Eduardo Ramirez, Keith Bourgeois and Ronnie Ward, who have faith in me.”
Dominguez, 31, just wrapped up a successful meet at Delta Downs, finishing third in the standings (to Tim Thornton) with 64 wins and purses of $1.5 million.
“I try to do my best on each horse,” he said. “But I cannot take all the credit. It all begins in the barn with so many people involved in preparing horses for the races.”
Dominguez’ agent is former jockey, Don Simington who will also represent Sebastian Saez, 22, younger brother of top nationally acclaimed jockey Luis Saez.
To repeat as leading rider is a goal for Dominguez, but he is humble in what it will take.
“I know there are things I need to improve,” he stated. “I watch replays and appreciate the trainers that give me good pointers. Giving 100% on each horse I ride is what I try to do.”
Dominguez extended his gratitude to his wife Janet, and sons, Andy and Joel Jr. for understanding the long hours and hard work that his profession demands.
“I watch my sons playing soccer; but no baseball or basketball on TV,” he said. “To win the title at Louisiana Downs once again is very important to me and I will work hard for it!”
Jockey John Jacinto Returns to Action on Saturday’s Card
One other very interesting jockey note is the return of John Jacinto, who will pilot Homeview for trainer Larry Taylor in Saturday’s seventh race. Born in Lima, Peru, Jacinto came to the United States in 1999, making his debut at Calder Race Course. He had success in Texas and at Louisiana Downs and Fair Grounds in New Orleans. Jacinto earned several leading rider titles and had won 1,936 races, including a Grade 1 victory aboard Dawn of War.
In May, 2016, he was injured in a racing spill, suffering a Distal Humerus fracture in his left arm with several setbacks and infections. An additional surgery in January of 2020 was successful and by June of last year, the bone had regenerated,and he finally was fully healed. Jacinto opened his own landscaping company, but still had the desire to return to the saddle. In February he began working horses at Louisiana Downs.
“I had to lose some weight because I got kind of chunky,” said Jacinto. “Now I am back in shape and excited about riding in my first race for my good friend (and former jockey) Larry Taylor. I am going to start slowly; just one or two mounts a day. Before my last surgery, I thought I was done; now I am ready to take one more chance!”
Top Horsemen Returning to Louisiana Downs
Steve Asmussen, who topped his fellow conditioners last season with 41 wins, looks to be a force, once again this meet.Karl Broberg, Joey Foster, Shane Wilson, H. B. Johnson, Ronnie Ward, Philip Dison, Judy Beavin, Alfonso Balderas and H. B. Johnson all return with runners on the opening day card.
Broberg was the leading conditioner at the recently concluded 2021 live racing season at Delta Downs, finishing with a whopping 91 victories over Scott Gelner (30); Juan Larrosa (29) and Isai Gonzalez (28).
Broberg was the leading conditioner at the recently concluded 2021 live racing season at Delta Downs, finishing with a whopping 91 victories over Scott Gelner (30); Juan Larrosa (29) and Isai Gonzalez (28).
Louisiana Downs Race Dates and Post Times
Live racing will be conducted Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday and Saturday with a 2:45 p.m. (Central) post time from May 1 -May 29. Beginning Sunday, May 30, the schedule will shift to Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday until the conclusion of the 2021 live season on Tuesday, September 21. For more information on the 84-day racing season and special events, visit https://www.caesars.com/harrahs-louisiana-downs/racing.
About Louisiana Downs
Located near Shreveport in Bossier City, Louisiana, Louisiana Downs opened in 1974 and was purchased by Caesars Entertainment in December, 2002. With annual Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing seasons, the track is committed to presenting the highest quality racing programs paired with its 150,000 square foot entertainment complex offering casino gambling, dining and plasma screen televisions for sports and simulcast racing.
LIVE THOROUGHBRED RACING RETURNS TO EVANGELINE DOWNS WEDNESDAY, APRIL 28
NEW 84-DAY SEASON RUNS THROUGH SEPTEMBER 18 IN OPELOUSAS, LOUISIANA
OPELOUSAS, LA. – Evangeline Downs Racetrack Casino & Hotel will kick off its 2021 Thoroughbred season on Wednesday, April 28. The 84-day meeting will run through September 18 with live racing scheduled each Wednesday through Saturday night beginning at 5:50pm Central Time.
Evangeline Downs offers one of the most exciting meets in the country each summer with its one-mile dirt track and seven-furlong turf course. The state-of-the-art facility is a perfect venue for race fans to watch the action from the track apron or high above the track in the climate controlled, indoor clubhouse. Either way, the crowd is sure to be entertained.
Many familiar names will return to the track to compete this year at Evangeline Downs. Jockey Tim Thornton will look to repeat as leading rider after taking the crown in 2020 with 73 trips to the winner’s circle. Thornton recently won his third consecutive riding title at Evangeline Downs’ sister racetrack Delta Downs during their recently completed 2020-21 season.
Karl Broberg will be the odds-on favorite to capture another training title in Opelousas this year. During the 2020 meeting he led all trainers with 23 wins and his barn earned a season high $374,150. Broberg recently won his 10th straight training title at Delta Downs and is annually one of the top conditioners in the country. He led the nation in wins from 2014 – 2019 before finishing second to Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen in 2020.
Other prominent horsemen who are expected to compete at Evangeline this year include Ron Faucheux, who recently won the 2020-21 training title at Fair Grounds; Scott Gelner, who finished second in the standings to Broberg at Delta Downs this year; and Isai V. Gonzalez, who finished fifth in the recent Delta Downs standings and whose barn has been getting plenty of notoriety in recent years.
Evangeline Downs will offer several stakes races for local horsemen to take part in this year. The 14-race schedule features $820,000 in total purse money with the richest stakes program of the season set for Saturday, June 5 when the track hosts another edition of Louisiana Legends Night. The action-packed program will include six added-money events highlighted by the $60,000 Cheval Stakes for 3-year-olds and the $60,000 Louisiana Legends Turf for older horse competing at 1-1/16 miles on the grass.
The stakes schedule will wrap up on closing weekend of the season, Friday, September 17 and Saturday, September 18 with two divisions of the ‘Shine’ Young Futurity. Last year’s filly division was won by Larry Romero and Ron Faucheux’s Mirabeau and the colts and geldings division was taken by Allen Landry’s Chu Chu’s Legacy.
For more information on racing at Evangeline Downs, visit the track’s website at www.evdracing.com. Evangeline Downs’ Twitter handle is @EVDRacing and the racetrack is also accessible on Facebook at www.facebook.com/EvangelineDownsRacing.
About Evangeline Downs
Evangeline Downs Racetrack Casino & Hotel is owned by Boyd Gaming Corporation, a leading diversified owner and operator of 29 gaming entertainment properties located in Nevada, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio and Pennsylvania. Boyd Gaming press releases are available atwww.prnewswire.com. Additional news and information can be found at www.boydgaming.com, orwww.evangelinedowns.com.
ROB TUEL HIRED AS NEW FULL TIME TRACK ANNOUNCER AT EVANGELINE DOWNS
NEBRASKA NATIVE TAKES THE MICROPHONE ON OPENING NIGHT, APRIL 28
OPELOUSAS, LA. – Evangeline Downs Racetrack Casino & Hotel has announced the hiring of Rob Tuel as its new full-time track announcer replacing Michael Chamberlain, who had spent the last six years behind the microphone in Opelousas, Louisiana.
Tuel’s race calling experience began in 2004 at Eureka Downs in Kansas, where he called both Thoroughbreds and Quarter Horses. Over the years he has also called races in his home state of Nebraska at FairPlay Park, Lincoln Race Course and Atokad Park.
“I am honored and thrilled to be selected as the new track announcer at Evangeline Downs,” said Tuel. “It has been a lifelong dream to the announcer at such a prestigious racetrack and I cannot wait to begin.”
Tuel will also have the responsibility of handicapping each program at Evangeline Downs while also hosting the track’s daily simulcast show. His experience in front of the camera along with a lifetime of handicapping horse races will provide fans with valuable insights and plenty of winning picks nightly. From 2010 – 2012 he served as paddock host and handicapper at Lincoln Race Course while working with Chamberlain, who was the announcer at that time.
“We are very exciting to have Rob join our racing team here at Evangeline Downs,” said Carol Core, Vice President and General Manager. “He brings plenty of excitement and enthusiasm to the position of track announcer and I’m sure he will be well received by race fans both locally and across the nation via simulcast.”
Tuel’s first full season at Evangeline Downs will run from April 28 through September 18. The track will host live programs each Wednesday through Saturday night beginning at 5:50 pm Central Time.
For more information on racing at Evangeline Downs, visit the track’s website at www.evdracing.com. Evangeline Downs’ Twitter handle is @EVDRacing and the racetrack is also accessible on Facebook at www.facebook.com/EvangelineDownsRacing.
About Evangeline Downs
Evangeline Downs Racetrack Casino & Hotel is owned by Boyd Gaming Corporation, a leading diversified owner and operator of 29 gaming entertainment properties located in Nevada, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio and Pennsylvania. Boyd Gaming press releases are available at www.prnewswire.com. Additional news and information can be found at www.boydgaming.com, or www.evangelinedowns.com.
Additional H-2B Visas Soon To Be Available For Trainers During 2nd Half of Federal Fiscal Year 2021
LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 20, 2021) ― The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the U.S. Department of Labor have agreed to offer 22,000 additional H-2B visas to employers for the second half of the federal fiscal year that ends on September 30, 2021. These visas are used by employers, such as racehorse trainers, who seek seasonal guest workers. They are capped at 66,000 annually, with an even split of 33,000 available for each half of the federal government’s fiscal year. The additional visas will be made available later this spring or early summer via a temporary final rule in the Federal Register. Six thousand of these visas will be reserved for nationals of the Northern Triangle countries of Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala.
“We are pleased to learn that additional H-2B visas will be available for trainers soon and applaud Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and Labor Secretary Marty Walsh for this action,” said NTRA President and CEO Alex Waldrop. “At the same time, the NTRA supports relief from the burdensome annual H-2B visa cap through a permanent returning worker exemption and urges both departments to reform the program accordingly, enabling affected employers to stabilize their businesses.”
This past December, the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 became law and included a provision that provides the DHS with the discretionary authority to release an additional 64,176 H-2B visas when significant need is demonstrated. The NTRA, through its involvement with the H-2B Workforce Coalition, supports all efforts to make additional visas available to seasonal businesses struggling with labor issues.
The H-2B visa guest worker program is a nonimmigrant visa program used by many industries that need temporary non-agricultural help when domestic workers are unavailable. For the horse racing industry, trainers rely heavily on the H-2B program to fill various backside positions.
Demand for H-2B visas often exceeds their availability and the cap level is quickly reached, leaving employers in need. For the second half of federal fiscal year 2021, DHS announced that by February 12 it had received enough H-2B worker petitions to reach the congressionally mandated cap of 33,000 visas allotted.
THORNTON, BROBERG AND END ZONE ATHLETICS CONTINUE LEADING HORSEMEN STREAKS DURING 2020-21 DELTA DOWNS THOROUGHBRED SEASON
TOP HONORS WERE HANDED OUT DURING CLOSING PROGRAM ON FRIDAY, APRIL 16
VINTON, LA. – The 2020-21 Thoroughbred season at Delta Downs wrapped up on Friday with familiar names topping the standings. Tim Thornton won his third straight leading rider title while Karl Broberg notched his 10th consecutive crown in the training ranks. Broberg and Matt Johansen’s End Zone Athletics, Inc. earned their sixth straight leading owner title and their ninth in the last 10 years.
Thornton’s season included 122 wins and $2,337,260 in mount earnings. The Louisiana native rode five winners alone on closing day. During the 2018-19 season, Thornton’s first full meet at Delta Downs, he set the current record of $2,894,080 in earnings.
Thornton, a husband and father of three, won two stakes races during the meet, both with Broberg-trained and End Zone Athletics Inc.-owned horses. The trio teamed up to win the $100,000 Delta Mile Stakes with Hunka Burning Love on November 10 and the $40,000 Ragin Cajun Starter Stakes on February 10, Louisiana Premier Day.
Following Thornton in the jockey standings were Diego Saenz (73 wins), Joel Dominguez (64), Jose Guerrero (54), Thomas Pompell (45), Gerard Melancon (42), Joe Stokes (30), Alez Birzer (27), Kevin Smith (25), and Jansen Melancon (24).
Broberg continued his dominance at Delta Downs in 2020-21 by sending out 91 winners and totaling $1,651,170 in earnings. The accomplishment capped off a season that saw him win his 10th straight training title at the Vinton, Louisiana racetrack. During the Delta Downs season Broberg also finished second nationally in terms of wins with 329 victories to Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen’s 421. It was the first time since 2014 that Broberg did not lead the nation in that category.
Rounding out the list of leading trainers for the Delta Downs meeting were Scott Gelner (30), Juan Larrosa (29), Isai Gonzalez (28), Eduardo Ramirez (25), Brett Brinkman (23), Allen Landry (21), Ronnie Averett (17-tie), Thomas Amoss (17-tie), and Ronnie Averett (15).
End Zone Athletics, Inc. saw a record 64 of their runners win and earn a total of $868,765, which also set a new mark for owners in that category. The old record for wins, 50, and earnings, $873,545, was also set by End Zone Athletics during the 2018-19 season.
Rounding out the top owners for the season were Red Rose Racing (Jimmy Johnson) (15), Joe Alfredo Castillo (14), Gerald L. Averett, Jr. (12), Adriel Gonzalez (11), Dale White, Sr. (10), Norman Stables, LLC (Robert A. Norman) (9), Rylee Grudzien (7-tie), Steven Asmussen (7-tie), Juan Larrosa (7-tie), and Maggi Moss (7-tie).
Delta Downs now looks forward to its upcoming American Quarter Horse season which gets underway on May 10 and runs through July 31. The 46-day meeting will generally feature live racing each Monday through Thursday. However, there will be two special Friday cards and four special Saturday programs to accommodate major stakes races and trials for those events. The first post time each day will be at 3 pm Central Time.
For more information about the Delta Downs Quarter Horse season, including specific race days, go to the track’s website at www.deltadownsracing.com. Fans can also follow the track on Facebook and Twitter.
Delta Downs Racetrack Casino and Hotel, a property of Boyd Gaming Corporation (NYSE:BYD), features exciting casino action, live horse racing and fun dining experiences. Delta Downs is located in Vinton, Louisiana, on Delta Downs Drive. From Lake Charles, take Exit 7 and from Texas, take Exit 4.
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