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Month: April 2022
Texas Racing Commission Warns HISA Regulation Could Force Elimination Of Wagering
During its regularly-scheduled meeting on Wednesday, April 13, the Texas Racing Commission voted not to pay the $371,377 fee assessed to the state by the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority, reports Spectrum News 1.
HISA is scheduled to take effect on July 1, 2022; if state regulatory agencies vote not to collect and remit HISA-assessed costs, that duty will fall to the individual racetracks.
Commission chair Robert Pate explained that Texas state law does not allow the commission to pay a federal agency to do its job, and in fact, that doing so could force the commission to disallow wagering on those races.
MISS JANA CHARGES HOME TO VICTORY IN THE $60,000 ACADIANA STAKES
JOCKEY JOSE GUERRERO ABOARD THE FIRST STAKES WINNER OF THE SEASON
OPELOUSAS, LA –Evangeline Downs kicked off the 2022 stakes calendar with a renewal of the $60,000 Acadiana Stakes on Friday night. Jerry Cart’s Miss Jana took control on the turn and pulled away for a convincing victory. The race for three-year-old fillies, formerly restricted to state-bred runners, was absent from the stakes schedule the past couple of seasons.
Sassy Emma was quickest out of the gate and was quickly joined by Brinee and Run Natalie Run in the charge down the backstretch. After a sharp start, jockey Jose Guerrero had Miss Jana well within striking distance, rating in fourth position, as the leaders went the opening quarter-mile in 22.32 seconds. Miss Jana rushed up to challenge with a four-wide bid midway on the turn, challenging Brinee and Run Natalie Run, as Sassy Emma was the first to bow out. After a half-mile in a swift 45.74 seconds, Miss Jana surged forward to take a half-length lead. Run Natalie Run and Brinee were also beginning to tire, while Wholelottamo and Splenda Gail started to commence with their closing rallies.
Miss Jana opened up her lead to a convincing four lengths as they passed the final furlong marker and was in hand nearing the wire a comfortable 3-1/4 lengths in front. Wholelottamo sustained her bid to finish in the runner-up spot, 1-1/2 lengths in front of Splenda Gail, who finished third. Miss Jana stopped the timer in 1:11.32 seconds for six furlongs over a track rated fast.
Trained by the owner, Miss Jana earned $36,000 for the victory, her third from nine career starts. The purse from the first stakes victory increased her lifetime bankroll to $103,640.
The 3-year-old filly was bred in Louisiana by Robert E. Hewlett. Sired by Ruler’s Court, the bay is out of the Mauk Four mare Jettin Jana.
Miss Jana returned $7.20 to win as the second choice in the wagering, $3.40 to place and $2.60 to show. Favored Wholelottamo paid $2.60 to place and $2.10 to show. Splenda Gail returned $3.20 to show.
Live racing resumes on Saturday with a 5:30pm first post. The featured event is the $60,000 Lafayette Stakes. The Evangeline Downs Thoroughbred season runs on a Wednesday thru Saturday schedule until August 27.
Evangeline Downs Racetrack Casino and Hotel, a property of Boyd Gaming Corporation (NYSE:BYD), features exciting casino action, live horse racing and fun dining experiences. Evangeline Downs is located in Opelousas, Louisiana, off I-49 on Cresswell Lane at Exit 18.
LOUISIANA DOWNS 2022 THOROUGHBRED LIVE RACING SEASON TO GET UNDERWAY ON SATURDAY, MAY 7
Live Racing Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday Through September 27
Bossier City, LA – The 2022 Thoroughbred racing season at Louisiana Downs will commence on Saturday, May 7. The 84-day live racing season will run four continuous days with a post time of 3:05 pm (Central) through Tuesday, September 27.
The Bossier City racetrack just completed its annual Quarter Horse meet on April 6 under new ownership. Kevin Preston, who has over 30-years of experience in the casino industry is president of Louisiana Downs and is committed to integrating the racetrack and onsite and casino into one entity.
The personable and outgoing Preston has wasted no time in learning more about horse racing. He has been very active in talking with horsemen and understanding their needs. Improvements on the backside have been made, including a new toteboard, security gate, foliage and signage. Preston is highly committed to increasing purses and maintaining the safest track surfaces.
“I respect the investment that each owner has in running a horse at Louisiana Downs,” said Preston. “Trainers work extremely hard caring and training for their horses and competitive purses and quality track surfaces are extremely important.”
Entertainment and attracting attendance are also top priorities for Preston and his team. Promotions including a New Year’s Eve fireworks show, t-shirt and cap giveaways, food trucks and family-friendly activities were very well-received during the Quarter Horse meet. Several promotions are planned for opening day, which will also include the simulcast of the 148th Kentucky Derby.
“Bringing back fans to enjoy the thrill of live horse racing is important for us,” added Preston. “There is a special thrill to seeing these amazing athletes in action and cheering on the winner! Plus, it’s been great to see families spending Sunday afternoons together on the track apron.”
Louisiana Downs also opened its long awaited Sports Wagering hub in the casino recently with plans to open their permanent space within the next six months. It will be a dynamic, state-of-the-art venue comprised of a live brick and mortar sportsbook fused with a sports bar and grill.
With high definition televisions, comfortable seating, and a new restaurant, sports fans will be able to watch and wager on their favorite teams. Also, coming soon are 100 new machines as well as Historical Horse Racing betting terminals.
The first condition book for May 7-29 is available on Equibase. Louisiana Cup Day, featuring six stakes for Louisiana Thoroughbreds, will be contested on Saturday, August 6 and an announcement on the return of the Super Derby will be forthcoming.
Nominations for Louisiana Cup Day will close on 23. The stakes are as follows:
$50,000 Louisiana Cup Juvenile 2 YO LA-Bred Six furlongs
$50,000 Louisiana Cup Juvenile Fillies 2 YO Fillies LA-Bred Six furlongs
$50,000 Louisiana Cup Filly & Mare Sprint 3 YO & Up F&M, LA-Bred Six furlongs
$50,000 Louisiana Cup Sprint 3 YO & Up LA-Bred Six furlongs
$50,000 Louisiana Cup Turf Classic 3 YO & Up LA-Bred 1 1/16 miles (T)
$50,000 Louisiana Cup Distaff 3 YO & Up F & M LA-Bred 1 1/16 miles (T)
The 84-day meet will feature live racing on Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday through September 27. Post time will be 3:05 pm (Central). For details on simulcasting and special events, visit ladowns.com.
About Louisiana Downs
Located near Shreveport in Bossier City, Louisiana, Louisiana Downs opened in 1974 and is now owned by Rubico Acquisition Corporation. 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.
American Horse Council Announces Speakers for 2022 Conference
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Elliott, Asmussen, End Zone Athletics Take Sam Houston Titles
Jockey Stewart Elliott picked up his second leading rider title at Sam Houston Race Park as the meet wrapped up its 50-day stand Saturday, April 9th. Elliott had the support of trainer Steve Asmussen, riding first call for the Hall of Fame conditioner as he piloted 296 mounts, winning 62 races with earnings of $1,490,006. The successful union between Elliott and Asmussen began in Houston two years ago and has continued at Lone Star Park and Remington Park.
Asmussen won his 14th training title at the northwest Houston racetrack, following honors as top trainer in 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021. Asmussen started 259 runners, finishing with a record of 51 wins, 41 seconds, 55 thirds and earnings of $1,554,306. He conditions Stonestreet Stable’s homebred Pauline’s Pearl (Tapit), who captured the richest race of the annual Sam Houston Thoroughbred season, the $400,000 GIII Houston Ladies Classic.
End Zone Athletics, Inc. clearly topped the owner standings, finishing with 22 wins, 29 seconds and 18 third-place finishes from 137 starters. The ownership group, founded by Karl Broberg, has been a force at Sam Houston for over a decade with previous titles in 2018 and 2020.
Louisiana-breds Shine at Texas 2YO Sale
Accredited Louisiana breds sold exceptionally well at the Texas Two-Year-Olds In Training Sale which was held Wednesday, April 6, 2022, at Lone Star Park at Grand Prairie.
A Louisiana-bred filly from the first crop of Spendthrift Farm’s stallion Free Drop Billy consigned by Carl Deville as Hip 134 topped the sale at $200,000. The filly attracted attention after she breezed a quick 10.2 over the Lone Star Park dirt Monday afternoon. Out of the Half Ours mare Solo Buena, she’s a half-sister to stakes-placed Swot Analysis, who was second in the Louisiana Futurity at two. The filly previously sold as a yearling in the 2021 Breeders Sales Company of Louisiana Yearling Sale for $10,500.
A total of 30 accredited Louisiana breds sold for $1,137,500 with an average of $37,917, above the sale average of $34,667. The median price for Louisiana breds sold through the ring was $30,000 also above the sale median of $28,000.
Other Breeders Sales Company of Louisiana Yearling Sale graduates showed significant bumps over their yearling sale prices. Hip 133, a filly by Star Guitar out of the Hard Spun mare, Well Spun also consigned by Carl Deville, sold for $30,000 an increase of $21,500 over her yearling sale price of $8,500. And Hip 100, a colt by Guilt Trip out of the stakes winning Milwaukee Brew mare Hometown Gossip, sold for $24,000 out of the Benchmark Training Center Consignment, up $20,500 from his yearling sale price of $3,500.
Following the sale, Roger Heitzmann, Secretary/Treasurer of the Louisiana Thoroughbred Breeders Association said “Louisiana breds offer pinhookers a terrific return on their investment. With purses on the rise in Louisiana, I expect the demand for accredited Louisiana breds to rise as well.”
Free Drop Billy Filly Tops the Texas Two-Year-Olds in Training Sale
(Grand Prairie, Texas) A filly from the first crop of Spendthrift Farm’s stallion Free Drop Billy led the way at the 2022 Texas Two-Year-Olds in Training Sale, with the hammer dropping at $200,000.
The Louisiana-bred filly, consigned by Carl Deville as Hip 134, was purchased by Mansfield Racing. She was a supplement to the sale and she didn’t disappoint, breezing a quick 10.2 over the Lone Star Park dirt Monday afternoon. Out of the Half Ours mare Solo Buena, she’s a half-sister to stakes-placed Swot Analysis, who was second in the Louisiana Futurity at two.
Hip 72, a colt by first crop stallion McCraken, standing at Airdrie Stud, was the second highest priced two-year-old to sell and the highest priced colt with a final bid of $125,000. Mansfield Racing signed the ticket for the dark bay or brown colt. He’s a half-brother to seven winners from seven to race, including stakes-winner Magic Tale. Pike Racing consigned the colt.
Wednesday’s sale outpaced last year’s sale in total sales, average price, and median price. Eighty-eight horses sold for $3,050,700 in total sales. The average price was $34,667 this year; last year, the average price was $32,671. The median jumped to $28,000, compared to $20,000 in 2021.
“We’re obviously thrilled to see such strong trade in our two-year-old market,” TTA Sales Director Foster Bridewell said. “We can’t thank the owners and consignors enough for sending us quality horses to sell and we’re fortunate that so many buyers showed up in a big way. I think it’s a sign of just how strong racing is in Texas, thanks to the increased purses and incentives for owners and breeders.”
Pike Racing, agent, was the leading consignor by total sales at $664,000.
HISA: Shoeing Rules In Effect July 1 Will Prohibit Traction Devices, Including Toe Grabs
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Thoroughbred farriers will be restricted by new rules when the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority’s nationwide regulations go into effect on July 1, 2022. The regulations focus primarily on the traction devices farriers will be permitted to apply to Thoroughbred horseshoes, according to the American Farriers Journal.
All rules in the HISA Racetrack Safety Program were approved by the Federal Trade Commission on March 4, 2022.
Un Ojo On Target for Kentucky Derby After Rough Trip
One-eyed gelding has scrapes, stiffness after hitting rail in Arkansas Derby (G1).
The one-eyed New York State-bred gelding Un Ojo came out of a tumultuous eighth-place finish in the Arkansas Derby (G1) with some shoulder scrapes and stiffness but remains on course for a start in the May 7 Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1).
Trainer Ricky Courville said April 5 that the son of Laoban needed some surgical staples in his left shoulder blade after hitting the rail April 2 during the $1 million stakes at Oaklawn Park, and will be walked the rest of this week as he recovers from the rough trip.
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