Month: April 2022

Straight Fire Colt Blazes The Bullet in Texas

louisianathoroughbred

(Grand Prairie, Texas) A colt by Straight Fire was worth the wait at the 2022 Texas Two-Year-Olds in Training Sale breeze show Monday.

Cataloged in the supplement as Hip 144, the colt was the last horse on the track Monday afternoon, delivering the fastest 1/8th of a mile breeze, stopping the clock in 10.1 on the Lone Star Park oval. Consigned by Pike Racing as agent, the LNJ Foxwood-bred colt is out of the Excellent Art mare Luckfromabove (IRE); her first foal to race, a full sister to this colt, is a winner. 

Six horses collected a 10.2 clocking over the dirt at Lone Star Park, all tying for the second fastest 1/8th of the day:

Hip 56: Filly by Conquest Mo Money out of the Northern Afleet mare Afleet Tee, consigned by 

Benchmark Training Center, Agent for Judge Lanier Racing

Hip 68: Colt by Midshipman out of the Harlan’s Holiday mare Capital Deployment, consigned by 

Pike Racing, Agent.

Hip 69: Filly by Accelerate out of G2SW Ciao Bella Luna, consigned by Pike Racing, Agent

Hip 72: Colt by McCraken out of SP Conjuress, consigned by Pike Racing, Agent

Hip 89: Colt by Palace Malice out of the Zensational mare Gagaoveryou, consigned by Oak Creek 

Thoroughbreds, Agent for Aidan Green

Hip 134: Filly by Free Drop Billy out of the Half Ours mare Solo Buena, consigned by Carl Deville, 

Agent

“I think the quality horses the consignors sent to us for this sale really put on a show today,” TTA Sales Director Foster Bridewell said. “The last horse to breeze drops the bullet, we had six go 10.2, and 17 stopped the timer in 10.3; that’s a testament to the horses and the training leading up. We owe a debt of gratitude to the folks that trust us to sell for them and we’re thankful for the consignors who have brought these athletes to this sale.”

The breeze results and videos are available online at TTAsales.com. The 2022 Texas Two-Year-Olds in Training Sale is Wednesday, April 6th, beginning at 12pm CT.

EVANGELINE DOWNS SET TO KICK OFF 2022 THOROUGHBRED SEASON ON APRIL 6

louisianathoroughbred

THE 84-DAY SEASON WILL RUN THROUGH AUGUST 27

 

 

OPELOUSAS, LA –The 2022 Thoroughbred season at Evangeline Downs will begin on Wednesday, April 6.  The meet will consist of 84 days of racing, running on a Wednesday through Saturday weekly schedule and concluding on August 27.  First post each night will be at the new time of 5:30pm Central time.

 

The stakes calendar features a couple of new additions with the Acadiana and Lafayette Stakes.  Both of these races were previously contested under state-bred conditions, but are now open stakes events.  The Acadiana, for 3-year-old fillies, will be run on Friday, April 15, with the Lafayette, for 3-year-olds, the following night.  The May stakes action features the EVD Distaff, for 4-year-old and up Louisiana-bred fillies and mares, on May 6 and the EVD Classic, for Louisiana-bred 4-year-olds and up, on May 7.

 

The featured night of the Thoroughbred racing season will take place on Saturday, June 4 with the Louisiana Legends Night.  The exciting card will include six stakes races for horses bred in the Bayou State, each with a purse of $75,000.  A new star emerged last year as Cilla took the Legends Mademoiselle Stakes and later scored a graded stakes win in the Prioress (G2) at Saratoga in September.

 

July will see the renewals of the Opelousas and John Henry Stakes turf races.  The Opelousas, on Friday July 1, is for 3-year-old and up fillies and mares.  The John Henry, to be run on Saturday, July 2, is for 3-year-olds and up.

 

The final month of the racing season will include a couple of stakes weekends.  The Friday, August 5 card will include the Spotted Horse, a stakes for 3-year-old and up fillies and mares.  The Evangeline Mile, for 3-year-olds and up, will be contested Saturday, August 6.  Louisiana-bred 2-year-olds will take center stage on closing weekend with the D.S “Shine” Young Futurities.  The fillies division will be run on Friday, August 26, with the colts and geldings division on the final night of the meet Saturday, August 27.

 

Tim Thornton, a three-time riding champion at Evangeline Downs, will be the top returning rider in 2022.  Thornton, who captured his fourth consecutive riding title at Delta Downs over the winter, finished second in the standings last season with 100 wins.  Gerard Melancon eclipsed the 5,000 career wins mark last summer and returns looking to add to his stellar career numbers.  Apprentice Vincente Del-Cid will be a new face in the jockey colony this season.  Joe Stokes, Pedro Cotto, Jr., Devin Magnon, Kevin Smith and Aubrie Green are among some of the riders looking to have a solid meet.

 

Eduardo Ramirez will be back to defend his 2021 leading trainer title and will face a stiff challenge from the Karl Broberg barn.  The former Broberg assistant notched 44 wins and a 31% winning clip to unseat the perennial leader last year.  Other regulars returning with stables to the Opelousas oval include Keith Bourgeois, Sam David, Sam Breaux, Rylee Grudzien, Ron Faucheux and Allen Landry.  Ricky Courville, trainer of Kentucky Derby hopeful Un Ojo, will also return with a stable for the 2022 season.

 

For more information on Evangeline Downs, visit the track’s website at www.evdracing.com.  Evangeline Downs information can also be found on Twitter @EVDracing and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/EvangelineDownsRacing.

 

Evangeline Downs Racetrack Casino and Hotel, a property of Boyd Gaming Corporation (NYSE:BYD), features exciting casino action, live horse racing, the new Fan Duel sportsbook and fun dining experiences. Evangeline Downs is located in Opelousas, Louisiana, off I-49 on Cresswell Lane at Exit 18.

HISA announces FTC Approval of Additional Rules & Distribution of 2022 Cost Assessments to States

louisianathoroughbred

April 1, 2022 – The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) reached significant milestones this week with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) approving the proposed Enforcement and Methodology Assessment Rules in addition to the distribution of the 2022 cost assessments to state racing commissions. As the July 1, 2022 program effective date for the Racetrack Safety Program approaches, these developments are the latest steps forward in HISA’s mission to make racing safer and protect the integrity of the sport through uniform rules, enforcement mechanisms and accreditation standards.

“These developments bring us closer to fulfilling our mandate to protect the wellbeing of both horse and rider through uniform rules and accreditation standards,” said HISA CEO Lisa Lazarus. “The Racetrack Safety Program will expand veterinary oversight, impose surface maintenance and testing requirements, enhance jockey safety and implement voided claim rules, among other important measures that will go into effect on July 1.”

The Enforcement Rule (8000 Series) describes a range of violations and civil sanctions, establishes procedures for disciplinary and racetrack accreditation hearings, and grants the Authority necessary investigatory powers. Its approval by the FTC indicates that the rules meet the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act’s (the Act) requirement to define violations and provide for adequate due process, including impartial hearing officers or tribunals commensurate with the seriousness of the alleged violation. In developing these rules, the Authority relied to a great extent upon rules governing horseracing as they currently exist in most states.

The annual assessments that state racing commissions are receiving today were determined by the FTC approved Methodology Assessment Rule (8500 Series), which outlines a process designed to ensure fairness and equity across thoroughbred racing jurisdictions. The cost calculations represent each state’s proportionate share of HISA’s 2022 budget as required under the Act. Under the rule, HISA calculated 50% of each state racing commission’s cost according to the total number of starts in covered races and the remaining half based on starts weighted for purses in covered races.

It is HISA’s intention to work with relevant stakeholders on an ongoing basis to evolve and improve the rules as more data become available and as circumstances dictate.

Coteau Grove Receives ‘Gift’ of Healthy Twin Colts

louisianathoroughbred

Villa d’Este gave birth to the Gift Box colts April 3 at the Louisiana farm.

 

Staff at Coteau Grove Farms in Louisiana received the gift of a lifetime April 3 when their mare Villa d’Este foaled not one, but two healthy colts by Gift Box  .

In the months leading up to the birth, broodmare manager Jacob Cyprian said the mare’s size had them questioning her due date.

“We’ve been looking at her since January, we knew she wasn’t due until the beginning of April … We were like, ‘Man, she’s so big,’ so we just started keeping an eye of her and started watching her,” Cyprian said. “We never knew it was twins. When she got in foal, we always thought she was just having one.”

“(We thought) the date could be wrong so we started backtracking, trying to see what was going on, and we were right (about the due date). When she started getting close, we just kept an eye on her and she was just getting real slow and real heavy. I said, ‘Well, she’s going to go soon.'”

 

Read BloodHorse Article

April Calendar of Events from the LTBA

louisianathoroughbred
 Louisiana Thoroughbred Breeders Association would like to share the following list of dates of interest to Louisiana horsemen and women.

Brought to you by Whispering Oaks Farm,  and  Louisiana Thoroughbred Breeders Association. Click images to link to more information

April 4

  • Texas Two-Year-Olds In Training Breeze Show, Lone Star Park at Grand Prairie

April 6

  • Texas Two-Year-Olds In Training Sale, Lone Star Park at Grand Prairie
  • Evangeline Downs 2022 Thoroughbred Meet Opens

April 7

  • Louisiana  Downs barn area opens for 2022 Thoroughbred meet.


April 10

  • Palm Sunday

April 12

  • LTBA Board of Directors Meeting, Prejeans, Lafayette, LA, 12:00 noon

April 15

  • Good Friday/LTBA Office Closed
  • Acadiana Stakes, Evangeline Downs

April 16

  • Lafayette Stakes, Evangeline Downs

April 17

  • Easter Sunday

April 18

  • Tax Day

April 19

  • LTBA to mail letter to membership for nominations to run for LTBA Board of Directors.

April 28

  • Louisiana Downs 2022 Thoroughbred meet zero date for papers.

April 29, 30
May 1, 5, 6, 7, 8

  • New Orleans Jazz Fest at the Fair Grounds

No visitors will be allowed access to New Orleans Office during these days.
We apologize for any inconvenience.

Would you like to sponsor a newsletter? Reach @ 2,500 readers.Please contact Linda 985-386-0360, linda@louisianabred.com or Roger 504-947-4676, roger@louisianabred.com for cost and availability.

Do you have a date pertaining to Louisiana-breds that you would like included in an upcoming calendar? Please contact Linda 985-386-0360, linda@louisianabred.com or Roger 504-947-4676, roger@louisianabred.comfor consideration.

 

Any questions or need more info call

Roger A. Heitzmann III, Secretary/Treasurer

Louisiana Thoroughbred Breeders Association

504-947-4676

Challenge to HISA Denied by Ruling in Texas Case

louisianathoroughbred

Claims brought by the National HBPA to enjoin enforcement of HISA were dismissed.

 

Claims brought in a Texas federal court to stop the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act from going forward were dismissed on March 31 by U. S. District Judge James Wesley Hendrix.

The lawsuit, filed by the National Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association and joined by affiliated HBPAs, sought to have the court enjoin enforcement of the Act as unconstitutional. The HBPAs argued that HISA gave unlawful regulatory power to a private entity it created, the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority.

After finding the HBPAs have standing to bring the case and that an actual controversy exists, Hendrix also found there is no disagreement about the material facts, leading the way to a decision based on the application of law.

 

Read BloodHorse Article

75-1 Win Puts Spotlight on One-Eyed Un Ojo, Courville

louisianathoroughbred

Longshot Rebel winner runs in Arkansas Derby with Kentucky Derby spot assured.

 

For the last few weeks, Ricky Courville’s family and friends have been peppering him with suggestions for the first week in May. They have been urging the Louisiana-based trainer to buy airline tickets or make hotel and restaurant reservations. Some have recommended buying a new suit. But at the moment, Courville would prefer to wait until next week before handling all those details.

“It’s been an exciting time,” Courville said, “but I know anything can happen in this game so I just keep on working like normal and think about what’s going on. I’ve got family talking about making reservations in Kentucky but I tell them, ‘Whoa, we have one more race to go. Let’s not jinx anything now.”‘

For Courville, who has a string of about 30 horses based in Louisiana and spent the first 13 years of his training career without experiencing the thrill of a graded stakes win, his life finally shifted into the fast lane Feb. 26 through the heroics of Un Ojo , a one-eyed gelding by the late stallion Laoban owned by Cypress Creek Equine and Whispering Oaks Farm.

 

Read BloodHorse Article