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DEL-CID, THOMAS AND ELITE THOROUGHBRED RACING, LLC WIN TITLES AT EVANGELINE DOWNS

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OPELOUSAS, LA –Vicente Del-Cid pulled away in the final weeks to repeat as the top jockey at the recently concluded Evangeline Downs Thoroughbred meet.  Bolstered by a 4-win night with a week to go, Del-Cid finished the season with 76 wins from 380 mounts.  Add in 41 runner-up finishes and another 63 shows, his mounts won at a 20% rate and hit the board in 47% of his chances, while earning $1,513,675.  The champion jockey led a trio of riders to eclipse the million-dollar mark in purses.  Tim Thornton was second with $1,409,235 and apprentice Elio Barrera was third with his mounts earning $1,312,420.

The complete top 10 jockeys for the 2023 season were:  Vicente Del-Cid (76 wins), Elio Barrera (64), Tim Thornton (55), Juan Vargas (42), C.J. McMahon (41), Jose Luis Rodriguez (29), Joel Dominguez (25), Joe Stokes (23) and a tie for ninth between Thomas Pompell and Casey Fusilier with 21.

Trainer Lee Thomas emerged as the leading trainer in a tight battle that came down to the final night of the season.  Thomas trainees were victorious in 24 trips to the post from 98 starters.  His runners hit the board at a solid 48% rate and topped the list with $540,055 in purses, just ahead of the Allen Landry barn with $506,425.

The complete top 10 in the trainer standings:  Lee Thomas (24 wins), Eduardo Ramirez (22), Sam Breaux (22), Juan Larrosa (21), Allen Landry (20), Karl Broberg (18), Sturges Ducoing (15), Edith Mojica (15), Keith Bourgeios (15), and Jayde Gelner (13).

Elite Thoroughbred Racing, LLC (Michele Rodriguez) topped the owner standings with 17 wins from 76 starters.  With nine places and 10 shows, Elite Thoroughbred runners hit the board 47% and earned a meet leading $310,925.  Other owners to surpass the quarter-million mark in earnings included End Zone Athletics ($260,945), Set-Hut LLC ($237,520), Whispering Oaks Farm LLC ($237,390), and Norman Stables ($226,290).  Owner Sandy Badeaux runners won at a 32% strike rate, best among the top 10.

The complete top 10 in the owner standings were:  Elite Thoroughbred Racing, LLC (17 wins), End Zone Athletics (14), Sandy Badeaux (12), Norman Stables, LLC (9), Whispering Oaks Farm, LLC (7), Mojica Stables, Inc. (7), Jason Grudzien (7), Tres Portillos Ranch Inc. (7), and L and G Racing Stables and Set-Hut LLC with 6 wins apiece.

Evangeline Downs will be dark for a few weeks.  Live racing resumes with the start of the American Quarter Horse meet on Friday, September 29.  Post time for the 46-day season will be at 5:35pm Central Time.

For more information on Evangeline Downs, visit the track’s website at https://evangelinedowns.boydgaming.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 and fun dining experiences. Evangeline Downs is located in Opelousas, Louisiana, off I-49 on Cresswell Lane at Exit 18.

 

Texas Summer Yearling Sale Coming Up August 28

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The 2023 Summer Texas Yearling Sales is next Monday at the Lone Star Park Sales Pavilion. With the addition of eight yearlings that have been supplemented to the sale, there are now 270 cataloged, marking this one of the largest yearling books in TTA Sales’ history. Click below to learn more about the top Texas-bred yearlings and their graded stakes-winning sires.
2023 Yearling Sale
Solitude Thoroughbreds HIP #177 Filly by KING ZACHARY (Curlin), out of PATS KITTEN
HIP #112 consigned by Highlander Training Center. Texas-bred colt by IMPROBABLE x HOLIDAY GIRL

2023 Yearling Sale Catalog
Click to Download Sale Catalog Here

Owner Conference Covers Buying at Public Auction

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Part of the Thoroughbred OwnerView Virtual Conference Series.

 

 

The seventh panel of the OwnerView Virtual Thoroughbred Owner Conference held Tuesday, August 15, featured bloodstock agents Erin Birkenhauer, Marette Farrell, and Mike Ryan and auctioneer Tom Biederman discussing horse selection and the bidding process at Thoroughbred auctions. The panel was moderated by OwnerView’s project manager, Gary Falter.

The conference is hosted by The Jockey Club and the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association and sponsored by Bessemer Trust, Stoll Keenon Ogden, and The Green Group. This panel was sponsored by Fasig-Tipton and Woodbine.

Attendees were able to ask questions through Zoom’s Q&A feature, sponsored by West Point Thoroughbreds.

Topics included yearling sales, buying 2-year-olds, buying horses in training, the importance of vet records, and conformation.

For new owners, Ryan said, “For people getting into the business for the first time, a great approach is to buy some fillies because you have some exit strategy, you’ve got resale/residual value.”

Birkenhauer emphasized that even in select sales, you never make assumptions. “Do your due diligence, whether you are at the select sale or the last book at Keeneland,” she said.

Regarding 2-year-old sales, Ferrell said, “I am a firm believer in giving all 2-year-olds a break. They need it. … They don’t lose their fitness if they get a few weeks downtime or a month downtime.”

Biederman agreed. “Once the September or October sale is over, they go to the farm, are broken and then trained consistently every day until that 2-year-old sale,” he said. “It’s very important to get that break afterward.”

There are four more Thoroughbred Owner Conference virtual panels scheduled for 2023, with the next session, Claiming, to be held September 12 at 2 p.m. ET. A full schedule can be found here: bit.ly/OVSchedule, and a replay of all panels can be viewed here: bit.ly/OVVideos.

There is no registration fee for the virtual conference series, but registration is required. For more information about the owner conference, please visit ownerview.com/event/conference or contact Gary Falter at 859.224.2803 or gfalter@jockeyclub.com.

Transferred as Retired from Racing now Digital

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The Transferred as Retired from Racing process can now be completed digitally through the Interactive Registration (IR) website at registry.jockeyclub.com.

Previously, the retired from racing process required notarized signatures on a hardcopy form. With the assistance of digital signature verification, The Jockey Club can confidently collect the signatures required to complete the retired from racing process through IR.

“Being able to ensure a horse can still be used for breeding but cannot race is important for many owners, and we wanted to make the retired from racing process as easy as possible yet still ensure the integrity of the process,” said Rick Bailey, registrar of The Jockey Club.

The Jockey Club amended Rule 18 of the Principal Rules and Requirements of The American Stud Book from Sold Without Pedigree to Transferred as Retired from Racing in 2013 so that an owner can retire a Thoroughbred from racing without affecting its breeding privileges. To date, more than 5,400 Thoroughbreds have been recorded as retired from racing. A list of these horses can be viewed through IR.

The Jockey Club, founded in 1894 and dedicated to the improvement of Thoroughbred breeding and racing, is the breed registry for North American Thoroughbreds. In fulfillment of its mission, The Jockey Club, directly or through subsidiaries, provides support and leadership on a wide range of important industry initiatives, and it serves the information and technology needs of owners, breeders, media, fans and farms. It founded America’s Best Racing (americasbestracing.net), the broad-based fan development initiative for Thoroughbred racing, and in partnership with the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association, operates OwnerView (ownerview.com), the ownership resource. Additional information is available at jockeyclub.com.

Eight Yearling Supplemented to the 2023 Texas Summer Yearling Sale

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(Austin, TX) – Eight yearlings have been supplemented to the 2023 Texas Summer Yearling Sale catalog, ahead of the August 28th sale at Lone Star Park.

Six of the entrants will be catalogued as hips 265-270, two of the supplemented horses will replace horses already reported as scratched from the sale.

“The additions to the catalog add to our strong regional base already and we’re glad to have these additional offerings in our sale,” TTA Sales Director Foster Bridewell said. Two of Texas’ leading stallions Bradester and the late My Golden Song are represented by four of the additions. Yearlings by Early Flyer, Airoforce, Cutting Humor, and new Texas stallion King Zachary complete the octuplet.

A supplemental paper catalog will be available on the sales grounds. The interactive catalog has been updated at TTAsales.com.

264 Cataloged For Texas Thoroughbred Association Summer Yearling Sale At Lone Star Park On Aug. 28

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Texas Thoroughbred breeders and horsemen are preparing to stage one of the largest Texas yearling sales ever. The annual Texas Thoroughbred Association Summer Yearling Sale is set for August 28 at the Lone Star Park Sales Pavilion. The live auction sale begins at 10 a.m.

The sale features a blockbuster catalog of 264 yearlings. Based entirely on the youngsters lining up to prance into the sales ring, this should be the strongest yearling sale ever held in Texas. Classic winners Exaggerator, Union Rags, Accelerate, Tapwrit, Mucho Macho Man, Cloud Computing, Country Houseand Tonalist are all represented, as are popular Texas stallions Competitive Edge, Bradester, Mr Speaker and Too Much Bling. In fact, Competitive Edge, a graded stakes winner of $520,000 who stands at Valor Farm in Pilot Point, has 10 yearlings in the sale, more than any other stallion.

The sensational Mitole, who in 2019 won the Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1) as well as the Met Mile (G1) on his way to championship honors, is represented by four yearlings in the sale. Six of the yearlings being offered are by Spun to Run, who won the 2019 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (G1) and earned $1,160,520; four are by Vino Rosso, the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) winner who was the 2019 champion older male. From Vino Rosso’s first crop, The Wine Steward won the recent Bashford Manor Stakes.

“The hurdles Texas racing is going through at the moment are discouraging, but I am confident there will be a solution soon to rectify the issues,” said Melanie Martinelli of Solitude Thoroughbreds in Alvord, Texas, which has jumped into the state’s Thoroughbred industry with its 14 yearlings representing its first consignment. “We are continuing on the path we’ve chosen for ourselves in Texas. The Yearling Sale is going to be a strong indicator of the Texas-bred market. We really like this group of yearlings we are bringing to the auction.”

Six of the yearlings in the Solitude consignment are from the first crop of King Zachary, a multiple stakes winner of $366,120 and the only son of the great Curlin standing in Texas. When King Zachary won the 2019 Birdstone Stakes at Saratoga, he set a track record (2:52.97) for 1 3/4 miles that still stands. Hip No. 170 by King Zachary is out of the stakes-winning mare Notacloudinthesky and so is a half-brother to three winners.

Like Martinelli, Jeff Hooper, the chairman and CEO of Highlander Training Center, said he’s disappointed with the current political issues surrounding Texas racing, and he’s also optimistic.

“Horsemen are optimistic by nature,” Hooper said, “ and I’m optimistic about this upcoming yearling sale. There’s always a market for a good racehorse, and I think our consignment overflows with potential. We’ve focused on the regional horses, and I’m very pleased with the group. We have some very nice Kentucky-sired Texas-breds, and the quality of the Louisiana-bred yearlings is especially strong.”

The Highlander consignment is comprised of 18 fillies and 18 colts — all of them “client horses,” Hooper pointed out.

Hip No. 112 could be one of the more popular yearlings in the sale. A handsome bay colt by the champion Improbable, he’s out of the stakes-placed Harlan’s Holiday mare Holiday Girl and a half-brother to the stakes-placed Twirl Girl, as well as three more winners. And Hip No. 191, also from the Highlander consignment, could be appropriately named. A chestnut son of the great sprinter Imperial Hint out of the graded stakes-winning mare Ready’s Gal, He’s Ready to Win is a half-brother to the graded stakes winner Machen and the stakes-placed Mawthooq, as well as three other winners.

Hip No. 87, a Spun to Run colt from the Oakridge Farm consignment, is a half-brother to eight winners, including the undefeated 2-year-old Divining Humor, winner of the recent TTA Futurity. And Hip No. 143, a Flatter colt, is a half-brother to Texas Chrome, a multiple stakes winner of $1,033,362, as well as stakes-winning Patrona Margarita.

The sale is open to the public and admission is free. Download a 2023 Texas Summer Yearling Sale catalogue here with more information at http://www.TTAsales.com.

Louisiana Bred Tumbarumba wins $250,000 Ellis Park Derby

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Tumbarumba wins the Ellis Park Derby at Ellis Park

 

Amerman Racing’s Tumbarumba  thundered down the center of the Ellis Park track to score his first stakes victory in the Aug. 13 $250,000 Ellis Park Derby.

Tumbarumba was ridden to victory by Rafael Bejarano for trainer Brian Lynch. Tumbarumba covered the one-mile distance in 1:36.02.

The field of eight 3-year-olds broke well in the Ellis Park Derby as longshot Olazabal  was hustled to the early lead under jockey Alex Achard. Tumbarumba broke from the rail but Bejarano moved the Louisiana-bred in the two-path and settled in fourth. Following a strong half-mile in :46.33, Olazabal began to tire as Transect  and Blue Light  dueled on the lead. At the quarter-pole, Bejarano tipped Tumbarumba to the four-path outside Transect and the closing Loyal Company  as he began to show his best stride. Inside the eighth pole, Tumbarumba was able to gain the lead over the battling rivals and pulled clear late for a three-quarters of a length victory.

Tumbarumba’s record now stands at a solid 4-1-1 from nine starts with purse earnings of $254,870. The son of the former Lynch-trained Oscar Performance   was bred in Louisiana by Coteau Grove Farms.

LTBA Raises Breeders Awards

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LTBA Raises Breeders Awards

The LTBA Board of Directors voted to make changes to the Louisiana Breeders Awards Schedule at their August 8, 2023, meeting.

Breeders Awards for accredited foals by Louisiana domiciled stallions and out of Louisiana domiciled mares are being increased to 25%. This change will be effective October 1, 2023, for races run in Louisiana.

All other awards will remain at the current percentage level.

Roger A. Heitzmann III
Secretary/Treasurer
Louisiana Thoroughbred Breeders Association
504-947-4676
800-772-1195

Obituary: Kenneth Joel LaVergne, Sr.

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Kenneth Joel LaVergne, Sr.

October 15, 1932  –  August 8, 2023

 

OPELOUSAS ~ Funeral services will be held Saturday, August 12, 2023 at a 12:30 p.m. Liturgy of the Word in Evangeline Memorial Gardens Chapel in Carencro for Kenneth Joel Lavergne, Sr., age 90, who passed away Tuesday, August 8, 2023 at the Southwest Louisiana War Veterans Home in Jennings.

Interment will be in Bellevue Memorial Park in Opelousas. Deacon David Menard, will officiate at the services.

Mr. LaVergne was a native of Opelousas and lifelong resident of Sunset. He was a parishioner of St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church where he served as a Lecturer. Mr. LaVergne attended the University of Houston from which he received his Doctorate in Pharmaceuticals. After completing this doctorate, he joined the military. He is a proud veteran of the United States Army and served in the 101st Airborne Division “Screaming Eagles” as a medic during the Korean conflict; Mr. LaVergne returned to Louisiana and became the owner/operator of Sunset Pharmacy. He also worked as a relief pharmacist at several local pharmacies throughout the years.

Mr. LaVergne was a thoroughbred breeder and was on the Louisiana Thoroughbred Breeders Association Board of Directors in the early decades of the program.

Survivors include his five sons, Kenneth Joel LaVergne, Jr. of Honey Grove, Tx, Clyde LaVergne and his wife, Chanda, of Lewisburg, Brett Duval LaVergne and his wife, Judy, of Youngsville, Thomas Donahue LaVergne and his wife, Lori, of Arnaudville, and Rene’ LaVergne and his wife, Sonya, of Little Rock, AR; his former wife, Willie Nezat LaVergne Fruge; one sister, Libbye Crump; nine grandchildren, Tucker LaVergne and his wife, Paige, Bethany LaVergne, Brett LaVergne and his wife, Cali, Olivia LaVergne, Brun LaVergne and his wife, Tai, Alex LaVergne Doucet and her husband, Grant, Allison LaVergne, Jessica LaVergne and Zachary LaVergne; and five great-grandchildren, Cohen LaVergne, Celia LaVergne, Clyde Andrews LaVergne, Wilson Daniel LaVergne, and Annie LaVergne.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Joseph LaVergne, and the former Louise Sibille; four brothers, L.J. LaVergne, Eugene LaVergne, Carrol LaVergne, and Bernard LaVergne; and three sisters, Irma Quirk, Lillian Barry, and Roslyn Soileau.

A rosary will be prayed at 7:00 p.m. Friday in the funeral home led by his son Rene’ LaVergne.

The family requests that visiting hours be observed from 4:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. Friday and will continue from 10:00 a.m. until service time on Saturday.

Pallbearers will be Tucker LaVergne, Zachary LaVergne, Brun LaVergne, Noah Fusilier, Cohen LaVergne, and Brett LaVergne.

Melancon Funeral Home, Evangeline Memorial Gardens Chapel, 4117 N. University Ave., Carencro, (337) 896-3232, is in charge of arrangements.

To plant a beautiful memorial tree in memory of Kenneth, please visit our Tree Store.

Breeders Sales of Louisiana Sale Catalog Online

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The Breeders Sales of Louisiana 2023 Yearling Sale followed by Mixed Session catalog is now online on the Louisiana Thoroughbred Breeders Association (LTBA) website.

 

The printed catalog is in production and will be in the mail mid to late August.

The Yearling Sale which will be followed by a Mixed Session under the banner of Breeders Sales of Louisiana, will be held on Thursday, September 28th at the Equine Sales of Louisiana facility in Opelousas, La.

Originally scheduled for Saturday, September 30th, the LTBA Board of Directors decided to move the date of the 2023 Sale to Thursday, September 28th, in order to attract buyers between the Keeneland and Fasig Tipton Mid-Atlantic Yearling Sales. LTBA hopes to  attract more nationally prominent trainers and buyers who have traditionally skipped the Breeders Sale to go to Fasig Tipton. 

The Breeders Sales of Louisiana 2023 sale has attracted its largest catalog to date since the LTBA jumped in to fill the void left by Equine Sales of Louisiana in 2021. The 2023 catalog includes 162 yearlings, 41 broodmares, 3 weanlings and 2 horses of racing age. 

In the 2022 Sale, 138 yearlings were cataloged with 18 withdrawn. 101 yearlings sold for a gross of $1,690,600 nearly doubling the 2021 gross of $898,000. The yearling average was $16,739 with a median of $10,000 another significant increase over 2021 average $13,027 and median $8,000.

Three weanlings sold for a gross of $20,000, one horse of racing age sold for $7,000, and nine broodmares sold for a gross of $67,800. The gross for the overall sale was $1,785,400.

“Louisiana Breds have been very popular at the sales around the country. Now with the introduction of Sports Betting and the coming of Historical Horse Racing Machines, we anticipate that purses for Accredited Louisiana Breds will increase dramatically. We expect the value of, and demand for Louisiana Bred yearlings to increase substantially as well,” says LTBA Secretary/Treasurer Roger Heitzmann, III

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