Continuing with their high level of activity at the Keeneland November Sale, Louisiana-based Coteau Grove Farms went to $500,000 to acquire hip 958, the 6-year-old Contributing (Medaglia d’Oro–Taegu, by Halo) from the Hill ‘n’ Dale Sales consignment. Cary Bloodstock’s Andrew Cary signed the winning ticket on behalf of Coteau Grove’s Keith and Ginger Myers. Campaigned by Heider Family Stable, Contributing won four of 15 career starts, including the 2019 Pan Zareta S. while under the care of Brad Cox, and bankrolled $150,225. She was bought back on a bid of $260,000 at last year’s November sale and was put in foal to Speightstown for her first cover. Contributing is a half-sister to Grade II-winning juvenile filly Classic Elegance (Carson City) and to El Fasto (El Prado {Ire}), the dam of GI Kentucky Oaks winner Believe You Can (Proud Citizen). The resulting foal will be bred on the same cross responsible for Grade I winners Rock Fall and Competitionofideas and Grade III winner Strike Power. Coteau Grove has acquired nine head for gross receipts of $2.88 million at Keeneland November thus far.
Category: 2020
Texas Online Stallion Season Auction Now Open
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November Calendar of Events from the LTBA
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LTBA to Open at 11 Monday, Will Resume Regular Hours
Power has been restored to the LTBA office as of Monday morning, November 2nd. The office will open at 11:00 a.m. We hope to have all systems up and functional at that time. We ask for your continued patience as we get all of our services back up and running. Thank you!
Regular office hours of 8 am to 4 pm will resume Tuesday.
DELTA DOWNS PREPARES FOR 2020-21 THOROUGHBRED SEASON; HISTORIC STORMS FORCE CHANGES IN DAILY SCHEDULE, POST TIMES AND STAKES ACTIVITY
– HURRICANES LAURA AND DELTA HAD MAJOR IMPACT ON THE VINTON RACETRACK –
VINTON, LA. – Delta Downs’ 2020-21 Thoroughbred season will see plenty of changes after a pair of powerful storms caused heavy damage to the racetrack during the offseason.
Hurricane Laura, which struck the Vinton, Louisiana area on August 27 as a Category 4 storm with winds of nearly 150 miles per hour, caused extensive damage to the facility before Hurricane Delta struck nearly the same area as a Category 2 storm on October 9.
Due to the lengthy repairs necessary, Delta Downs’ season has been pushed back from its original starting date of October 6 and will now begin on Tuesday, November 24. The 84-day meeting will run through April 16 and feature live racing each Monday through Thursday following opening week. Post times for this season will be at 12:55 pm Central Time each day since the lighting system was damaged beyond repair and nighttime racing was made impossible.
Delta Downs’ stakes schedule for the upcoming season has also been altered this year. Overall, the track will offer 22 added-money races worth a total of $1.745 million.
The stakes activity will begin on opening week with a pair of $60,000 races, the Lookout and the B Connected Stakes, on Tuesday and Wednesday, November 24 and 25. The track will be closed on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 26 before the week wraps up on Friday and Saturday with a pair of $100,000 events, the Treasure Chest and the Delta Mile.
The richest race day of the year will happen on Wednesday, February 10 when the track hosts the 18th edition of Louisiana Premier Day. The star-studded program will include 10 stakes races for Louisiana-bred horses and a total of $805,000 in total purse money. The featured race on Louisiana Premier Day will be the $125,000 Louisiana Premier Day Championship for older horses traveling 1 1/16 miles.
For more information about the upcoming season, including the entire stakes schedule, visit the track’s website atwww.deltadownsracing.com. Fans can also get information about the track through Facebook by visiting the page ‘Delta Downs Racing’. The track’s Twitter handle is @deltaracing.
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.
LTBA Office Remains Closed Thursday Morning Post Zeta
The LTBA office remains closed this morning, Thursday, October 29, 2020. The office currently is without power or telephones due to Hurricane Zeta. We plan to re-open as soon as we have both. Please check back.
LTBA Office Closed Today, Wed. Oct. 28 Due to Hurricane Zeta
With Hurricane Zeta approaching the Louisiana coast, for the safety of our staff, the LTBA office is closed today, October 28. Prayers for safety for everyone who might be affected.
BREEDERS’ CUP ANNOUNCES DETAILED HEALTH AND SAFETY PROTOCOLS FOR 2020 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

Championships are set to take place Nov. 6 – 7 at Keeneland under strict COVID-19 protocols.
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Oct. 24, 2020) – Today Breeders’ Cup Limited announced a detailed set of health and safety protocols put in place to mitigate the risks associated with COVID-19 for the limited staff, participants and essential personnel who will be on site at the 2020 Breeders’ Cup World Championships at Keeneland Race Course.
This plan was developed in consultation with Keeneland, local and state government officials, and public health experts, including Dr. Richard Greenberg – Professor of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, at the University of Kentucky School of Medicine. The plan closely follows the guidance established by the Healthy at Work requirements for venues and event spaces, bars and restaurants established by the Commonwealth of Kentucky.
Last month, Breeders’ Cup announced that the event will be run without spectators to protect the health and safety of employees, racing participants, those caring for the horses and the broader Lexington community. To this end, 2020 World Championships attendance will be limited to racing participants and essential personnel only. “The health and safety of our participants, employees, athletes, associates and the broader Lexington community are our top priorities,” said Breeders’ Cup President and CEO Drew Fleming. “We are proud to be in a position to conduct the 2020 World Championships in a safe manner and allow the top horses from around the world to come together and compete for $31 million in purses and awards over two days of best-in-class racing. It’s a testament to the hard work put in by our entire team and many others, as well as the resiliency of the broader Thoroughbred industry.”
“The important health and safety measures and capacity restrictions that Breeders’ Cup and Keeneland have put in place for this year’s event, including testing, face coverings, physical distancing and medical screening requirements, will go a long way in protecting the wellbeing of the limited number of attendees,” said Dr. Greenberg.
Highlights of Breeders’ Cup’s health and safety protocols for the 2020 World Championships include:
• Breeders’ Cup will provide complimentary testing onsite at Keeneland for participants, media, vendors and staff. All those who will be on site are encouraged to take advantage of this testing.
• All staff, trainers and personnel accessing the Rice Road stable area will be required to present a negative test prior to entering the stable area.
• Daily health checks will be conducted at Keeneland entry points. These medical screenings include a medical questionnaire and a contactless temperature check. Only those who have successfully completed these medical screenings will be permitted to enter the grounds.
• Everyone entering the facility will be required to wear a cloth face covering or protective mask and may only remove to actively eat or drink.
• Hand sanitizer dispensers, touchless whenever possible, will be placed at key entrances and contact areas.
• Building Services staff will clean and sanitize frequently touched surfaces using EPA registered disinfectants on a regular basis. High touch point areas, including all seating, tabletops, other tabletop items, door handles, handrails, elevator buttons, phones, pens, and keypads will be cleaned on a constant rotation.
• In-person events surrounding the World Championships have been greatly scaled back and cancelled in most cases.
• The Keeneland Grandstand encompasses over 47,000 square feet of space, allowing for ample physically distancing for the limited number of people who will be on site. Participants will be required to practice proper distancing and stay six feet apart from other parties; this will be strictly enforced.
• All seating will be assigned – all seats and tables will be predetermined and physically distanced.
• Out-of-state or International jockeys must be in Lexington by Wednesday, Nov. 4 to receive COVID-19 test onsite by 7:00 p.m. ET. Jockeys have also been encouraged to get their influenza vaccinations prior to coming to Lexington.
• All out-of-state or international jockeys must also have RT-PCR COVID-19 nasopharyngeal test conducted in the racing jurisdiction they are presently riding in taken within 72 hours before arrival in Kentucky and the test must show a negative result.
• In-state jockeys will have a COVID-19 test completed on Wednesday, Nov. 4 and must have a negative result in order to ride during the Championships.
• Breeders’ Cup will maintain records to allow for contact tracing via a “Virtual Badge” app.
• All those who are feeling sick are encouraged to stay home.
• Access to the stable area, paddock, winner’s circle and all indoor spaces will be restricted to authorized credentials.
• Dining options will be limited to plated and individually wrapped food items and beverages.
• Participants will be encouraged to wager through Breeders’ Cup’s official online wageringprovider, TVG, or other online providers, rather than betting in person.
• Signage and visual markers will be placed throughout the facility stressing mandatory masks/face coverings, hand washing and physical distancing.
• These protocols will be stringently enforced on site.
Breeders’ Cup and Keeneland remain flexible and are continuing to monitor the evolving situation in coordination with authorities to determine whether additional measures will be needed in order to hold the event in a safe and secure manner.
The 2020 Breeders’ Cup World Championships is set to take place Nov. 6 – 7 and will air live on NBC and NBCSN.
Hearing In Louisiana Kill Pen Case Delayed Till December
by Natalie Voss | 10.23.2020
The Louisiana Department of Agriculture is proceeding with cases against two people associated with a well-known kill pen operation in the state. Hearings for Jacob Thompson and Tara Sanders were postponed from an October meeting of the state’s Board of Animal Health until its next regularly scheduled meeting on Dec. 3.
Earlier this year, the Department asked a judge to issue a temporary restraining order against Gary Thompson and Jacob Thompson, both of Vernon Parish, to stop them from buying and selling livestock. The order was also designed to prevent anyone from acting as a livestock dealer on the Thompsons’ behalf. According to the state’s complaint, both Thompsons had acted in the capacity of livestock dealers — buying horses and cattle and selling them within 30 days of purchase — while they did not hold dealer licenses in Louisiana.
Charges from mid-September state Jacob Thompson is alleged to have committed ten violations of state regulations requiring agents and dealers to be licensed by the Board of Animal Health and ten violations of a different regulation requiring dealers to file a surety instrument with the state in order to operate.
The Jockey Club Releases 2020 Report of Mares Bred Statistics
The Jockey Club today (10-23-20) released Report of Mares Bred (RMB) statistics for the 2020 breeding season. Based on RMBs received through October 18, 2020, The Jockey Club reports that 1,067 stallions covered 27,970 mares in North America during 2020.
The Jockey Club estimates an additional 2,500 to 3,500 mares will be reported as bred during the 2020 breeding season.
RMB statistics for all reported stallions in 2020 are available through the Fact Book section of The Jockey Club’s website at jockeyclub.com.
Kentucky traditionally leads North America in Thoroughbred breeding activity. During 2020, Kentucky’s 200 reported stallions covered 16,391 mares, or 58.6% of all of the mares reported bred in North America. The number of mares bred to Kentucky stallions decreased 4.3% percent compared with the 17,123 reported at this time last year.
Of the top 10 states and provinces by number of mares reported bred in 2020, stallions in Louisiana, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and New Mexico covered more mares in 2020 than in 2019, as reported at this time last year. The following table shows the top 10 states and provinces ranked by number of mares reported bred in 2020:
| State/Province | 2019 Stallions | 2020 Stallions | Pct. Change | 2019 Mares Bred | 2020 Mares Bred | Pct. Change |
| Kentucky | 220 | 200 | -9.1% | 17,123 | 16,391 | -4.3% |
| California | 124 | 103 | -16.9% | 2,018 | 1,766 | -12.5% |
| Florida | 81 | 73 | -9.9% | 1,863 | 1,721 | -7.6% |
| Louisiana | 79 | 74 | -6.3% | 984 | 1,017 | 3.4% |
| New York | 43 | 37 | -14.0% | 1,058 | 1,002 | -5.3% |
| Maryland | 31 | 29 | -6.5% | 780 | 806 | 3.3% |
| Pennsylvania | 28 | 37 | 32.1% | 686 | 734 | 7.0% |
| Ontario | 29 | 24 | -17.2% | 538 | 519 | -3.5% |
| Oklahoma | 38 | 40 | 5.3% | 479 | 476 | -0.6% |
| New Mexico | 51 | 48 | -5.9% | 437 | 453 | 3.7% |
Note: Each incident in which a mare was bred to more than one stallion and appeared on multiple RMBs is counted separately. As such, mares bred totals listed in the table above may differ slightly from counts of distinct mares bred.
In addition, Report of Mares Bred information on stallions that bred mares in North America is available through report 36P or a subscription service at equineline.com/ReportOfMaresBred.
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.





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