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Category: Breeders’ Cup

Johnny Jones, Who Found Success With Thoroughbreds And Quarter Horses, Dies In Texas

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John T.L. Jones Jr. (photo courtesy of Jones family)

John T.L. Jones Jr. passed away on Friday, November 16, 2018, surrounded by family at his home in Quanah, Texas.

Born in Quanah on July 7, 1934, the horseman most people knew as Johnny Jones was a prominent member of the Quarter Horse and Thoroughbred industries in many capacities, as a trainer, breeder, owner, and the head of Walmac International in Lexington, Ky., from 1976 to 2005, where he oversaw the stallion careers of major sires Nureyev, Alleged, and Miswaki.

When John Gaines dreamed up the concept of the Breeders’ Cup and presented his idea to industry leaders in the early 1980s, he credited Jones as the person who got everybody to work together after they’d hit a standstill. It was especially gratifying to Jones when Cajun Beat, a horse he co-bred with H. Smoot Fahlgren, won the 2003 Breeders’ Cup Sprint. Jones was also involved with Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner Favorite Trick, the 1997 Horse of the Year whose breeding rights had been purchased by Walmac in August of his 2-year-old season.

Jones is the only person to breed a 2000 Guineas winner, King of Kings, co-bred with Ron Con Ltd.; and an All American Futurity winner, Ochoa, Quarter Horse racing’s all-time money leader who also won the Rainbow Derby and All American Derby.

Prominent among the other Thoroughbred horses Jones bred was top sire Unusual Heat. In the Quarter Horse world, he bred or co-bred champions Ochoa, Noconi, and Brenda Beautiful, all of whom he raced in partnership in his name or that of his J Bar 7 Ranch.

Texas Horse Racing Hall of Fame member Jones was a founding partner of Four Star Sales and was formerly on the boards of both the Breeders’ Cup and the Keeneland Association. He also served on the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission.

Jones was predeceased by his first wife, Janice, in 2003 and married Brenda Kinsolving in 2007. He is survived by sons John III (Mia), Hutton (Paula), Levi (Paula), and daughter Julie Mogge (Guy); eight grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren; stepchildren Jenna Decker (Jeff), Ashley Crow (Josh), and CJ Kinsolving (Kaitlin), and seven step-grandchildren.

Visitation will be Monday, Nov. 19, from 6-8 p.m. CT at Smith Funeral Home, 210 W Third Street, Quanah, TX 79252, with graveside service at Quanah Cemetery on Tuesday at noon.

Louisiana Bred Vibrance Runs 3rd in Breeders Cup Juvenile Fillies

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Vibrance, a 2016 Louisiana Bred filly by Violence out of Dynaformer mare Block, made a valiant bid for the 2018 G1 Tito’s Handmade Vodka Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Stakes at Churchill Downs, on Friday, November 2nd.

Vibrance, under the handling of J.R. Velazquez stalked the pace early while off the rail, was on the inside entering the lane while making a bid but weakened late in the stretch run for owners Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, Donna Daniell and Jim Daniell. From four starts, the Michael W. McCarthy trainee has one win, and placed in the G1 Chandelier Stakes at Santa Anita, with $279,600 in earnings.

The filly was bred in Louisiana by Jason Hall and Bill Vanlandingham. Her sire Violence is the 2018 leading second crop sire in North America. Her dam Block, is a winning daughter of Dynaformer. She is a half sister to multiple graded winner in Peru, Lideris.

Breeders’ Cup to Partner with Retired Racehorse Project

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The Retired Racehorse Project announced October 2, a partnership with the 2018 Breeders’ Cup World Championships, bringing together the most prestigious weekend of Thoroughbred racing in the United States and the premier showcase of off-track Thoroughbreds.

RRP organizes the $100,000 Thoroughbred Makeover and National Symposium, presented by Thoroughbred Charities of America, which takes place Oct. 4-7 at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky. The event features approximately 500 recently-retired Thoroughbreds competing in 10 different non-racing disciplines. Spectators vote for one overall winner among the 10 discipline champions, and that horse is crowned America’s Most Wanted Thoroughbred.

The Breeders’ Cup World Championships takes place Nov. 2-3 at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. The best racehorses in the world compete for $30 million in purses and awards, culminating with the famed Breeders’ Cup Classic, which often portends Eclipse Champion Horse of the Year honors.

In addition to prize money and other merchandise, the rider of America’s Most Wanted Thoroughbred from the Thoroughbred Makeover will receive two tickets to the Breeders’ Cup World Championships, where the recipient will be honored in the winner’s circle on Friday, November 2 between races. RRP will also be promoting Breeders’ Cup weekend to off-track Thoroughbred enthusiasts.

“We are honored to be partnering with the Breeders’ Cup to recognize the winner of this year’s Thoroughbred Makeover,” said RRP Executive Director Jen Roytz. “The Breeders’ Cup has long been the proving ground for the best racehorses in the world, and in recent years the Thoroughbred Makeover has earned the same reputation for the country’s top Thoroughbreds in their post-racing careers. For the Breeders’ Cup to show such dedication and support in celebrating these horses after they’ve run their last race is a testament to how much they respect and value these athletes through all phases of their lives.”

“We are delighted to partner with the Retired Racehorse Project in support of the Thoroughbred Makeover and to honor the winning rider of America’s Most Wanted Thoroughbred at this year’s World Championships,” said Craig Fravel, Breeders’ Cup President and CEO. “In just a short time, the RRP has become a remarkable success story in not only expanding the market for retired racehorses, but increasing value and demand for them at the conclusion of their racing careers.”

In addition to the competition, the Thoroughbred Makeover includes educational seminars and panel discussions focused on Thoroughbreds in second careers, as well as the Makeover Master Class, a demonstration featuring top trainers discussing how to select and restart an off-track Thoroughbred. The Makeover is also a premier opportunity for recreational or competitive riders to shop for horses, as approximately half of the entrants will be available for sale in the ASPCA Makeover Marketplace.

The event also includes an extensive Sponsor Fair and silent auction with racing memorabilia. All seminars are free and open to the public to attend, as are the initial rounds of Makeover competition on Thursday and Friday. The Makeover Finale, featuring the top five horses in each discipline, requires an admission ticket, which can be purchased online at www.tbmakeover.org/tickets.

All horses competing in the Makeover are listed online, along with their pedigrees, race records, breeder, and their racing connections at their last start. The list is searchable and can be sorted by state and sire. View entries at www.tbmakeover.org/entries.

 

The Breeders’ Cup administers the Breeders’ Cup World Championships, Thoroughbred racing’s year-end Championships. The Breeders’ Cup also administers the Breeders’ Cup Challenge qualifying series, which provides automatic starting positions into the Championships races. The 2018 Breeders’ Cup World Championships, consisting of 14 races (13 Grade 1 events) with purses and awards totaling more than $30 million, will be held November 2-3 at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., and will be televised live by the NBC Sports Group. Breeders’ Cup press releases appear on the Breeders’ Cup website, www.breederscup.com. You can also follow the Breeders’ Cup on social media platforms Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

 

Retired Racehorse Project is a 501(c)3 charitable organization working to facilitate placement of Thoroughbred ex-racehorses in second careers by increasing demand for them in the marketplace and inspiring equestrians to provide the training that secures their futures. RRP offers online directories, educational resources, and publishes Off-Track Thoroughbred Magazine.

Sports Wagering Symposium Outlines Changing Landscape

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In a gravelly voice that clearly has spent many hours cheering teams and horses, race and sports book legend Victor Salerno offered racing some verbal encouragement as it prepares for fast-emerging legal sports wagering.

Salerno, a 40-year veteran of the race and sports book industry in Nevada, offered that encouragement at the Sports Wagering and Impact on Horse Racing Symposium presented by BloodHorse and Breeders’ Cup Sept. 6 at Keeneland. Three panels at the symposium outlined the opportunities and potential challenges for racing, as legal sports wagering comes online throughout the country. Racing relies on pari-mutuel wagering as its economic engine.

“You shouldn’t be afraid to do this,” Salerno said of tracks also offering sports wagering, noting tracks that do so will increase their foot traffic, providing opportunities to reach new customers. “Racing’s a great sport; we have to keep it going.”

At the three-hour presentation, panelists touched on wide-ranging topics related to sports wagering, including the benefits and challenges of offering sports wagering at tracks; opportunities for current advance-deposit wagering companies to expand to sports wagering or partner with sports wagering sites to cross-promote one another; an opportunity for racing to provide needed content for wagering in this new environment; the addition of non-pari-mutuel wagers in racing, like fixed-odds bets; and challenges that could include a competitive disadvantage as high-takeout racing in an atmosphere where low-takeout sports betting will be readily available.

Monmouth Park vice president of business operations Bill Knauf offered some firsthand experience since the New Jersey track brought in William Hill to operate on-track sports wagering in June. Knauf said the sports betting crowd is largely male and younger than the typical horseplayer. He noted the sports betting crowd has helped the track improve its simulcast handle as bettors are showing up early and staying late to watch West Coast baseball games.

Knauf said tracks have plenty of available parking, interior space that readily can be used to build first-rate sports books, and through their simulcast operations are familiar with bringing in multiple TV signals. He noted tracks routinely offer more such signals than even a Las Vegas sportsbook.

Panelist Victor Bigio, an online gaming marketer at Sportech, said tracks also have the space to host eSports events that are quickly gaining in popularity with young people. He said tracks should take advantage and offer those events and accept wagers on them.

Many states soon will be making these decisions. Beyond the three racing states that have already launched full sports wagering this year—New Jersey, Delaware, and West Virginia—Sara Slane of the American Gaming Association noted another 19 states have had bills proposed.

William Hill U.S. executive Dan Shapiro noted the planning that went into Monmouth has produced a facility where sports betting and race betting are well-integrated. He said a sports betting facility at Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races is in the casino and separated from racing. He thinks the Monmouth model has a better chance of success for both sports wagering and race handle.

“What Monmouth has done with that integrated experience is the model we think tracks should look at in the future,” Shapiro said.

Just hours after TVG (FanDuel Group) announced Thursday plans to add a pair of Sunday morning shows that will largely focus on betting the NFL, FanDuel Group general counsel John Hindman said that variety should bring a more diverse group to the racing channel and its various sports and race wagering platforms.

He said the FanDuel platform will market race wagering, noting it will be presented in a way that will make sense to sports bettors. He also noted the benefits of cross-marketing—millions of dollars have been spent promoting FanDuel, initially a Daily Fantasy site, in recent years.

One aspect of betting sports those customers understand, on some level, is takeout in the 5% or 6% range. Ed Hannah of The Stronach Group said with those expectations, racing will need to thoroughly examine its much higher takeout (the amount of money not returned to bettors in winnings, which in racing is retained largely for tracks and purses) as it tries to attract new customers and retain current players.

“Lesson No. 1 is the takeout rate is too high. We need to figure out a more optimal takeout rate,” Hannah said. “There’s a little more wiggle room on multi-race or multi-interest wagers.”

He noted that in the online atmosphere, sports bettors will quickly notice the difference.

“People putting money in their deposits will notice that difference,” Hannah said, explaining that because of takeout, the average sports bettor can make a $100 deposit last much longer than the average horseplayer. “We have to do a lot of thinking about (takeout).”

Sports betting faces its own battle for customers, many of whom currently wager through illegal bookmakers, local or offshore. Panelists noted that one way legal operators will be able to compete is by offering a greater variety of wagers and events. They said the frequency of races, offered throughout the week, should prove attractive to sports betting sites.

Hindman noted that race wagering routinely is one of the top sports in terms of handle in other countries that already allow sports wagering.

While panelists offered a wide variety of opinions and ideas, all acknowledged the fast-changing landscape and racing’s need to be innovative rather than shrink away.

“We can take (the emergence of sports wagering) and put it toward the enhancement of the racing industry here,” Salerno said. “Don’t be afraid.”

Breeders’ Cup Host Sites Announced Through 2021

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Breeders’ Cup officially announced Santa Anita Park, Keeneland, and Del Mar as the host sites for the next three editions of the World Championships.

In a press conference Aug. 17 at Santa Anita, it was announced the Arcadia, Calif., track would host the two-day event for a record-setting 10th time Nov. 1-2 in 2019. Keeneland, which hosted its first Breeders’ Cup in 2015, will welcome the 2020 edition Nov. 6-7. Del Mar—a first-time host in 2017—gets the event back Nov. 5-6 in 2021.

All three tracks planned press conferences Friday to announce Breeders’ Cup plans.

“Everybody knows how great Santa Anita is, so it’s never a question of ‘if,’ but ‘when’ for this place,” Breeders’ Cup president and CEO Craig Fravel said after the announcement Friday at Santa Anita. “Given the success of Del Mar and Keeneland, the same holds true for those.”

Churchill Downs is hosting the 2018 Breeders’ Cup Nov. 2-3, the ninth time the Louisville oval has put on the fall spectacle. With Friday’s announcement confirming a California-Kentucky rotation for the next three seasons, the two states will have combined to host 14 consecutive editions of the event.

“The Bluegrass served as the ideal backdrop for the 2015 Breeders’ Cup, and we could not be more excited to have Keeneland serve as the host of the 2020 edition of the World Championships,” said Keeneland president and CEO Bill Thomason. “Building on the success of the event for the industry and the community, we anticipate an even greater spectacle in 2020 and look forward to the Breeders’ Cup returning home once again.”

The last time the Breeders’ Cup was held at a track outside of Kentucky or California came in 2007, when Monmouth Park hosted the first year the event was expanded to a two-day format, and Fravel said Friday there is still interest from tracks outside of the two states.

“When I started in 2011, there was an option of two places, and there wasn’t anybody else in the mix to hold an event like this. One of the things we tried to do with Keeneland and Del Mar was to validate the different track model for holding the event, and that’s what happened,” Fravel said. “To me, we have greater and greater options going forward. We have inquiries from Laurel Park, who has made no secret of their interest, and our friends at Monmouth Park, now that they have sports wagering and some new dollars coming in … I think they’d like to be considered, and obviously we’ve talked about New York.

“I don’t think it’s going to be a static rotation. I hope to create an environment where people are wanting us to be there, asking us to be there, and doing what’s best for racing to encourage us to come.”

Tim Ritvo of The Stronach Group, which owns both Santa Anita and Laurel, said he would have liked for Laurel to be one of the three future sites but was hopeful for a 2022 bid for the Maryland track.

“We were hoping to get (Laurel) involved in this round, but we’re eager to make a strong bid for 2022,” Ritvo said. “We weren’t really ready yet, with the facility, but we had a great meeting yesterday about the build-out will look like, and the state is going to put together an advisory committee to give a really big push for 2022.”

Ritvo also said there will be $5 million in renovations at Santa Anita before the 2019 Breeders’ Cup, including new open-air suites in the grandstand and improvements to the upper levels of the clubhouse area. He said the upper-level grandstand suites would be like a “deck at your house, where you can sit and be casual.”

Regarding a potential Breeders’ Cup at a New York Racing Association track, Fravel said “capital improvements” would likely be required for a successful bid.

“I know they have a plan. It’s just the timing that’s unclear,” Fravel said. “I’m hopeful that within the next six months or so, we’ll have a clear picture of what their plan is. … There would have to be more concrete indications of what would happen and when. The experience, unfortunately, in New York is that best-laid plans get waylaid by factors outside of people’s control.”

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