California Thoroughbred Magazine July 2012

July 2012 July 2012 $5.00 $5.00 JULY 2012

CALIFORNIA THOROUGHBRED

VOL. 137 NO. 1

Giving Racing A Sporting Chance

From the Executive Corner

by ROBYN BLACK

©Mesaros

On June 20, the Assembly Governmental Organization (GO) Committee passed SB 1390 by Senator Wright on a 13-0 vote. The bill is strongly supported by the California Thoroughbred Breeders Association (CTBA), the Thoroughbred Owners of California (TOC), racing fairs and racetracks. The bill provides a statutory framework to allow a currently licensed owner or operator of a racetrack or satellite wagering facility, a federally recognized Indian Tribe or a gambling establishment to conduct sports wagering on professional or collegiate sports or athletic events.

Senator Wright took several amendments in Committee to address concerns regarding the NCAA and our amendments which will codify the traditional spilt between the tracks and the horsemen. Senator Wight has been fantastic to work with on this bill and very supportive of the concerns we’ve shared with regard to including the horseman in the bill in addition to the tracks. Prior to the hearing, we met with most of the GO members and let them know what a benefit this bill will be to the future of racing in the state and members truly hope to pass this bill in an effort to allow California to join New Jersey in the federal suit or to allow California to join the four other states currently permitted under federal law to wager.

Existing Federal law, under the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA), prohibits sports wagering except in the states of Nevada, Oregon, Montana and Delaware.

We hope to add California to that list in the near future.

Internet Poker Bill Update The much anticipated hearing for the Wright bill on Internet Poker scheduled for June 12, was not meant to be.

At least for now. Senator Wright announced his decision to “pull” the bill from the Committee calendar as his first item of business. But he may still be prepared to move his bill forward, otherwise one or two oher legislators may try to resurrect the issue. The President Pro Tempore told us that he plans to get more engaged once they pass the budget.

Senate Bill 1463 was amended on June 4, to address some of the concerns expressed by gaming interests since the bill’s introduction. The bill, as amended, would allow for poker only, an issue the Indian Casinos and card rooms put on their priority list. The bills still allows for Advance Deposit Wagering (ADW) entites or partnerships with ADWs and other existing gaming entities. Senator Wright's bill ensures that there are no artificial business constraints on the licensee, such

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as limits on the percentage of revenues that may be paid to technology supply contractors which allows the members of Horse Racing United (HRU) to enter into an agreement with a world class company such as Cantor Gaming. There are gaming interests that would like to see this provision deleted from the bill, effectively killing racing’s ability to participate in Internet Poker.

The TOC and CTBA met with many of the members of the Senate GO Committee on June 11, along with our partners from HRU. The TOC and CTBA have been very focused for the past six months, on educating legislators on the industry and our position on Internet Poker. The June 11 meetings were well received by the Senators, but it’s clear there is much work ahead.

Amendments were presented to Senator Wright and to the Vice Chair, Senator Anderson, that would basically codify the traditional spilt between the tracks and the horsemen. This is critical, given that the bill currently has nothing guaranteed for the horsemen. The Senators indicated support for the amendment. The big question going forward will be will they allow ADWs in the bill and, if so, will they accept an amendment to include them under the traditional split? There is currently tremendous opposition from the tribes and the card rooms for allowing ADWs to get a license at all.

To make clear how complicated this issue of Internet Poker really is, one Senator remarked that in all his years in the legislature, this issue is by far and away one of the most complex he has ever worked on. Senator Wright compared the competing interests to a highway where we (tribes, card rooms and racing) are all crowding into the same lane.

At the end of the day, the committee members had too many concerns remaining to vote for the bill. Senator Wright decided to hold the bill and continue to work with the various interests and avoid a lengthy hearing on the bill until such time as he and the Pro Tempore can reach more consensus. We expect to see his amended bill or another bill in the Assembly in the very near future, in attempts to pass a bill before the federal government takes action and the legislature will certainly continue to look at the revenue from Internet Poker as the state’s finances continue to force even deeper cuts in spending. The Wright bill is an urgency bill meaning it needs a two-thirds vote to pass. It also means it is not subject to the normal legislative deadlines so it can move at any time.

CALIFORNIA THOROUGHBRED • JULY 2012 1

C O L U M N

Managing Editor’s Welcome

Beauty & The Beast Just as the lead characters in the Tony Award-winning musical “Beauty and the Beast,” that was based on the 1991 Disney film of the same name and which ran on Broadway between 1994 and 2007, proved to be the perfect combination, so were Old English Rancho and Acclamation in their respective “Belle” and “The Beast” roles as last year’s leading breeder in California and Eclipse Champion Older Male.

Now with 14 titles to its name as the leading breeder of California-breds since its establishment in 1948, the Old English Rancho of E. W. “Buddy” Johnston, his wife Judy, daughter Mary and son-in-law Pete Hilvers provides the perfect cover story for this July 2012 issue of our California Thoroughbred magazine.

Serving as the perfect understudy to this beauty of a farm, which encompasses almost 400 acres in Sanger, is this publication’s article on Old English Rancho’s homebred six-year-old beast Acclamation’s record equaling third consecutive victory in the grade I, $250,000 Charles Whittingham Memorial Handicap at Betfair Hollywood Park on June 9.

Besides these stories, there are also advertorials featuring some of the 2012 California foals at Old English Rancho, Ballena Vista Farm, Paradise Road Ranch and Woodbridge Farm.

The latest California Thoroughbred Breeders Association (CTBA) member to be profiled is trainer Bruce Headley, who joined our group more than 50 years ago in 1962, and there is a special feature story on this year’s 75th anniversary of the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club, spotlighting the great Cal-breds who have won stakes races at that seaside track over the years.

There’s also a Q&A session with the Vice President of Barretts Equine Limited, Bill Baker, about his company’s inaugural Paddock Sale at Del Mar—Presented by Sentient Jet—of “Race Ready” Horses in Training being held at the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club on Sunday, July 22, while CTBA Director Mary Knight provides an Industry Insight article on the importance of choosing the right venue at which to sell horses.

Featured in this month’s Northern California Report are the Cal-breds Best Present Ever and Summer Hit, the winners of the first editions of the $100,000 Campanile Stakes and $100,000 Silky Sullivan Stakes—now part of the annual Golden State Series schedule of black-type races worth $4.65 million to Calbreds and California-sired runners—which were held at Golden Gate Fields on June 2 and June 9, respectively.

Sarah Simek Fitzpatrick, a graduate of Washington State University who spent six months at Pin Oak Stud through the Kentucky Equine Management Internship (KEMI) program and is now based in California, is highlighted in Focus On The Future, while A Blast From The Past spotlights the Cal-bred Cover Up whose six stakes wins included the 1947 Hollywood Gold Cup while being trained by Ross Brinson who turned 100 years old in September of last year.

This month, Horse Care deals with Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) infections in horses and the issue of antimicrobal resistance and the latest Guest forum contribution is titled “We’ve Got Our Number,” while the balance of the magazine includes all our other regular columns, features and departments that we hope will also prove to be both In the Company of…E. W. “Buddy” Johnston (right), the owner with his wife Judy, daughter Mary and enjoyable and helpful. son-in-law Pete Hilvers of Old English Rancho in Until next time, may you breed the Sanger, California, the leading breeder of Californiabest to the best and not just have to hope breds in 2011, during the Annual Awards Dinner of the California Thoroughbred Breeders Association (CTBA) for the best! at The Westin Pasadena on February 13, 2012.

—Rudi Groothedde rudi@ctba.com

©Ron Mesaros

C O L U M N

2 CALIFORNIA THOROUGHBRED • JULY 2012

©California Thoroughbred 2012 (ISSN1092-7328) 201 Colorado Place, Arcadia, California 91007 Telephone: (626) 445-7800 or 1-800-573-CTBA (California residents only) FAX: (626) 445-6981 E-mail address: ctbainfo@ctba.com Owned and published by the California Thoroughbred Breeders Association, a nonprofit corporation dedicated to the production of better Thoroughbred horses for better Thoroughbred racing.

Opinions expressed in signed articles are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect policies of the CTBA or this magazine.

Publication of any material originating herein is expressly forbidden without first obtaining written permission from California Thoroughbred.

All advertising copy is submitted subject to approval. We reserve the right to reject any copy that is misleading or that does not meet with the standards set by the publication.

Acknowledgment: Statistics in this publication relating to results of races in North America are compiled by the Daily Racing Form.

Charts by special arrangement with Daily Racing Form Inc., the copyright owners of said charts. Reproduction forbidden.

OFFICERS President: SUE GREENE Vice President: PETE PARRELLA Treasurer: JOHN H. BARR Secretary: DANIEL Q. SCHIFFER Executive Vice President and General Manager: Doug Burge DIRECTORS - John C. Harris, Jeanne L. Canty, Leigh Ann Howard, John H. Barr, Daniel L. Harralson, Daniel Q. Schiffer, William H. Nichols, Rosemary A. Neeb, Jane Johnson, William H. de Burgh, Pete Parrella, Sue Greene, Mary Knight, Bonnie Vessels, Donald J. Valpredo Ex Officio: E. W. (Bud) Johnston ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF Chief Financial Officer: James Murphy Sales Coordinator & Membership: Cookie Hackworth Registrar and Incentive Program Manager: Mary Ellen Locke Assistant Registrar: Dawn Gerber Executive Assistant & Event Coordinator: Christy Chapman Web Site Managing Editor: Ken Gurnick Librarian/Receptionist: Vivian Montoya RACETRACK LIAISON: Scott Henry CALIFORNIA CUP Coordinator: Cookie Hackworth PUBLICATIONS STAFF Editor: Doug Burge Managing Editor: Rudi Groothedde Advertising Manager: Loretta Veiga Art Director: John Melanson Production: Charlene Favata-Markel Subscriptions: Vivian Montoya California Thoroughbred is published monthly in Arcadia, Calif. Periodical postage is paid at Arcadia, Calif., and at additional mailing offices. Standard mail enclosed.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to the California Thoroughbred, P.O. Box 60018, Arcadia, CA 91066-6018 California Thoroughbred is printed by Modern Litho Print Co. SUBSCRIPTIONS-$55.00 per year USA $85.00 per year Canada & Mexico CTBA on the Internet — http://www.ctba.com

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July 2012 Contents On This Month’s Cover Encompassing almost 400 acres in Sanger, California, the Johnston family’s Old English Rancho has been the Golden State’s leading breeder on 14 occasions, including last year, since E. W. “Buddy” Johnston’s father Ellwood B. “The Pie Man” Johnston established the farm in Chino, California, during 1948. ©Ron Mesaros In his first start since being voted the 2011 Eclipse Champion Older Male and California Horse of the Year, the Old English Rancho homebred Acclamation was victorious for the third consecutive year in the grade I, $250,000 Charles Whittingham Memorial at Befair Hollywood Park on June 9. ©Benoit & Associates

Departments 6 10 12

CTBA Calendar Classified Advertising Index to Advertisers & Index to Stallions Advertised

©Del Mar Thorooughbred Club

46 48 49 50 52 53 55

News Bits The CTBA Working For You California Thoroughbred Foundation (CTF) Notes—July 2012 Leading Sires in California Leading Lifetime Sires in California Leading Two-Year-Old Sires in California Dates in California

This year marks the 75th anniversary of the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club, where many of the greatest California-breds have won stakes races since the inaugural editions of today’s Oceanside Stakes and La Jolla, Clement L. Hirsch, Cougar II, San Diego and Del Mar Handicaps were held at the seaside track in July of 1937.

4 CALIFORNIA THOROUGHBRED • JULY 2012

Cover Stories

13

Thoroughbred Farms In California: Old English Rancho—A Welcome Return To The Top

22

The Grade California-Breds: Acclamation—The Comback Kids

by Rudi Groothedde

©Ron Mesaros photos

VOLUME 137 NO. 1

by Marcie Heacox

Special Feature

28

Equine Industry Milestones: The Del Mar Thoroughbred Club— 75 Years Of Cal-Bred Success

by Emily Shields

Features

32 34 36 38 40 42 43

CTBA Member Profile: Bruce E. Headley—A Rare Breed

24 25 26 27

California-Bred Foals: The 2012 Foal Crop—Old English Rancho

by Emily Shields

Regional Sales: Recruiting Season

by Lisa Groothedde

Industry Insight: The Company You Keep

by Mary Knight

Northern California Report: Cal-Breds Keep On Giving

by Jerry Klein

Focus On The Future: Sarah Simek Fitzpatrick—On The Path To Success

by Emily Shields

A Blast From The Past: Cover Up—An Obvious Star

by Jackie Barnes

Horse Care: MRSA Infections In Horses & The Issue Of Antimicrobial Resistance

by Heather Smith Thomas

Advertorials California-Bred Foals: The 2012 Foal Crop—Paradise Road Ranch California-Bred Foals: The 2012 Foal Crop—Ballena Vista Farm (Judi Partridge) California-Bred Foals: The 2012 Foal Crop—Woodbridge Farm

Columns

1 2 56

From the Executive Office: Giving Racing A Sporting Chance

by Robyn Black

Managing Editor’s Welcome: Beauty & The Beast

by Rudi Groothedde

Guest Forum: We’ve Got Your Number

by Bob Carson

The August 2012 Cover Story

A Preview Of The 2012 CTBA Sales Northern California Yearling Sale www.ctba.com

D E P A R T M E N T

News Bits

Del Mar Opens 75th Anniversary Season On July 18

The introduction of two juvenile turf stakes races and purse increases for 10 other major races are among the highlights of the 2012 Del Mar Thoroughbred Club meet, which marks its 75th anniversary this year. The seaside track will feature 43 stakes races during its 37-day season, which extends from Wednesday, July 18 through Wednesday, September 5.

The new Oak Tree Juvenile Turf and Oak Tree Juvenile Fillies Turf will offer purses of $100,000 each, with partial funding from the Oak Tree Racing Association.

Northern California Fairs Offer $1 Million Stakes Program Under the umbrella of the California Authority of Racing Fairs, six racetracks in Northern California will offer $1,080,000 in collective stakes purses during their respective 2012 racing seasons, which feature 19 stakes races combined.

The most lucrative stakes programs will be presented at the Alameda County Fair in Pleasanton and the Sonoma County Fair in Santa Rosa, which have scheduled seven stakes races each. The other participating groups are the California State Fair in Sacramento, the Humboldt County Fair in Ferndale, the San Joaquin Fair in Stockton and the Big Fresno Fair in Fresno.

Four stakes races for horses who were either bred or sired in California will be infused with higher purses. The Fleet Treat and Real Good Deal Stakes are now valued at $200,000 each, and the Generous Portion and I’m Smokin Stakes will be carded at $150,000 each.

In an effort to attract out-of-state runners and new owners, Del Mar is also enhancing its “Ship and Win” program with greater financial incentives, and will host the inaugural Del Mar Paddock Sale, Presented by Sentient Jet on-site in partnership with Barretts Equine Limited on Sunday, July 22.

TOC Moves To Expand Racing Broadcasts On June 1, the Thoroughbred Owners of California (TOC) acted to broaden television distribution of the California racing product when its board of directors approved a proposal whereby Stronach Group Racing (SGR) offered to enter into a reciprocal agreement with TVG. Under the agreement, SGR would permit TVG to broadcast the Santa Anita Park and Golden Gate Fields race meets in return for granting HRTV the ability to broadcast the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club and Betfair Hollywood Park meets.

In other action, TOC board members postponed a vote on exchange wagering in California for one year, citing the need for additional time to study the controversial betting alternative.

Union Rags Victory Caps 2012 Triple Crown Series Kentucky-bred Union Rags, a top juvenile in 2011, reached his full sophomore potential on June 9, when he won the grade I, $1 million Belmont Stakes over 10 rivals at Belmont Park. The Dixie Union colt’s victory occurred one day after the

©Coglianese

California-based 2012 Kentucky Derby (grade I) and Preakness Stakes (grade I) winner I’ll Have Another was surprisingly scratched from his pending Triple Crown quest and retired by owner Paul Reddam due to a tendon injury in his left foreleg.

Kentucky Derby Changes Qualification System In a watershed announcement on June 14, Churchill Downs unveiled a new point system which will determine the starters for the 2013 Kentucky Derby (grade I), thereby abandoning the graded stakes earnings criteria the racetrack has used since 1986 to determine the annual field of runners.

Under the new system, officially branded as the “Road to the Kentucky Derby,” points will be accrued in 36 stakes races to be contested in the United States, Canada, England and Dubai, including 17 events for three6 CALIFORNIA THOROUGHBRED • JULY 2012

year-olds scheduled during the 10 weeks preceding the marquee race and dubbed the “Kentucky Derby Championship Series.”

Eight races in California will be eligible for points accrual: six at Santa Anita Park, one at Betfair Hollywood Park and one at Golden Gate Fields.

The 2013 Kentucky Oaks (grade I) will employ a similar system to determine its field of starters, with eight California races for fillies tabbed for points distribution. www.ctba.com

CTBA Magazine Features New Format For Annual Foal Photos Including pages 24 to 27 of this July 2012 California Thoroughbred magazine, the official publication of the California Thoroughbred Breeders Association (CTBA), and in its upcoming August and September issues, this year’s crop of foals born in the Golden State are being spotlighted in full page advertorials. Each page features six foals from a specific Thoroughbred farm or by a particular stallion, including detailed information on every foal and each of their locations. For these placements, a fee of $500 per page is being charged, representing a discount of more than 50 percent on the cost of a regular full-page advertisement in the monthly magazine.

The deadline for submitting photos of California-bred foals in sets of six is Friday, July 6, for the August 2012 magazine

and Monday, August 6, for the September 2012 issue.

All photos submitted need to be at a high quality resolution of at least 300 dpi and include the details of the foal’s sire, dam, sex, date of birth and breeder, and the magazine reserves the right to request a replacement image.

For further information about this new option, please contact either the magazine’s Advertising Manager, Loretta Veiga, at Loretta@ctba.com or its Managing Editor, Rudi Groothedde, at rudi@ctba.com.

Additionally, breeders and farms are still welcome to submit individual photos of their 2012 foals for inclusion on the CTBA’s web site, www.ctba.com, copies of which can be sent to its Managing Editor, Ken Gurnick, at kgurnick@ctba.com.

The Rewards Just Keep Coming In the story of the California-bred filly Glorious Dancer and Louisiana resident Michael Beychok, the rewards just keep coming.

On Jan. 28, 2012, the latter won $1 million in the 2012 Daily Racing Form/National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) National Handicapping Championship in Las Vegas by a mere dollar with his final bet of the contest on the latter who won an $8,000 maiden claiming race at Golden Gate Fields.

Twenty-nine days later, Beychok returned the favor by claiming the daughter of Roman Dancer for $6,250 when she finished fifth at the same Albany track; but the story didn’t end there!

Glorious Dancer’s first start in Beychok’s silks provided the perfect reward for his sentimental gesture when she won a $4,000 claiming race at Golden Gate on April 22. With two placings to her name in as many starts since, Glorious Dancer has now earned $7,380 for last year’s Eclipse Champion Handicapper.

Those Grand Cal-Bred Mares A couple of three-year-old fillies out of California-bred mares won stakes races this past month.

On May 26, Dashkova improved her record at two and three to 124-4-1 with a victory in the $75,000 Aztec Oaks at SunRay Park in New Mexico. By Attila’s Storm, this $165,403-earner is out of the unraced Olympio mare Olympic Crisis who was bred by Lajos Kengye.

Also becoming a dual black-type winner of 2012, was Tapit’s daughter Tapajo who won the $60,000 Panther Stakes at Prairie Meadows in Iowa. Out of the Bertrando mare Sleep Away Camp, who was bred by Edward Nahem, she now has three wins, two placings and a bankroll of $116,727 from seven starts during nine months of competition.

D E P A R T M E N T

A Cal-Bred Trifecta For Terry Lovingier A unique feat was achieved by Terry Lovingier at Hollywood Park on June 2, when a trio of runners bred by him in California—and sired by stallions based at his Lovacres Ranch in Warner Springs— completed the trifecta in a maiden special weight race for two-year-old fillies.

Against six fellow Cal-breds and a Kentucky-bred, the 2-1 race favorite Graduator, Akiss Fromarose won by a nose over Ella Bea Awesome who finished 1 3/4 lengths clear of Gambler’s Beauty in the show spot.

The winner, owned by Lovingier in partnership with Craig Warren and Templeton Horses LLC, is by Rio Verde out of Kissin Kris’ stakes-placed winner Bold Kiss, while both the runner-up and third-placed finisher are by last year’s leading freshman sire in California, Awesome Gambler.

©Benoit

Akiss Fromarose (#9), Ella Bea Awesome (inside rail) and Gambler’s Beauty (#5)

Making The Grade The following runner(s), either California-bred or sired by stallions currently based in the Golden State, won or placed in graded stakes races in North America (U. S., Canada & Puerto Rico) from May 21 to June 17 inclusive: Liberian Freighter g.7. Bertrando—Anachristina 3rd Grade II American Handicap $150,000 1 m. (T) Betfair Hollywood Park May 26 Breeder: King Edward Racing Stable Acclamation h.6. Unusual Heat—Winning in Style 1st Grade I Charles Whittingham Memorial Handicap $250,000 1 1/4 m. (T) Betfair Hollywood Park Breeder: Old English Rancho

Continued on next page www.ctba.com

CALIFORNIA THOROUGHBRED • JULY 2012 7

D E P A R T M E N T

News Bits Cont’d.

Kafwain

CURRENT CALIFORNIA SIRES OF STAKES WINNERS

Stallion News Southern Image

Third Chance, a four-year-old filly by this Tommy Town Thoroughbreds stallion, elevated her career bankroll to $402,984 with her 6 1/2-length romp in the $112,125 Isaac Murphy Handicap at Arlington Park on June 16.

On May 26, this Rancho San Miguel sire was represented at Parx Racing by the winner of the $150,000 My Juliet Stakes: his five-year-old daughter Winning Image.

Auction Action A Distorted Humor filly out of 2005 California Champion Older Female Dream of Summer sold for $310,000 on May 22 as the second-highest-priced representative of her gender at the 2012 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Two-Year-Olds in Training Sale in Maryland. Consigned by Kings Equine, the half-sister to 2011 Norfolk Stakes (grade I) winner Creative Cause worked a furlong in :10 3/5 prior to the auction and was purchased by agent Steven Young.

The juvenile filly, subsequently named Summer Laughter, was bred by WinStar Farm and James Weigel, the latter of whom bred and campaigned her grade Iwinning dam, a $1,191,150-earner by Siberian Summer.

On Saturday, July 7, the Thoroughbred Owners of California (TOC) will host an Open Forum at Pleasanton…The California Thoroughbred Farm Managers Association (CTFMA) will hold its annual “Dine With The Stallions” pot luck and fundraiser event at Vessels Stallion Farm in Bonsall on Tuesday, July 17…On Wednesday, July 18, the inaugural “Jockey for a Cause” charity event benefiting disabled jockeys and others involved in horse racing will be held at the DeHaven Estate in Rancho Santa Fe…The “Cavalia: A Magical Encounter Between Human and Horse” production will be in San Jose From Wednesday, July 18, to Sunday, July 29…On Thursday, July 19, the next monthly meeting of the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) will be held at the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club, also the venue for Barretts Equine Limited’s inaugural Paddock Sale at Del Mar— Presented by Sentient Jet—for “Race Ready” Horses of Racing Age being held on Sunday, July 22…On Thursday, July 26, After the Finish Line’s fifth annual “A Tribute to the Majesty of Thoroughbreds”

8 CALIFORNIA THOROUGHBRED • JULY 2012

1,247

72

967

63

Bertrando (1989)†

1,009

55

High Brite (1984)†

923

46

Beau Genius (1985)†

749

39

Cee’s Tizzy (1987)†

728

39

Unusual Heat (1990)

569

33

Benchmark (1991)

652

32

Olympio (1988)†

511

30

Stormin Fever (1994)

624

30

Memo (Chi) (1987)†

525

28

Swiss Yodeler (1994)

674

25

Game Plan (1993)

419

23

Tribal Rule (1996)

447

22

Sea of Secrets (1995)

430

20

Formal Gold (1993)•

470

19

Old Topper (1995)

476

19

Kafwain (2000)

403

16

Redattore (Brz) (1995)•

501

16

Atticus (1992)

435

13

Siberian Summer (1989)†

382

13

Western Fame (1992)

279

13

For Really (1987)†

246

12

In Excess (Ire) (1987)†

Sea of Secrets

California Closers

SWs

Racing Age

Salt Lake (1989)†

Sea of Secrets

This Victory Rose Thoroughbreds resident was flattered in May, when his dual stakes-winning, eightyear-old gelding Hermosillo was named the 2011 New Jerseybred Horse of the Year by the Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association of New Jersey.

Named Foals of

Stallion

† Indicates stallions who have died or have been retired from the stud. • Indicates stallions who have moved out of state but have California-bred two-year-olds of this year. All sires will remain on the list until the year after their last foals are two-year-olds.

fundraiser will be held at Del Mar’s Hilton Hotel...The deadline for the Breeders’ Cup early foal nomination program that allows for a $100 discount off the standard $500 fee for those foals who are nominated electronically is Wednesday, Aug. 1…Through Jan. 20, 2013, Del Mar is partnering with the San Diego Natural History Museum in the West Coast premiere of “The Horse” exhibition.

www.ctba.com

Unzip Me Retired Multiple graded stakes winner Unzip Me, the 2010 California Champion Older Female, has been retired from racing at the age of six.

The turf sprint specialist won 14 of 25 career starts, including 10 stakes events. Among her four grade III victories were the Las Cienegas Handicap at Santa Anita Park, the Senator Ken Maddy Handicap at Hollywood Park and the Royal North Stakes at Woodbine in 2010. She also captured

©Benoit

Unzip Me

Santa Anita’s 2011 John Deere California Cup Distaff Stakes and ran third in the 2010 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint (grade II) at Churchill Downs.

By City Zip out of Escape With Me, a winning daughter of Arazi and 1994 California Horse of the Year Soviet Problem, Unzip Me was bred by Harris Farms Inc. and Donald Valpredo. She earned $959,228.

Q ualifying Claiming Levels The following claiming levels for California owners premiums and stallion awards are currently in effect: Hollywood Park—$40,000 (closes July 15)

Pleasanton (Alemeda County Fair)—$20,000 (closes July 8)

Sacramento (California State Fair-Cal Expo)—$20,000 (July 11-July 22)

Del Mar Thoroughbred Club—$40,000 (opens July 18)

Santa Rosa (Sonoma County Fair)—$20,000 (opens July 25)

Corrections

Michael J. Marten International racing photographer Michael J. Marten died in Del Mar on May 28 at the age of 54.

A native of Brazil, he won two Eclipse Awards for his profession.

Helen K. Tice Helen Tice, a California Thoroughbred Breeders Association (CTBA) member since 1992, died on June 5. The 76-year-old horsewoman owned and operated Grand Trine Farm in Molalla, Oregon, where she stood 27-year-old Mixed Pleasure.

Natalie Valpredo Former CTBA member Natalie Valpredo, 72, died on June 4 in Long Beach. Among her survivors is her brother Donald Valpredo, a Past President of CTBA.

The following corrections need to be made to the June 2012 issue of the California Thoroughbred magazine: • On page 10, the heading “Auction Action” was duplicated, so “First Arrivals For Bonnrita, Sundarban” is the correct heading for the editorial directly below the “Stallion News” article; and • On page 31, in the fourth paragraph, it should have read “…bred by Ron Jex” and not “…bred by the late Ron Jex.” Please accept our apologies for any inconvenience that these errors might have caused.

10 Years Ago Sky Jack, a California-bred gelding by Jaklin Klugman out of the winning Skywalker mare Sky Captive, scored the biggest win of his career with a victory in the grade I, $750,000 Hollywood Gold Cup Stakes at Hollywood Park on July 14, 2002. Rene and Margie Lambert’s Ren-Mar Thoroughbreds six-year-old homebred won two more times in four starts, including the following year’s Longacres Mile (grade III) in his final trip to post, before retiring with a record of 18-10-2-2 and $1,115,127 in earnings.

25 Years Ago On July 12, 1987, the grade I, $160,700 Hollywood Oaks for three-year-old fillies at Hollywood Park was won by Perchance to Dream, a daughter of To B. or Not and the unraced Meneval mare Rendezvous, a half-sister to dual stakes winner Logarhythm. Bred in California by Daniel and Corki Carlson, Perchance to Dream retired with a 14-4-2-3 record and $190,800 bankroll just one start later before becoming the dam of the 2001 Indian Derby, St. Leger and Turf Invitation Cup winner Storm Again (Ind). www.ctba.com

July 14, 2002

©Benoit

Sky Jack Grade I Hollywood Gold Cup Stakes

50 Years Ago Within the span of just 20 days in 1962, Rex Ellsworth’s homebred five-year-old horse Prove It won a trio of stakes races at Hollywood Park; the $55,350 American Handicap on Independence Day, the July 14 Hollywood Gold Cup worth $162,000 and the $88,000 Sunset Handicap only nine days later. The son of Endeavour II (Arg) and Time to Khal, a Khaled full sister to five stakes winners, then won two East Coast stakes races in three more starts to post a final career tally of 25-15-4-1 and $613,820 earned.

CALIFORNIA THOROUGHBRED • JULY 2012 9

D E P A R T M E N T

To further assist the membership of the California Thoroughbred Breeders Association (CTBA) and subscribers of its official publication, California Thoroughbred, this monthly editorial page provides readers with updates about the association’s current policies, latest news and upcoming events in the Golden State.

The CTBA Working For You

CTBA Catalogs 100-Plus Yearlings For Its Nor Cal Sale Being hosted by the California Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association (CTBA) for the ninth consecutive year, this year’s Northern California Yearling Sale at the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton on Tuesday, Aug. 14, will feature a catalog of 100-plus hip numbers, while supplemental entries at a cost of $300 will still be accepted until the day of the sale.

The auction numbers 28 stakes winners among its more than 560 winning graduates, including such standouts as Autism Awareness, Bai and Bai and

Sierra Sunset, while this year’s sale include colts out of Unusual Heat, California’s leading sire since 2008, and Awesome Gambler, the Golden State’s leading freshman sire of last year, and fillies by the leading third-crop sires Lucky Pulpit and Kentucky-based Bluegrass Cat. For additional information about the sale, the CTBA’s Sale Coordinator, Cookie Hackworth, can be contacted at either cookie@ctba.com or (626) 445-7800, extension 243.

Golden Gate Hosts Local Legislator

CTBA Returns To Horse Expo

Senator Leland Yee Ph. D. (left), who represents the San Francisco and San Mateo counties, was in the winner’s circle at Golden Gate Fields in Albany on June 2, 2012, to present the trophy to the winning connections of Best Present Ever for her win in the $100,000 Campanile Stakes for three-year-old California-bred fillies.

©Vassar Photography

Riding For A Good Cause Carrying the “Riding for the Cure” theme flag for the 82nd annual trek of the Rancheros Visitadores, a world-famous men’s horseback riding group, through the streets of Solvang on the way to a traditional blessing at Mission Santa Ines on May 5, was the Sacramento lobbyist Bob Fox aboard Nic. The event raised more than $65,000 for the Cancer Center of Santa Barbara for its breast cancer awareness and research programs.

©Lynn P. Kirst/Montecito Journal

The California Thoroughbred Breeders Association (CTBA) participated in the Western States Horse Expo at Cal Expo in Sacramento from June 8 to June 10, with a booth manned by Christy Chapman, its Events Coordinator, Leigh Ann Howard, CTBA Past President, and members Nancy Easton and Marte Miller, all of whom spoke with hundreds of attendees who visited with them.

The well-attended event’s Thoroughbred demonstrations showcased the many talents of the ex-racehorse and were successful in showing the athleticism that this breed possesses. Among the retired racehorses participating in the Thoroughbred demo were: Limitless, a four-year-old gelding who is now beginning his jumping career and was ridden by owner Haley Abbott; Benny, a 16-year-old gelding who now shows in eventing and hunter/jumper classes and was ridden by Raeann Magill; Impala Supersport, a 21-year-old gelding who was an eventer and is now a lesson horse and was ridden by Dana Todd; and Kati, a 13-year-old mare who is now a handy polo horse and was ridden by Raeann Magill.

Thoroughbreds are popular sport horses because of their adaptability to many events.

The most common disciplines for Thoroughbreds are jumping, hunters, dressage and three-day-eventing, as well as polo because of their willingness to “never give up.”

Western riders also use Thoroughbreds for barrel racing and working cows on large ranches as they are able to cover the hills smoothly and efficiently. Thoroughbreds are often used for gymkhana and large city mounted police forces. They are so versatile that they easily adapt to being cart, roping and trail horses.

Many attendees told stories of the rescue and rehabilitation of horses coming off the racetrack. Attendees were educated on the various venues for horse racing in California, live racing was showcased on a television in the booth, a Belmont Stakes viewing party was hosted with special guest Kate Chenery Tweedy, various aspects of betting were discussed and attendees were encouraged to become members of CTBA and to also become breeders to support Thoroughbred racing in California.

Many registration questions were answered concerning Thoroughbreds in California. Attendees were also assisted with finding information on the various organizations within the Thoroughbred industry.

The Expo showcased many different horse breeds.

Breed demonstrations, clinics and seminars commenced all three days in seven arenas for 10 hours each day. Clinicians included Shannon Dueck, Steve Rother, Dana Hokana, Bree Krabel, Jim Masterson, Larry Whitesell, Tim Kimura, Christy Landwehr and Bernie Traurig, while various seminars and demonstrations were held by veterinarians from UC Davis, an equine chiropractor, Project Cowgirl, 4-H clubs and many other horse breed representatives.—Christy Chapman

The CTBA Calendar Corner Event

Date(s)

Barretts Paddock Sale at Del Mar of “Race Ready” Horses of Racing Age Sunday, July 22 Northern California Yearling Sale Tuesday, August 14 Barretts October Yearling Sale Tuesday, October 9 & Wednesday, October 10

Venue(s)

Del Mar Thoroughbred Club, Del Mar Alameda County Fairgrounds, Pleasanton Fairplex (Hinds Pavilion), Pomona

For further information, contact the CTBA’s Event Coordinator Christy Chapman at either christy@ctba.com or (800) 573-2822, extension 247.

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D E P A R T M E N T

D E P A R T M E N T

Notes — July 2012 California Thoroughbred Foundation 2012 OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS Mrs. Jeanne L. Canty, President Warren Williamson, Vice-President Gregory L. Ferraro, DVM, Treasurer Mark W. McCreary, Secretary Peter P. Daily Jane Goldstein

Mrs. Gail Gregson Neil O’Dwyer Gerald F. McMahon Mrs. Ada Gates Patton Thomas S. Robbins John W. Sadler Peter W. Tunney

Mrs. Kenneth M. Schiffer, Director Emeritus

Two Scholarships Awarded At U.C. Davis The California Thoroughbred Foundation (CTF) awarded scholarships to two students currently studying at the U.C. Davis School of Veterinary Medicine.

Jessica Morgan, who recently completed her Ph.D. in Comparative Pathology at Davis, has been involved with horses for much of her life. Whether it be summers grooming and riding horses in dressage or as a participant in three-day events, Jessica has demonstrated what will surely be a lifelong desire to care for horses of all types. She has been involved with the investigation into the role of track surfaces on the potential for injury in racehorses as well as working as a surgical technician which exposed her to a wide range of emergency cases. As Jessica completes her degree, she plans to pursue her interests in equine sports medicine and work to apply this knowledge and its new technologies into the successful treatment of equine sport injuries.

Left to right: Michael Lairmore, Dean U.C. Davis School of Veterinary India McEvoy earned a B.S. in Animal Science and Medicine; India McEvoy, scholarship awardee; Chemistry at the University of Delaware. She has worked at Jessica Morgan, scholarship awardee; a number of equine hospital facilities and has ridden raceGregory Ferraro DVM, CTF Treasurer. horses for trainer Jonathan Sheppard at Ashwell Stables.

She has been an active contestant in three-day eventing which furthered her desire to learn all about horses and propelled her to enter U.C. Davis in 2009. While studying at Davis, India has worked at the Noble Veterinary Hospital participating as an assistant in surgery, attending radiology rounds and helping perform physical exams. She has worked at racetracks throughout Northern California which has driven her fascination with the world of equine athletes writing that she “cannot wait to become officially part of a movement towards improving the careers of equine athletes.”

The California Thoroughbred Foundation The California Thoroughbred Foundation (CTF) is dedicated to the advancement of equine research and education. Since 1958, the Foundation has operated as a nonprofit 501(c)3 corporation that can accept tax deductible contributions. For more than four decades, the CTF has sponsored numerous research and educational projects and awarded scholarships to veterinary students at U.C. Davis and Western University of Health Sciences in Pomona.

The Foundation maintains the Carleton F. Burke Memorial Library, one of the most extensive collections of

equine literature found anywhere. Several generous donations of book collections and artwork form the core of the library, which is housed in the CTBA offices in Arcadia.

Among its 10,000 volumes are current veterinary publications, turf histories, sales catalogs, and books spanning a wide range of subjects from equine nutrition and care to fine arts. The latest instructional videos also are available for viewing in the library.

The resources of the CTF’s Carleton F. Burke Memorial Library are available to the public for research and pleasure.

Memorial Donations The CTF accepts donations in memory of relatives and friends, with all such donations allocated to Scholarship Funds of the Foundation and to the Carleton F. Burke Memorial Library. Please remember members of our industry with a donation to the CTF Memorial Fund. Donations may be sent to CTF, P. O. Box 60018, Arcadia, CA 91066-6018.

The CTF joins in honoring the memory of those whose names appear in bold type. We also thank and acknowledge the donors for their generous contributions.

Natalie Valpredo Mrs. Jeanne L. Canty

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Old English Rancho: A Welcome Return To The Top

Thoroughbred Farms In California

by RUDI GROOTHEDDE Photos by RON MESAROS

©Horsephotos

Old English Rancho may boast a glorious past going back more than six decades, but its most recent accomplishments make co-owner Ellwood W. “Buddy” Johnston most proud. Last year, the famed ranch became the leading breeder in California for the first time since 1987, and the 14th time overall since securing its first such title in 1967, primarily led by the exploits of the 2011 Eclipse Champion Older Male, Acclamation.

Bred by the 75-year-old Old English patriarch in partnership with his wife of more than 55 years, Judy, the 2006 son of Unusual Heat (Harris Farms) just returned from a more than eight-month break to win the grade I, $250,000 Charles Whittingham Memorial Handicap at Betfair Hollywood Park for the third consecutive year on June 9.

In the mold of previous Old English Rancho champions, Acclamation is as tough as they come. Buddy and Judy’s partners in this 10-time winner of $1,778,048 from 29 starts are their daughter Mary and her husband Pete Hilvers, the latter of whom recently passed the management reins of the quartet’s historic farm over to son Jonny.

The 27-year-old represents the fourth generation of the Johnston family at the helm of Old English Rancho, a legacy that originated with Buddy’s father Ellwood B. Johnston.

Known as “The Pie Man,” because of his success in parlaying his job as a pie delivery

boy at school into the purchase, in his early twenties, of a pie and pastry business which he renamed Johnston Pies and sold for a healthy profit in the early 1960s, he first got into Thoroughbreds when claiming English Harry for $1,250 in August of 1939.

That runner turned into a marathoner of note by setting a Tanforan track record at 2 1/2 miles in the familiar red and white silks still carried by the Old English Rancho runners of today. “My dad designed the silks and chose the colors because they were the ones on his pie trucks,” said Buddy.

“He had success in the pie business with red and white and said, ‘Why not stick with it.’”

“My dad only had one or two horses for a long time,” said Buddy, “until he and Ted Tepper, his business partner, purchased a 37-acre farm in Chino during 1948.” That Riverside Drive location was located next door to the legendary Thoroughbred farm of Rex Ellsworth, the leading breeder of California-breds 16 times—and the nation’s leading breeder two times—from 1953 to 1973.

A parcel of 120 acres in Corona was soon added and, by then, the operation was known as Old English Rancho, a name that had stuck when Oscar Otis of the Daily Racing Form had tagged it to the farm when doing a story about its resident stallion Old English (GB).

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Pete & Mary Hilvers & Judy & Buddy Johnston

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CALIFORNIA THOROUGHBRED • JULY 2012 13

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Buddy then relates the story of how Old English Rancho got from there to its current Sanger location that encompasses almost 400 acres.

“When I graduated from Eagle Rock High School in 1955, my dad told me he had already spent my $10,000 gift for that on a 15 percent share of his recent purchase of just over 100 acres of land, across from the airport in Ontario, that needed to be developed.

“In 1957, I married Judy Hackett, whom I’d met six years earlier, and when we got home from our honeymoon, my dad told me I had to leave college as I was now the manager of the Corona property, as the previous one had left. At the same time, I also started working on the development of the Ontario property, helping to lay it all out. We finally moved everything over there in 1963, when I formed a business partnership with my dad, my mom Betty and Judy.

Two years later, Buddy and his dad purchased a total of 120 acres of land in Sanger, located 250 miles northwest of Ontario and just 15 miles east of Fresno in the San Joaquin Valley of Central California. “It didn’t look very impressive until we got to the north end of the property and saw the river,” said Buddy. “When we saw the water flowing into a lake on that ranch, we agreed that it was amazing to find a place in California with this kind of quality water supplied by the Kings River and Pine Flat Dam where melted snow

from the Sierra Nevada Mountains collects. This has allowed us to flood irrigate the whole ranch gravitationally with pure, pollutant-free water through ditches that run into a reservoir that feeds our system of underground piping, while it can also fill a 2,500-gallon water wagon in five minutes. It’s so inexpensive because no power is needed.

“Then in 1970, we began raising all our own yearlings at that San Joaquin Valley location where I had built some paddocks really fast when it got overcrowded at Ontario because we were doing so well.” In fact, Old English Rancho was the nation’s leading breeder of stakes winners both that year, tied on nine with E. P. Taylor and Leslie Combs II, and in 1971, with 13 such performers.

Buddy continued, “In 1975, however, we sold all of our own breeding stock, more than 400 head, to the Westerly Stud of Alexis Yermakov because he made an offer we just couldn’t refuse. The farm then carried on primarily as a boarding facility and a stallion station before we started up a broodmare band again in the late 1970s.

“Those mares included some of our older ones whom Westerly had put back up for sale, including Acclamation’s dam Winning in Style. So we started racing again and had some fillies retire and go into the broodmare band. Before we knew it, we were back up to 50 mares again. We just can’t seem to get out of the business, for one reason or another!”

“I used to go up to Sanger, where Piedra Road divides the farm now, but at that time we only had the farm on the north side and I kept saying that I was going to buy the land

Old English Rancho’s Homebred six-year-old horse Acclamation (Unusual Heat—Winning in Style, by Silveyville)

$1,000,000 Pacific Classic Stakes (grade I)—August 28, 2011

©Benoit photos

S T O R Y

Thoroughbred Farms In California Cont’d.

Grade I Charles Whittingham Memorial Handicap—June 11, 2011

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Grade I Charles Whittingham Memorial Handicap June 12, 2012

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on the other side. In 1981, I purchased 170 acres and continued to buy adjacent property until 1986, when we had all the land we have today, except for a small railroadowned strip that we got in the early 1990s. Unfortunately, my dad died at the age of 75 in 1981, so he never got to see the farm developed, a process that started in 1995 and ended in 1997 when, after 34 years in Ontario, the farm was completely relocated to Sanger.

Wide Open Spaces Besides its multitude of large and year-round lush pastures and paddocks, the farm offers its more than 380 current equine residents a host of other facilities.

First and foremost is the training center encompassing a 7/8ths of a mile track that is 70 foot wide and which provides great footing for the horses with its sandy loam surface of natural soil that is watered in the evening and harrowed in the morning on a daily basis. The center’s 32-stall and 16-stall training barns, featuring doors on each side so that they are easier to clean, have spacious center isles spanning eight feet and 15-foot overhangs which keep the shedrow surface soft and allows for the exercising of horses during inclement weather. There are three full time exercise riders, one who just breaks the babies and the others for the older horses.

On the breeding side, the studs have a 10-stall stallion barn with individual turn out paddocks and there’s two foaling barns with 16 stalls each, including four larger 12x24 foot units in both of them. The farm’s fully enclosed, covered breeding shed and adjacent veterinary laboratory provide a safe venue for the annual covering of mares.

The ranch has the same style of three-rail fencing that

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Buddy had in Ontario. In fact, a lot of it even came up from that location which is now the Thoroughbred Business Park, a very successful business development that was completed in 1998.

A Quality Quintet Also known as the home of many great sires over the years, Old English Rancho’s present stallion roster promises more of this kind of success in the future.

Its current residents Big Bad Leroybrown, Cyclotron, Held Over Again, Surf Cat and Vronsky are hoping to emulate the like of Fleet Nasrullah, the sire of such Calbred stars as Century, Coursing, Don B, Gummo and Spearfish, and Unusual Heat, California’s leading stallion since 2008, as well as Bold Badgett, Bold Hitter, Bolger, Eleven Stitches, First Balcony, Kennedy Road, Lucky Mel, Silveyville, Something Lucky, The Pie King (Ire), Victory Morn, Windy Sea and Windy Sands, to name but a few.

Big Bad Leroybrown A homebred for Old English Rancho and partners, Big Bad Leroybrown returned home after a long and successful racing career to stand his first season at stud this year.

The 16.1-hand son of Wild Again raced 41 times for six victories, nine seconds, four thirds and $421,543 in earnings.

“He had a wind problem,” explained Buddy, “so he had a tieback surgery as a two-year-old but we still had to restrict him to sprinting even though he was bred for further. I think he would have been an even better horse if he’d had the opportunity of going a distance of ground.”

Despite all of this, Big Bad Leroybrown won or placed in

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seven black-type events, including a victory in the $107,200 Real Good Deal Stakes, named after one of Buddy’s favorite homebreds ever, as a three-year-old in 2007.

Out of the four-time winner Saboteur, a Corwyn Bay (Ire) half-sister to the multiple grade II winner Disturbingthepeace who was the 2002 California Champion Sprinter, he stands for a fee of $1,500–Live Foal Guarantee as the property of Old English, Patsy Berumen and Eugene Eichler.

“He is put together well,” said Jonny, “and he did fine with his first year at stud.”

Cyclotron With an impressive six winners from only eight starters, 12-year-old Cyclotron is off to a good start at stud with his first two limited crops of racing age.

His 2009 foal Valentine Boy won this year’s $62,800 NTRA (National Thoroughbred Racing Association) Stakes, while leading the pack from his first crop is fellow colt Cyclometer, a three-time winner of $148,212 to date. Overall, Cyclotron’s progeny have earned more than $500,000 and boast $63,000-plus in average earnings per runner.

By the promising young sire of sires Grand Slam and the stakes-winning Clever Trick mare Eliot Chacer, also the dam of the grade III-placed stakes winner Conchacer, Cyclotron broke his maiden in his fourth and final career start and is now the property of a syndicate that includes his trainer and co-owner Bruce Headley and Old English Rancho.

“We’re very, very happy with him, as he’s off to a good start,” Buddy said of the 16.1-hand chestnut whose family includes the dual California champion Bad ‘n Big and who stands for Private Treaty–Live Foal Guarantee.

Jonny added, “He’s a gem to be around. He has a very strong, powerful hip and hind end with a good shoulder to match, plus he throws these attributes into his babies.”

Held Over Again Retired to stud at Old English Rancho in 2008, Held Over Again is a nine-year-old son of In Excess (Ire) and the Moscow Ballet mare Fabulous Ballet, making him a halfbrother to a trio of stakes horses led by the grade I-winning California champion Leave Me Alone.

“He showed a lot of potential in the mornings but suffered a condylar fracture,” said Buddy of the bay who only made four career starts. “Because In Excess is doing well as a sire of sires, we decided to give him a chance at stud.”

The Old English Rancho homebred stands at 15.3 hands and his fee is $1,500–Live Foal Guarantee.

“He’s like Buddy’s test project, so I’m glad most of his babies are good looking,” said Jonny.

Surf Cat A top-class sprinter at the races with six grade II wins and a grade I placing to his name from the ages of two to six, Surf Cat retired with a record of nine wins, seven seconds, two thirds and $1,045,420 in earnings from 23 starts. The 10year-old’s first crop are two-year-olds of this year, and Buddy commented, “He was a fine racehorse, and he’s produced some of the most beautiful babies I have ever seen.”

His graded stakes victories came in the 2005 Swaps

Old English Rancho Stallions 2012 ©Benoit

Big Bad Leroybrown

Cyclotron

©Benoit

S T O R Y

Thoroughbred Farms In California Cont’d.

Held Over Again

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Surf Cat

Vronsky

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Breeders’ Cup Stakes, the Potrero Grande Breeders’ Cup Handicap in 2006, and the 2006 and 2008 editions of the Mervyn LeRoy and San Carlos Handicaps, while he placed in the grade I Triple Bend Invitational Handicap of 2007.

By Sir Cat, out of the five-time winner Trust Greta, a daughter of Centrust, his pedigree page features a number of stallions, including Broad Brush who was a leading sire in the United States. His dam also produced the graded stakes winner Rosie O’Greta.

Surf Cat stands for a fee of $4,000–Live Foal Guarantee as the property of Bruce Headley’s wife Aase, while Jonny said, “His two-year-olds seem to be training very well. All his foals are like cookie cutters as he stamps them with long legs and elegant necks and heads. He’s a bit of a handful, so we need to be on our toes and paying attention with him. He’s always on the muscle, ready to go, looking like he’s going to post when you turn him out. His babies also have a lot of high energy.”

Vronsky As both the elder statesman and most successful sire in the Old English Rancho stallion barn, 13-year-old Vronsky has belied the limited opportunities that he was given since retiring to stud in 2005.

Owned by the farm in partnership with Buddy’s “right hand lady” Patsy Berumen and her husband Sal, Vronsky’s first four crops numbered just 65 foals, but four of them, representing 6.2 percent, are stakes horses. They are led by the 2012 grade II-winning gelding Norvsky whose present earnings stand at $546,444 from a 22-6-8-4 record to date that also includes a victory in last year’s $175,000 California Cup Classic Stakes.

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Vronsky’s other black-type performers are: the five-yearold mare Excessive Passion, a stakes winner at two, three and four who is still racing with a current bankroll of $166,943; the $138,546-earner Lindz Winz, a four-year-old filly who won this year’s $100,000 Irish O’Brien Stakes; and the stakes-placed Master Chef, a five-year-old gelding who increased his earnings to $208,608 with his fifth lifetime win on June 16.

A son of Danzig, five times the leading sire in the U.S., United Arab Emirates and Spain, out of the multiple stakes-winning Lord At War (Arg) mare Words of War, Vronsky is a half-brother to both Pennsylvania’s leading sire E Dubai and the grade I winner and producer No Matter What. This is also the family of European champions Rainbow View and Raven’s Pass, the latter of whom just sired his initial winner from his first crop this year.

Sold for $1 million as a yearling, Vronsky then earned $135,247 from three wins and five placings in 11 starts before embarking on his promising stud career. His progeny have earned more than $1.9 million and both his $54,000plus in average earnings per starter and 1.70 Average Earnings Index (AEI) places him among the leading active local sires in these categories.

The 16-hand bay stands for a $3,500–Live Foal Guarantee fee and Buddy had this to say about him. “I’m very pleased with him as he is doing well and his big crops are coming up now. They’re the kind of horses who every time you put them back in the stall they’re better than when you

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Thoroughbred Farms In California Cont’d. took them out. They seem to get better as they get older and they’re basically pretty sound horses. He’s getting better quality mares now, so I think he has a really bright future.”

Jonny added, “He is well balanced and his good attitude makes him easy to work with. He also has a good hip, good shoulder, short back but is long enough underneath. What I like about his babies is that all of them try hard.”

Family Values “We basically have the same crew up in Sanger as we had down here in Ontario because we’ve had little or no turnover in our help over the years, so they are truly part of our family” said Buddy when asked about the Old English Rancho staff.

The current 19-strong team on the farm are complemented by another hard-working and loyal team of four office employees who operate from the old veterinarian’s residence that is the last building standing on what was the east side of the Ontario ranch.

Patsy Berumen, the General Manager who is assisted at those offices by Jennifer Mulgrew, Mel Boyd and her own son David Nelson, was hired by Old English Rancho back in 1974.

“I saw that there weren’t any stallion brochures, so I put some promotional stuff together and Buddy noticed that I was trying to improve things for the farm, even when I wasn’t asked to. He liked this, so that began a relationship we’ve now had for nearly forty years. We complement each other.

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He was such an expert at what he did that I wanted to become the expert in feeding him the information that he needed. I’m the person that helps fill in the gaps for him by communicating with all the other employees.

“I provide Buddy and Jonny with a monthly spreadsheet of every Old English Rancho horse, including their notes going back to when they were weanlings. We use cards and a computer system to store these details. This keeps us ahead of a game which is super-competitive, by making sure that Buddy has all the information at his fingertips. When it comes to the breeding decisions, we have a nicking program but Buddy and I go far beyond that. We get Jonny’s input on how the horses look, we check all the notes, we go back through the family and tear apart the pedigree, looking to see what crosses well with what we have available.

We look at conformation, personalities and if the mare or stallion has any problems. We take all these factors into account as we want to produce the best crop possible every year. Because it costs so much money to breed horses, we want to make sure we get the best shot at success.

“Old English Rancho has always had a reputation for producing top quality horses, through Buddy’s guidance. He knows exactly what he wants in a horse and we have learned this from him. If we all participate in this quality control, then we get the product we want. Buddy knows daily about everything that goes on here. He talks to everybody, like I do. As long as we keep these lines of communication open, Old English will continue to be succeed.”

Back in Sanger, the Training Manager is Linda Wiseheart who has been associated with Old English Rancho since the 1960s, when she was an exercise rider, while Dr.

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Courtney Rand has been the resident vet for the past few years, and she is assisted by Kristen Stevens, an animal health technician. Carlos Herrera does a sterling job as the farm’s Yearling Manager and Jonny’s breeding crew comprises of Maurillo Aguire, Juan Rodriguez, Luis Mares, Benito Villegas and Diego Gutierrez, while Luis’ wife Judy runs the ranch’s small office.

Jonny, who has a great eye for conformation and is also a serious handicapper, took over from his dad a few years ago, following the Upland native’s more than a quarter of a century as Old English Rancho’s Farm Manager. “Pete’s still very active, especially with the ranch’s feed program,” said Buddy, “but he keeps asking me, ‘What’s my title now?’”

Pete explained, “I do all the purchasing of the hay but it was Buddy who came up with the grain ration years ago.

Even though we have tweaked it a little over time, it has remained almost the same since then.”

Also regarded as part of the Old English Rancho family is Acclamation’s trainer Don Warren who started with the farm as an exercise rider during the 1970s. “Since I can remember, we’ve had the same 20 stalls in the same barn at Santa Anita (Park) with seven different trainers, from Jimmy Wallace to Donnie,” said Buddy. “Donnie and I just work well together. I guess we have to, because I like to spend four to five mornings a week visiting our horses at the barn!”

But the final words on the subject of family come from Jonny. “Working at the ranch is something I really enjoy.

It’s the best place in the world that a kid like me could have asked to grow up at and be a part of. I really enjoy working with my dad, my grandfather and my sister. My great grand-

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father started it, so there’s a pride in all of us to keep the family name going here as long as possible.”

The Best Of The Best Besides Acclamation, whom Buddy confessed, “I was so excited that I couldn’t sleep the night after I first saw him under tack,” Old English Rancho has also bred and/or raised the other California champions Individual Style, Softshoe Sure Shot, Somethingmerry, Stylish Winner, Journalism, Something Lucky, Leave Me Alone, Disturbingthepeace and Above Perfection.

Among the other countless stakes winners who have hailed from Old English Rancho are: Allswellthatnswell and Fancy ‘n Fabulous, winners of Fairplex Park’s E. B. Johnston Stakes named after Buddy’s father; eight Cal Cup winners, including the inaugural 1990 Classic victor My Sonny Boy; Macarthur Park, triumphant in the 1971 Del Mar Futurity and Norfolk Stakes; the filly June Darling, winner of the 1970 Del Mar Futurity against males; the 1966 Milady, Palomar and Ramona Handicaps winner Fleet Treat who, like Real Good Deal and Generous Portion, now has a race named after her at the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club; Del Mar Debutante winners Generous Portion, Impressive Style and Admirably, the latter of whom also tied the world record of 1:07 4/5 for six furlongs in 1965; the 1964 Hollywood Derby winner Real Good Deal, whom Buddy said stood one inch under 11 hands and measured 43 inches at his withers at birth; the 1952 Hollywood Oaks winner Ruth Lily, one of eight Valkyr Trophy winners for the farm; Iron Maiden, winner of the 1947 Del Mar Handicap

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Thoroughbred Farms In California Cont’d. and both the grand-dam of 1955 Kentucky Derby winner Swaps and dam of 1957 Kentucky Derby winner Iron Liege; and its first stakes winner in 1945, Jury Box (Ire) who was the 1939 older half-brother to The Pie King.

Jonny offered his point of view on the continued success of the farm’s graduates. “The weather is perfect here, so the horses thrive on being out a lot of the time. We also take our time and go slow with them, allowing them to develop and mature at their own pace. We’ve found that if you keep them sound, then they’ll keep getting better.”

More Chapters To Come To conclude, Pete said, “It’s a beautiful thing to have a ranch like this that is so spread out. For example, weaning is a pleasure here because we can completely separate the foals by literally making the mares disappear.

“What I love most about the guy is that he has always been so optimistic. I love his hands-on approach as it’s been so important to our success, and he never seems to lose faith in his horses. He made some gutsy calls with Acclamation last year, and since I’ve known him, that’s the way he has been; he never gives up. Lastly, I just want to say that I know Jonny and Nicole have enough of the Johnston blood in them to maintain the success of Old English Rancho. It’s in them, and they’ve got it.”

Buddy, a Director of the California Thoroughbred Breeders Association (CTBA) from 1971 to 1995 and its President from 1983 to 1985, also had some final comments. “I try to visit the farm at least once a month, as there is nothing more that I love than going up there. I’m not worried about the farm, but I am worried about the business,” he confided.

“The current recession is not good news. The local commercial sale market is the biggest part of our business and because it is now almost non-existent, we have had to cut back in many areas. Claiming is pretty much now the only game in town as this kind of quick turnaround is a better deal than buying young horses. Nowadays, people don’t want a horse unless it can run next week. This has affected us tremendously as the only ones we can now sell are those who are ready to run. There is not a shortage of horses, there’s a shortage of owners to buy horses.”

However, he remains positive about the future, despite having suffered two heart attacks, one in January of this year, and the other in 1996, when he again pretty much sold everything. “We’ve had an interesting history. Luck, both good and bad, has played a big part in everything we’ve done and will do. We’ve had lots of ups and downs, lots of moving around, lots of building up and pulling down, but now that we are back on top again it has all been worthwhile, especially with our family so heavily involved.”

Old English Rancho Fact-File Owners: E. W. “Buddy” & Judy Johnston & Pete & Mary Hilvers General Manager: Patsy Berumen Ranch Manager: Jonny Hilvers Resident Veterinarian: Dr. Courtney Rand Training Manager: Linda Wiseheart Yearling Manager: Carlos Herrera Physical Address: 461 North Piedra Road, Sanger, California 93657 Telephone: (909) 947-3911 • Fax: (909) 947-7368 E-Mail Address: patsy@oldenglishrancho.com Web Site: www.thoroughbredinfo.com/showcase/oer.htm Services: Breeding, Boarding, Breaking, Training, Lay-Ups & Sales Preparation Stallions Big Bad Leroybrown (Wild Again) ..........................$1,500 - Live Foal Cyclotron (Grand Slam)...............................Private Treaty - Live Foal Held Over Again (In Excess (Ire))............................$1,500 - Live Foal Surf Cat (Sir Cat) .....................................................$4,000 - Live Foal Vronsky (Danzig) ......................................................$3,500 - Live Foal Horse Population – July 2012 Stallions......................................5 Broodmares............................114 Foals/Weanlings.......................53 Yearlings ...................................48 Two-Year-Olds..........................44 Horses of Racing Age..............98 Retirees ....................................20 TOTAL .....................................382

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C O V E R S T O R Y

The Grade California-Breds

Acclamation: The Comeback Kids

by MARCIE HEACOX California-bred Acclamation won his sixth straight graded stakes race and third straight grade I, $250,000 Charles Whittingham Memorial Handicap at Betfair Hollywood Park on June 9, but it was more comeback than continuation.

Horse, jockey, trainer and co-owner and breeder all suffered health setbacks since Acclamation’s last race in the Clement L. Hirsch Turf Championship Stakes (grade II) at Santa Anita Park on Oct. 2. “It was kind of a bumpy road getting here, but we made it,” winning trainer Don Warren said.

The dark bay or brown horse missed a shot at the Breeders’ Cup World Championships in November because of a hoof bruise. As he neared his comeback this spring, he missed some training and was scratched from the April 27 Inglewood Handicap (grade III) because he was slightly “off” on his left side.

Nothing was off in the Whittingham, though.

Like the previous two editions, Acclamation was in control at every pole, holding off a late rally from 2012 grade II winner Slim Shadey (GB) to win by one length.

Inglewood winner Utopian was third, trailed by Juniper Pass and Barney Rebel (Ire). As the even-money favorite, Acclamation completed 1 1/4 miles on firm turf in 2:01.50. He matched Hall of Famer John Henry as only the second horse to go three-for-three in the race formerly known as the Hollywood Invitational Handicap.

Acclamation was steered to victory by jockey Patrick Valenzuela, who’d announced his retirement in December partly due to a gall bladder surgery. He made a comeback less than five months later, in late April, but went on a brief hiatus shortly thereafter because of weight issues. Acclamation provided him with only his second win since his return. “(Warren) has done a tremendous job bringing him back to where he was at today,” Valenzuela said. “This is just a tremendous horse. I feel like Acclamation does—really good.”

Warren likely didn’t feel “really good” after suffering a heart attack and severe infection in mid-May, but recovered enough to be at the track and saddle his horse to the win.

Co-owner and breeder E.W. “Buddy” Johnston of Old English Rancho also suffered a heart attack, in late January, shortly before Acclamation won an Eclipse Award for Champion Older Male. He bred and co-owns Acclamation in conjunction with wife Judy, daughter Mary and her husband Pete Hilvers.

With a $1,778,048 bankroll, the six-year-old horse is the all-time richest progeny of California’s leading sire, Unusual Heat (Harris Farms). Acclamation’s dam is the unraced Silveyville mare Winning in Style, a half-sister to grade III winner and California champion Stylish Winner.

Acclamation is her 11th of 12 foals, which also include the stakes-placed duo of Strut Your Stuff and Always in Style and a 2012 colt by Old English Rancho’s Vronsky.

Acclamation’s race record now sits at 29-10-2-6. In addition to his Eclipse Award, he was also voted 2011 California Horse of the Year, Champion Older Male and Champion Turf Male. Johnston said in an interview with the Daily Racing Form that he’s aiming even higher this year—for an Eclipse Award for Horse of the Year.

Warren said the remainder of Acclamation’s campaign will be similar to 2011, including the Eddie Read Stakes (grade I), Pacific Classic Stakes (grade I) and Clement L. Hirsch, with the Breeders’ Cup Turf (grade I) as the long-term goal.

Success in the latter could help improve upon his runner-up finish in last year’s Horse of the Year voting.

“Who knows, we may even want to look at the (grade I, $500,000) Hollywood Gold Cup (on July 7),” Warren said.

“I’d like to keep him on the turf, though.”

©Benoit photos

Grade I Charles Whittingham Memorial Handicap Betfair Hollywood Park—June 9, 2012

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A D V E R T O R I A L

Vronsky out of

Winning in Style colt foaled April 24, 2012 Owned by Old English Rancho

Vronsky out of

Pinky’s Posh filly foaled February 13, 2012 Owned by Old English Rancho & Sal & Patsy Berumen

Surf Cat out of

Lil Jorae filly foaled March 5, 2012 Owned by Richard Gysler

Vronsky out of

Allswellthatnswell colt foaled February 29, 2012 Owned by Old English Rancho

Cyclotron out of

Chosen Royalty filly foaled May 9, 2012 Owned by Old English Rancho & Bruce & Aase Headley

Cyclotron out of

Knows No Bounds filly foaled March 13, 2012 Owned by Old English Rancho & Sal & Patsy Berumen Inquiries to Patsy Berumen or Jennifer Mulgrew Farm Manager: Jonny Hilvers 461 N. Piedra Road • Sanger, CA 93657 (909) 947-3911 • Fax (909) 947-7368 Email: patsy@oldenglishrancho.com http://www.thoroughbredinfo.com/showcase/oer.htm

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Brave Cat out of

Gee Honey colt foaled February 2, 2012 Owned by Rick Franco & Malinda Farmer

A D V E R T O R I A L

Brave Cat out of

Moscow Mattie colt foaled April 21, 2012 Owned by Ann McCurdy

Brave Cat out of

Tiz Madison filly foaled April 21, 2012 Owned by George & Mary Clare Schmitt

Mesa Thunder out of

Brilliant Sunlight filly foaled May 6, 2012 Owned by Stan & Fran Hodge

Mesa Thunder out of

Halekou Girl colt foaled April 13, 2012 Owned by Herb Moniz

Western Fame out of

Ankha colt foaled February 21, 2012 Owned by Gary Ives & Shirley Streiff Inquiries to Doreen Spinney 3637 W. Stewart Rd., Lathrop, CA 95330 (916) 803-5851 Farm Manager: Doreen Spinney Email: paradiseranch@wildblue.net

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CALIFORNIA THOROUGHBRED • JULY 2012 25

A D V E R T O R I A L

Benchmark out of

Solid Gold Prancer colt foaled April 6, 2012 Owned by Judi Partridge

Benchmark out of

Stormy Racer colt foaled February 6, 2012 Owned by Judi Partridge

Dixie Chatter out of

Deputy of Wood filly foaled April 25, 2012 Owned by Judi Partridge

Dixie Chatter out of

Word Puzzle filly foaled April 25, 2012 Owned by Judi Partridge

Tribal Rule out of

Super Flo colt foaled April 30, 2012 Owned by Judi Partridge

Farm Manager: Manuel Ochoa 26353 Old Julian Highway, Ramona, California 92065 Telephone: (760) 789-3900 • Fax: (760) 789-7751 www.ballenavistafarm.com E-Mail Address: info@ballenavistafarm.com

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Alpenwald filly foaled May 18, 2012 Owned by Woodbridge Farm & Jim Eaton

A D V E R T O R I A L

Gemstone Rush colt foaled April 9, 2012 Owned by Gerald Redman, Phoenix, Arizona

Get The Money filly foaled January 12, 2012 Owned by Jim Eaton, Phoenix, Arizona

Ma Ka Bet colt foaled April 26, 2012 Owned by Jim Eaton, Phoenix, Arizona

Ready Maid filly foaled April 17, 2012 Owned by Jim Eaton, Phoenix, Arizona

Sassy Synner colt foaled May 3, 2012 Owned by M.A. Douzos & Matos

4537 Albers Road, Oakdale, CA 95361 phone: (209) 576-0629 fax: (209) 576-0652 alt: (209) 613-6020 Sueshorse45@yahoo.com http://www.woodbridgethoroughbreds.com

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Equine Industry Milestones

The Del Mar Thoroughbred Club: 75 Years Of Cal-Bred Success

by EMILY SHIELDS time this year, making it the track’s longest-running stakes race. Three California Thoeoughbed Breeders Association (CTBA) Hall of Famers won it; Native Diver (1967), Quicken Tree (1968) and Ancient Title (1977).

Other stakes races that debuted in 1937 were today’s San Diego Handicap, Oceanside Stakes, La Jolla Handicap, Cougar II Handicap and Clement L. Hirsch Handicap.

The grade II San Diego Handicap, now a major stepping stone to the Pacific Classic, has been won by such top Cal-breds as Super Diamond (1987), Kennedy Road (1973), Kissin’ George (1969), Eddie Schmidt (1957) and Blue Reading (1951). Native Diver won it three times from 1963 through 1965. In 1974, Lightning Mandate won the Oceanside Stakes, which is often so popular it is split into two divisions. He also won the La Jolla Handicap that same year, following Blue Reading who did it in 1950. In 1966, Quicken Tree won the Cougar II Handicap, formerly known as the Escondido Handicap until it was renamed in 2007. Grade I winner and world traveler Unusual Suspect won it in 2009; the son of Unusual Heat has most recently competed in Australia and Dubai. The

©Del Mar Thoroughbred Club

This season, the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club’s popular seaside oval will be celebrating its 75th anniversary. Since superstar entertainers Bing Crosby and Pat O’Brien first opened the track in 1937, the boutique summer meet has become one of the most renowned in the country. The track’s dynamic party scene offers beach goers a place to wager on competitive racing, and presents horsemen with a full schedule of rich stakes races.

Forty-three stakes worth $7,775,000 are on tap for the 2012 racing season, which will run from July 18 through Sept. 5. Many of these races have been run for decades, including six stakes which debuted the same year the track opened, although all of them were placed on hold when Del Mar went dark during World War II from 1942 to 1944.

Although the track’s premier contest, the $1 million Pacific Classic, was not inaugurated until 1991, it has since become one of the country’s summer staples, and has been won six times by California-breds. In fact, Del Mar’s stakes history is rich with great state-bred performances; many of the best have run “where the surf meets the turf.”

The grade II Del Mar Handicap will be run for the 73rd

Quicken Tree

©Bill Mochon

Native Diver

28 CALIFORNIA THOROUGHBRED • JULY 2012

Lightning Mandate

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grade I Clement L. Hirsch Stakes, which was won by Fran’s Valentine in 1986, has more recently been taken by the Cal-bred champions Nashoba’s Key (2009) and Ultra Blend (2011).

Three new stakes races were introduced in 1945. The grade II Del Mar Derby, known as the Quigley Memorial Handicap through 1947, was instated as the highlight of the season for three-year-olds. Lightning Mandate won it in 1974, completing a sweep of the seaside oval’s turf stakes for sophomores. In 1960, Vanity Handicap winner Perizade took the Palomar Handicap, which will be run as the Yellow Ribbon Stakes this year. The grassy Ramona Handicap, which became the John C. Mabee Stakes in 2002, was won

by Hall of Fame mare Brown Bess in 1989. She joined 1961 Cal-bred winner Linita.

Bing Crosby was honored with a race in 1946, and the hotly contested sprint was given grade I status in 2004. Blue Reading racked up one of his three Del Mar stakes wins in 1951, and Kissin’ George won it in both 1967 and 1969, while Zany Tactics triumphed in 1987. Greg’s Gold won in 2005, before a tendon injury forced him to the sidelines.

The meet’s premier event for juveniles, the Del Mar Futurity, debuted in 1948. A trio of Futurity heroes have gone on to become Kentucky Derby winners: Tomy Lee, Gato del Sol and Silver Charm. Four Cal-breds have won the race and also been named the state’s champion twoyear-old that year: Best Pal in 1990, Bertrando in 1991, Officer in 2001 and Georgie Boy in 2007. Both Officer and

Georgie Boy also won the Graduation Stakes, which became a race exclusive to Cal-breds in 1977.

Two stakes for fillies and mares were introduced in consecutive years, then put away for a while. The San Clemente Handicap was run in 1949 and 1950, before returning in 1970, while the Solana Beach Handicap returned in 1997, after editions in 1950, 1958 and 1980.

They were both brought back on the track’s unique Jimmy Durante turf course, which had opened in 1960. Evening Jewel, who won the San Clemente in 2010, went on to be named California Horse of the Year at the end of that season. Future grade I winner Lazy Slusan won the Solana Beach in 2000.

The Del Mar Debutante, sister race of the Futurity, was inaugurated in 1951. It became a grade I event in 1999, 27 years after Cal-bred Windy’s Daughter won it. She went on to be a two-time state champion, including Horse of the Year in 1973. Generous Portion won the Debutante in 1970, and would later have a race named in her honor at Del Mar. Grade I winner Golden Doc A (2007) and state champion Controlled (1998) are two of the most memorable Cal-bred winners of the Generous Portion.

The CTBA Stakes was first run in 1954, and looked very different from the way it does now. The race was originally contested at six furlongs for colts and geldings. It is now a 5 1/2-furlong event for juvenile fillies. Donut King

Fran’s Valentine

Windy’s Daughter

Brown Bess

Evening Jewel

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(1961) and Ancient Title (1972) won it before it changed genders in 1974, and subsequent grade I winners A Kiss For Luck (1981) and Cat’s Cradle (1994) have emerged victorious since.

With the creation of the Del Mar Oaks, in 1957, the Del Mar Derby received a sister race. Standouts Linita, in 1960, and Evening Jewel, in 2010, won the 1 1/8-mile race, which was moved to the turf in 1970 and achieved grade I status in 1994.

The grade III Sorrento Stakes, originated in 1967, has become the major stepping-stone for the Del Mar Debutante.

It began as a grassy contest over 7 1/2 furlongs but has since changed to its current state to a 6 1/2-furlong main track event. June Darling and Windy’s Daughter won the Sorrento in 1970 and 1972, respectively. After finishing second behind Generous Portion in the Del Mar Debutante, June Darling rebounded to beat the boys in the Del Mar Futurity.

She is one of only three fillies to win the Futurity.

The Best Pal Stakes and the Rancho Bernardo Handicap also began in 1967. The grade II Best Pal was originally known as the Balboa Stakes until its current namesake was retired in 1996. Best Pal himself won it in 1990, 12 years after Flying Paster scored in the race, which has undergone transformations from grass to dirt and 1 1/8 miles to seven furlongs. It is currently contested at 6 1/2 furlongs on Del Mar’s all-weather Polytrack surface, which was installed in time for the 2007 season.

The Rancho Bernardo was won by Quicken Tree in 1967, when it was open to both genders, but it has since been closed to fillies and mares. Kentucky-breds Great Lady M., the dam of National Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Famer Lady’s Secret, and Desert Stormer, who would go on to beat the boys in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint, first won the Rancho Bernardo.

Grade I-winning Cal-breds Dream of Summer (2004) and River’s Prayer (2007) also earned the grade III trophy.

The El Cajon Stakes joined the roster in 1973 as a 1 1/8mile grass race. It is now run over a mile on the main track, and was left off the schedule in 1994 and 2001. Nostalgia’s Star won the race in 1985, on his way to becoming only the second Cal-bred to break the $2 million mark in earnings.

Joey Franco won the race in 2002, just a year before he was named California Horse of the Year. During that championship season, Joey Franco also won the Del Mar Mile, a grade II contest which was run on the main track from 1987 until 2004, but is now contested on the grass. Enriched (2010) and Caracortado (2011) have given Cal-breds backto-back wins in the Mile.

The Eddie Read Stakes will be run for the 39th time in 2012. The 1 1/8-mile turf race was given grade I status in 1988, and has become the ultimate test for grass horses at the meeting. Cal-breds have won it the last two years, with Acclamation scoring in 2011, after The Usual Q. T. turned in a breathtaking move to storm away in 2010. They aren’t the only stars to win it; Kotashaan (Fr) won in 1993, on his way to Eclipse Horse of the Year honors.

June Darling

Nostalgia’s Star

Best Pal

Joey Franco

Equine Industry Milestones Cont’d.

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©Benoit

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other popular winners have included the filly Lethal Heat in 2008, and the tough gelding Full Moon Madness in 1998.

When legendary Cal-bred Best Pal won the inaugural Pacific Classic in 1990, the race was a $1 million phenomenon but lacked a grade. It was given accelerated grade I status in 1993, the same year that Bertrando won the 1 1/4-mile contest. Four more Cal-breds have won this rich race since, starting with Free House and General Challenge in 1998 and 1999, then Lava Man in 2006. Acclamation won the race by a head in 2011. Five of the six winners went on to be named California Horse of the Year that year; only General Challenge missed out on that title.

I’m Smokin won the Graduation Stakes in 1978, and was rewarded with a race named in his honor in 1990. Best Pal won that edition of the I’m Smokin Stakes, a sprint for state-bred juveniles. Bagshot, who later won the California Cup Classic, won in 1996.

The most recent addition to the stakes schedule is the California Dreamin’ Handicap, a 1 1/16-mile contest for state-breds on the grass. Millionaire Bold Chieftain won the race in 2007 and 2008, as two of his 18 career victories.

California-breds are not the only horses to excite the crowds at Del Mar. Like the numerous human celebrities who graced the plant in the early days, equine stars such as Cigar, Seabiscuit and Zenyatta competed over the hallowed course over the years. Del Mar has had such a storied history it is impossible not to wonder what will happen during the march to its next major anniversary in 2037.

Magical Allure

Acclamation

©Benoit

©Benoit

The Torrey Pines Stakes for sophomore fillies boasts a record of classy Cal-bred winners. Magical Allure, a daughter of General Meeting, won three straight stakes races at Del Mar in 1998, and concluded the year with a win in the grade I La Brea Stakes at at Santa Anita. Her two other Del Mar victories were the C.E.R.F. and the Fleet Treat Stakes, which is named for the two-time Del Mar stakes winner.

Fleet Treat scored in both the Palomar and the Ramona Handicaps in 1966. Magical Allure wasn’t the only exceptional filly to win the Fleet Treat; subsequent dual grade II winners Belle’s Flag and Fleet Lady won it in 1996 and 1997, respectively.

Forty years after Bing Crosby was rewarded with a race in his name, Pat O’Brien had a stakes event named after him.

The seven-furlong contest, which has been a grade I since 2009, has seen such stars as Breeders’ Cup winners Alphabet Soup and Lit de Justice pass under the wire first. Two years after his injury suffered in the Bing Crosby, Greg’s Gold rebounded to win the Pat O’Brien, making him one of the few horses to complete the sweep of Del Mar’s most important sprint stakes. Sensational Star (1990) and Zany Tactics (1987) were two other notable Cal-bred winners.

Cal-bred star Real Good Deal won the Graduation Stakes in 1963, and a race bearing his name was added to the schedule in 1988. Although Eclipse Champion Sprinter and Breeders’ Cup Sprint (grade I) winner Thor’s Echo (2005) and grade I winner M One Rifle (2009) are the two better-known winners of the seven-furlong state-bred race,

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©Del Mar Thoroughbred Club

Greg’s Gold

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CTBA Member Profile

Bruce E. Headley: A Rare Breed

by EMILY SHIELDS

©Sylvia Bachmann

©Benoit

Although his name is often irresponsibly left off maker was all about float and communication instead the list of current great trainers, Bruce Headley is of resistance and strain,” Headley said. not only a great trainer, but also one of the last true In addition to his stress-free riding technique, horsemen. The charismatic 78-year-old has been a Headley breaks all of his own horses in the tranquil fixture on the Southern California circuit since environment of his backyard, located just south of before he took out his trainer’s license in 1959, Santa Anita Park in Arcadia. The horses have working as an exercise rider, owner and a well-manicured grass track to learn their breeder, as well as a trainer. Headley, who early galloping lessons on, and roomy learned from and alongside the very best, turnouts to enjoy. Headley teaches the celebrated his 50th year as a member of youngsters using hand and voice signals the California Thoroughbred Breeders rather than force, so when they arrive at Association (CTBA) in 2011. the racetrack they are both sound of Headley first found himself at a racemind and body. track at the tender age of six, brought by This method has allowed Headley to his aunt and uncle, a trainer. In 1948, the campaign some of the best older runners then 14-year-old went to Suzy Q Ranch to work, and found the game has seen. Son of a Pistol and Softshoe Sure Shot himself in the company of aspiring jockey Bill Shoemaker. won the grade II San Carlos Handicap at ages eight and “They only let me gallop one horse, and I was scared to nine, respectively, while Lakota Brave won the grade III death the entire time,” Headley Ancient Title Breeders’ Cup said. A year later, he left home Handicap at age seven. Kona for good to become an exercise Gold, Headley’s most renowned rider at Rolling Hills Farm, but and favorite runner, raced soon grew too big to be a jockey. through six seasons while makIn 1959, Headley purchased ing five consecutive Breeders’ a filly named Thorium from Cup appearances. His win in trainer Frank Childs, and she the grade I, $916,000 Breeders’ became his first winner by scorCup Sprint in 2000, remains ing at Pomona. Poonastar was Headley’s biggest career victory his first stakes winner, defeating and it earned Kona Gold a three-time black-type heroine unanimous honor as Eclipse Honey Bunny in the 1962 Champion Sprinter.

Junior League Stakes. The first Headley has also had success horse Headley bought for himwith the fillies: Tiffany Diamond self, Trondheim, defeated future won back-to-back editions of Charles H. Strub Stakes winner the Fantastic Girl Stakes; Dignitas in the Haggin Stakes Johnica stunned the racing in 1967. Right out of the gate, world when she upset the Headley was churning out one $1,937,142-earner Estrapade in stakes horse after another. the grade II Beverly Hills He credits his success to the Handicap; Royally Chosen was industry figures he was around a multiple stakes winner, while while adapting his own style. her full sister Chosen Royalty R. H. McDaniel, Jim Maloney, was graded stakes-placed; and Dick Wagner, Ralph West and Kalookan Queen earned Charlie Whittingham are just $1,044,474 while defeating Winner (top left), Kona Gold (top right) some of the figures that taught Bruce Headley with Stylish males in both the Potrero and Bertrando (bottom).

Headley about training, feeding Grande and Ancient Title and raising horses. He also perfected Shoemaker’s ability to Breeders’ Cup Handicaps. But the best of them all was Got let a horse “float” underneath him by refusing to pull on the Koko, who won Santa Anita’s three-race La Canada series, horse, which puts less stress on the horse’s body. “Shoe- and then defeated 2002 Eclipse Horse of the Year Azeri in the ©Mike Cartee

F E A T U R E

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following year’s Lady’s Secret Breeders’ Cup Handicap (grade II). That victory snapped Azeri’s 11-race win streak.

Some of Headley’s most memorable runners have been California-breds, which is fitting given that his horses seldom leave the Golden State. Silveyville was named California Horse of the Year in 1984, one of his four state championships. Headley’s favorite state-bred was Stylish Winner, a flashy gelding who earned $791,725. The son of Obraztsovy narrowly missed winning the grade I Santa Anita Handicap in 1989, and his pictures adorns the door to Headley’s track office. Variety Road, a Cal-bred son of Kennedy Road, earned $964,540 and upset three of the best horses to race in the late 1980s. First he outlasted Ferdinand in the grade I San Felipe Stakes in 1986, then defeated that rival along with Snow Chief and Broad Brush in the 1987 San Fernando Handicap (grade I).

“Those were my biggest upsets,” Headley recalled.

Headley’s M One Rifle won the 2009 Malibu Stakes (grade I), but perhaps his best Cal-bred was the $3,185,610earner Bertrando, who won the grade I Norfolk Stakes by nine lengths in 1991. After finishing second behind Arazi in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (grade I), Bertrando won the grade II San Felipe and missed to A.P. Indy in the Santa Anita Derby (grade I). When he returned to the races at the end of 1992, he had a different trainer. “That was my biggest disappointment,” Headley admits. “He was the fastest horse I had.”

F E A T U R E

Headley stopped galloping his own horses when he turned 70, but he actively continues to breed, buy and break his own horses. He still owns two shares in the hot Kentucky sire Street Boss, a dual grade I winner for Headley in 2008, and his barn is littered with juveniles by his own stallion Surf Cat, who won six grade II events and earned $1,045,420. Surf Cat stands for $5,000 at Buddy Johnston’s Old English Rancho in Sanger, a farm with which Headley has had much success. Headley also stands the young Grand Slam stallion Cyclotron at the farm.

Although Headley still considers winning the Kentucky Derby to be on his ultimate to-do list, he prefers to buy sprinters rather than routers, noting that young sprinters have honest bodies that “don’t let you down,” while distance horses “might turn out to be plodders.” He owes much of his success to his manager and wife, Aase, whom he met at Golden Gate Fields in 1957. Their two children, Gus and Karen, are both trainers in their own right.

“I’ve taught them everything about letting a horse float,” Headley said, “but they’ve never asked where I learned it from.” Whether or not Headley came up with his methods himself, or incorporated what he learned from racing legends over the years, it’s imperative that his methods be passed down to the next generation. Perhaps then he won’t be the last of the true horsemen, and others can follow in his footsteps.

©Benoit

Kona Gold

Poonastar

Variety Road

©Benoit

©Benoit

©Benoit

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©Four Footed Fotos

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Stylish Winner

Silveyville

M One Rifle

Got Koko

Bertrando

Street Boss

CALIFORNIA THOROUGHBRED • JULY 2012 33

Recruiting Season Regional Sales

by LISA GROOTHEDDE Every July, the warm, fresh breezes from the nearby Pacific Ocean drift over the grand facilities of the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club, carrying with them the optimistic expectations for a boutique race meet at the seaside oval in Del Mar. This year, the distinctive sounds of an auctioneer’s steady patter will also fill the air, when Barretts Equine Limited hosts its inaugural Paddock Sale at Del Mar during the opening weekend of the late summer meet.

Presented by Sentient Jet and scheduled to start approximately 20 minutes after the final race is declared official on Sunday, July 22, the innovative auction featuring “race-ready” horses of racing age will be conducted in the Del Mar paddock as a convenience for buyers who are looking to add to their stables in hopes of competing during the track’s lucrative 2012 season, which extends through Wednesday, Sept. 5.

Sale-bound horses will be available for inspection on the premises during nontraining hours, starting at noon on Friday, July 20.

For the benefit of California Thoroughbred Breeders Association (CTBA) members, Barretts Vice President Bill Baker answered several questions about this new sale prior to its June 25 deadline for entries.

CTBA: What is the purpose of this new sale?

Baker: The purposes for this sale are to (a) import racehorse inventory into the state, (b) attract new owners, (c) educate people regarding the auction process, (d) create another Del Mar signature event and (e) promote California racing.

CTBA: Why was the decision made to hold the sale at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club, instead of at the Barretts sale complex in Pomona?

Baker: There is no doubt that the peak demand for raceready horses in California occurs at the start of the annual Del Mar race meet, which helps in recruiting horses to sell. Additionally, the Del Mar “Ship and Win” program is a great incentive for both sellers and purchasers.

CTBA: Is Del Mar Thoroughbred Club partnering with Barretts to present this sale? If yes, how?

Baker: This will be a Barretts auction. However, it would not be possible without the strong support from Del Mar Thoroughbred Club on a planning, logistical and marketing level.

This event will be supported by considerable backing from the California Marketing Committee, as well as Thoroughbred Owners of California and the California Horse Racing Board.

CTBA: The sale is listed as “Presented by Sentient Jet.” Can you explain this designation?

Baker: Sentient Jet will be the corporate sponsor of this sale and will be providing amenities to potential purchasers.

©Benoit

F E A T U R E

Barretts Equine Limited Vice President Bill Baker

CTBA: How many horses are you expecting to catalog for this inaugural sale?

Baker: We anticipate having 30-45 horses for this sale.

CTBA: What specific type of horses are you hoping to offer in this sale, and why?

Baker: The main criteria for this sale is that the horses are currently located outside of California and will be ready to run at the 2012 Del Mar race meet. We want horses at all levels to give as many people as possible a chance to be involved.

CTBA: What is the main appeal for potential buyers at this sale?

Baker: These race-ready horses can be inspected and/or vetted prior to sale and also sell with the same bone and wind warranties that cover all racehorses in Barretts auctions. Most will also be eligible for Del Mar’s Ship and Win program, in which the buyer will get an additional 25 percent of what they earn in their first start, as well as an additional $1,000 incentive.

CTBA: How is Barretts promoting this sale to buyers and consignors, and how has the response been?

Baker: We have mainly been promoting this sale to consignors at this point, but obviously there will be spillover to potential purchasers. We have been pleased with the response.

For more information about the 2012 Paddock Sale at Del Mar, call (909) 629-3099 or visit www.barretts.com.

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F E A T U R E

The Company You Keep Industry Insight

by MARY KNIGHT tive buyers consider only what they can verify by inspection, pedigree analysis and race record.

Different venues attract different buyers and presenting a horse to the right buyer will significantly improve the opportunity for sale. People racing horses in the current economic environment want to be as sure as they can be that the animal being purchased is worthy of the expenses that follow the purchase. Costs associated with training racehorses vary according to the venue in which any given buyer intends to race. While it is not unheard of to have an inexpensive horse succeed at the higher levels of racing, it is far from commonplace. Buyers intending to race in very competitive environments are looking for horses with conformation and pedigrees that suggest they will be competitive in those environments and therefore justify the high cost of purchase and training for that level of competition. Buyers who intend to campaign on racing circuits where the competition isn’t so strident will buy less expensive horses and spend correspondingly less money on training.

If your horse is not chosen for the select sale, it is wise to accept the decision of the inspectors and not push to get in.

Buyers frequenting the select sales are generally very sophisticated, experienced and exacting. They know what they want and are not willing to compromise any of their well-developed standards concerning balance, conformation, locomotion, presence and attitude. The marginally select horse will stand out in an open sale.

The success or failure of your horse enterprise has a great deal to do with proper placement. Whether it’s choosing which auction to enter or deciding where to run, the company you keep will ultimately decide the outcome.

©Lisa Groothedde photos

Choosing the proper venue for selling is the most important decision a horse owner can make when deciding to enter a public auction. Entering a sale in which your horse will be in the top 25 percent of the horses offered, provides the best opportunity for a favorable outcome.

It is a common practice among horse owners to choose the auction, enter the horse and then acquire an agent.

Actually, it is best to consult an agent prior to entering a sale to assure that your horse will be competitive in the chosen marketplace. All too many horses return to their owners unsold, along with very substantial bills. Getting it right the first time can save a lot of time, trouble and money.

A brief interview with your prospective agent (in person, if possible) will go a long way toward assuring a better sales experience. The agent can gain a better idea of a horse’s marketability by actually seeing the animal prior to entry. This knowledge will help the seller and agent decide which auction provides the best option for the animal(s) in question.

Expenses associated with sales differ from sale to sale and it is important that horse owners choose the auction that best fits the horse. In-training sales incur the greatest expenses and the quality of the product must justify this substantial expense if the experience is to be profitable.

Assessing the true value of an individual is an admittedly difficult task. Small breeders are generally more personally invested in their horse enterprises and often times have knowledge of abilities and potential unrealized as a result of early injury or illness. This information is worth considering with regard to deciding whether to keep the horse or sell the horse, but will not be useful if the decision is to sell. Prospec-

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F E A T U R E

Cal-Breds Keep On Giving Northern California Report

by JERRY KLEIN

A D V E R T O R I A L

The Greniers campaigned Best Present Ever’s dam, Centerofattention, who was purchased as a yearling at Del Mar in 1999, and was the winner there of the $125,000 Solana Beach Handicap in 2003. “We love the mother,” Dennis noted, “who is at Rancho San Miguel with a late foal by

©Vassar photos

Two of the six new races in the Golden State Series of stakes races for California-bred or California-sired Thoroughbreds, these for three-year-olds at one mile on the grass worth $100,000 each, were contested at Golden Gate Fields on the first two Saturdays of June.

Dennis and Norine Grenier’s homebred Best Present Ever waltzed away with the filly edition, the June 2 Campanile Stakes, putting five lengths between herself and runner-up Oh Molly Braningan, while Summer Hit held on gamely to edge graded stakes winner Stoney Fleece in the Silky Sullivan Stakes held seven days later.

Boasting strong turf bloodlines, Best Present Ever showed immediate improvement when trainer Eric Kruljac put her on the green for her March 2 seasonal debut. After breaking her maiden at Santa Anita Park on March 31, the daughter of Unusual Heat (Harris Farms) used a rail run to take an April 29 allowance optional claiming heat at Hollywood Park. She duplicated that effort in the Campanile, lagging back early and advancing on the bend before bursting through on the inside in mid-stretch.

“What a nice filly,” said jockey Russell Baze afterward. “I was pretty confident the leader would drift out. All I had to do was wait and when I asked, she went right on through. She’s fearless.”

Best Present Ever—$100,000 Campanile Stakes—June 2, 2012

FEATURE YOUR FOALS IN THE BEST LIGHT The April to August 2012 issues of the California Thoroughbred magazine will include Advertorials featuring this year’s crop of foals born in the Golden State.

For More Information, Contact: Loretta Veiga, Advertising Manager, at Loretta@ctba.com/(626) 445-7800 ext.227 or Rudi Groothedde, Managing Editor, at rudi@ctba.com/(626) 445-7800 ext.226

CALIFORNIA THOROUGHBRED BREEDERS ASSOCIATION 201 Colorado Place, P. O. Box 60018 Arcadia, CA 91066-6018 • www.ctba.com

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38 CALIFORNIA THOROUGHBRED • JULY 2012

CALIFORNIA THOROUGHBRED • APRIL 2012

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Stormin Fever.” Added Norine, “She got her name because she was born on February 17, which is my birthday.”

A gift that keeps on giving, Best Present Ever has earned $143,800 on a record of 6-3-1-1. The Greniers expect her next appearance to be at Del Mar. An Instant Hit Trainer Jerry Hollendorfer was paying attention when Kenneth and Janice Heidt’s three-year-old homebred Summer Hit demolished a $12,500 maiden claiming field in his January debut race at Golden Gate Fields. It wasn’t exactly a surprise because the gelding was favored and a number of claims were entered for him.

The winner of the shake was trainer Candelario Villamar, who instantly realized a large return on his investment when Hollendorfer offered to buy the horse a few moments later. “I didn’t have a claim in,” said the Hall of Fame conditioner, “but he looked like a good prospect.”

The son of Bertrando soon won a starter allowance, then flashed his potential with a third-placed finish in April’s $72,800 Grey Memo Stakes at Hollywood at long odds.

After another starter allowance win at Golden Gate on May 13, the June 9 Silky Sullivan meant first tries on both the turf and around two turns, as well as confronting recent Alcatraz Stakes hero Stoney Fleece at equal weights. But Summer Hit passed every test, setting a moderate pace before outlasting his odds-on rival by a neck.

“I was concerned about stretching him out and his first time on grass but there was nowhere else to try him,” Hollendorfer said. “Bertrandos usually run good on turf.”

Winning rider Russell Baze added that, “he handled it real good and accelerated really well. He was pretty game when that horse came to him.”

The Heidts bred Summer Hit from the four-time winner Mia F Eighteen, the dam of multiple stakes winner Starbird Road and 12-race winner Light of a Star. Summer Hit has a 6-4-1-1 mark and a bankroll of $100,747.

Summer Hit—$100,000 Silky Sullivan Stakes—June 9, 2012

Mares’ Nest (Colleen Turpin-Boyce, Agent)

Is proud to offer at the August 14 Pleasanton Yearling Sale DESERT OASIS

NORTHERN IMAGE

Hip No. 75

Hip No. 89

Chestnut colt by Breeders’ Cup Sprint Turf winner DESERT CODE out of the young winning half-sister to Peruvian Horse of the Year and three-time champion BLACK COFFEE. This colt is from the first crop of multiple stakes winner DESERT CODE.

Bay filly by the sensational young sire SOUTHERN IMAGE, sire of stakes winners SOUTHERN SPEED ($2,376,850), CALIBRACHOA, SOUTHERN FIREBALL, etc., out of the young half-sister to champion three-year-old filly BAI AND BAI, multiple stakes winner of $724,983.

Mares’ Nest Has bred, or co-bred, sales yearlings that have won 24 Stakes Races and placed in an additional 25 Stakes at every major California track.

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CALIFORNIA THOROUGHBRED • JULY 2012 39

F E A T U R E

F E A T U R E

Focus On The Future

Sarah Simek Fitzpatrick: On The Path To Success

by EMILY SHIELDS

©Phyllis Shalor

©TeamCoyle

By the time she was 14, Sarah Simek Fitzpatrick owned her first horse and participated in a 4H program. Later, when the horse crazy Washington state native pursued and obtained a degree in Zoology from Washington State University, she visited Lexington, Kentucky, where she met Shannon White, the former coordinator of the Kentucky Equine Management Internship program (KEMI).

“I applied right after college, and that’s how I got into racing,” Fitzpatrick explained.

The application process includes essay answers and a review of the prospective intern’s scholastic success.

Fitzpatrick was accepted and given a six-month farm placement at the renowned Pin Oak Stud in Versailles.

“I was surprised by how much basic work there was,” she said. “You start out just grooming and cleaning stalls until you get acclimated, and post-college you don’t really expect to be mucking stalls. You have to work your way into it.”

Fitzpatrick’s boss was Clifford Barry, the Farm Manager at Pin Oak. “There were sessions where I would sit down with him and learn about day-to-day farm management.” The internship also required weekly classes. “You become immersed in the farm scene in Kentucky.”

Soon, Fitzpatrick was learning about teasing mares and

40 CALIFORNIA THOROUGHBRED • JULY 2012

pasture management. When her time at Pin Oak concluded, she was able to pursue several jobs in Lexington, from working at Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital as a freelance technician, to acting as a foreman at Hill ‘n’ Dale Farms during the sales which she still does three times a year. Fitzpatrick credits manager Joe Ramsey as her mentor.

“He recognized my true potential and put me in charge of millions of dollars worth of horses,” she said.

Fitzpatrick, who married John Fitzpatrick in 2008, moved to California and began working with Tat Yakutis, a former California Thoroughbred Breeders Association (CTBA) employee. Yakutis runs the California horse sales company Yakutis Entertprises, which sells horses at auction, offers buyers’ assistance and is delving into electronic content and video production.

“Sarah is a dream foreman,” Yakutis said, “one that gets the big picture and gets what it is like for us having to deal with lots of clients on site. She is not only a wonderful horsewoman, but has a strong business sense when it comes to the pressure that sales agents are under. It’s been tremendous for me to have someone of her caliber working the sales.”

“We evaluate horses together and I’m trying to help her build her private sales,” Fitzpatrick explained. “We want to develop a boutique feel to the company with a focus on quality and doing things right.”

Fitzpatrick, who also manages Hold Your Horses tack store in Agoura Hills, sees a future for herself in sales. “I love the energy that I feel off the track,” the 34-year-old explained. “And I like the energy in California. In Kentucky you’ve got the Derby and Keeneland, maybe more glitz and glam. But here it’s so much more laid back; I wore a dress and heels my first time to Del Mar and everyone else was in flip flops.”

“The sky is the limit as far as her future,” Yakutis said. “There’s something about having calm and cheerful people in your barn, people who can handle pressure. She has such a good protocol to help the horses settle in, and she’s always one step ahead of me.”

Look for Fitzpatrick in action at the upcoming sales.

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Standing For 2012 Breeding Season BONNRITA

Dark Bay or Brown Horse; Feb. 19, 2002

The Only Son of GULCH to stand in California

By GULCH (1984), champion sprinter in U. S., Stakes winner of $3,095,521, 1st Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1), etc.

Among the leading sires in U. S., sire of 20 crops of racing age, 1,100 foals, 910 starters, 72 stakes winners, 1 champion, 642 winners of 2,304 races and earnings of $86,008,667 U. S., including THUNDER GULCH (Champion in U. S., $2,915,086, 1st Kentucky Derby (G1), etc.), NAYEF (Hwt. In England and United Arab Emirates, $3,594,157 USA, 1st Juddmonte International S. (G1), etc.), EAGLE CAFE ($4,227,985 USA, 1st Japan Cup Dirt, etc.), BRAVE TENDER ($2,708,334 USA, 1st Arlington Cup, etc.), COURT VISION (to 5, 2010, $2,606,521 USA, 1st Woodbine Mile S. (G1), etc.), THE CLIFF'S EDGE ($1,265,258, 1st Toyota Blue Grass S. (G1), etc.), WALLENDA ($1,205,929, 1st Super Derby (G1), etc.), ESTEEMED FRIEND ($805,237, 1st General George H. (G1), etc.).

First dam is by DEPUTY MINISTER, leading broodmare sire of more than 180 stakes winners, including CURLIN, RAGS TO RICHES, HALFBRIDLED, JAZIL, BOB & JOHN etc.

Fee: $2,000-LF, No Booking Fee—First Foals Due 2012 5 Two-year-old winners out of 7 (71.43%) in 1st dam of Bonnrita.

BREED FOR YOUR 2-YR-OLD WINNER!!

For Inquiries please contact Nancy Markwell 818 472 5626

Standing At:

RIDGELEY FARM 3901 W. Esplanade Ave., Hemet, CA 92545

F E A T U R E

Cover Up: An Obvious Star

A Blast From The Past

by JACKIE BARNES One of the great American handicap races, the 1 1/4mile Hollywood Gold Cup, has its 73rd renewal on Saturday July 7, 2012. The grade I, $500,000 event has filled the history books with a myriad of facts and figures on both its equine and human competitors.

Cover Up, a California-bred son of Alibhai (GB) and Bel Amour III (NZ), stamped his mark on Gold Cup history with a thrilling track record-setting victory in July of 1947.

He returned a week later to score a 2 1/2-length victory in the $54,500 Sunset Handicap at 1 5/8 miles, just missing the track record by two-fifths of a second.

Prior to making his first career start, W. L. Sandstrom privately purchased the colt for $12,500 through bloodstock agent Ray Bell from breeder Louis B. Mayer. One year later, the chestnut was sold at auction for $24,500 to Arizona sportsman Zack T. Addington.

Addington placed the colt in the capable hands of Arizona-born trainer Ross Brinson. Under his tuteledge, Cover Up won three races at two and three, while finishing second in the 1946 Quigley Memorial Handicap.

In 1947, at age four, the colt really blossomed with his first stakes victory in the Los Angeles Handicap at Santa Anita Park in February. He followed that initial success with wins in the Balboa and San Francisco Handicaps prior to his successful Hollywood Park campaign.

Cover Up came into the Gold Cup following a close second place finish two starts back to Burning Dream in his track record-setting victory in the July 4 American Handicap.

Addington and Brinson not only knew their colt had brilliant speed, but was also blessed with the ability to handle distance and carry weight.

Brinson had stated that Cover Up had one pace he loved, and it made no difference if horses were in front or behind him; they had to run to keep up with him.

On July 26, a field of 12 veteran runners went to post for the eighth

running of the $118,500 Gold Cup. Favoritism went to the entry of Honeymoon and Paperboy.

With a clean break at the start, speedster Burning Dream took the lead, followed by Lets Dance and Honeymoon. Cover Up was a close-up fourth.

At the half-mile pole, Cover Up was steadily gaining ground. By the time the field hit the three-eighths pole, he was bearing down on Burning Dream and had him whipped at the quarter-mile mark. Down the stretch, the chestnut turned on the after burners drawing away with every stride to win by 4 1/2 lengths.

Cover Up stayed up there and kept on going when the competition dropped out. The official final time of the race was 2:00 flat. That equaled the American record set by Whisk Broom II at Belmont Park in 1913.

Following his victories in the Gold Cup and Sunset, Cover Up equaled the track record of 1:10 for six furlongs in the 1949 Bing Crosby Handicap at the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club.

Cover Up was retired to stud after that season. He stood at the Addington-Palmisano Ranch and then Three Rings Ranch, before moving to Diamond B Farm in 1964, where he died on Dec. 22, 1965. He sired six stakes winners, including the 21-time winner Spinney and Lady Cover Up who won the 1953 Del Mar Debutante.

Following a successful training career, during which his other stakes winners included Wheatfield, Savaii and Billy Ball, Ross Brinson retired in 1999. He celebrated his 100th birthday in September of 2011.

Brinson’s two sons are also involved in the racing industry. Gary is the starter at both Hollywood Park and Del Mar, while Clay is currently among the leading trainers at Canterbury Park in Minnesota.

Cover Up’s legacy is one that will not be forgotten in the storied history of the Hollywood Gold Cup. He closed out his career with a 62-14-10-5 record and earnings of $215,420.

©Vic Stein

Cover Up with trainer Ross Brinson

Cover Up—$118,500 Hollywood Gold Cup—July 26, 1947

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MRSA Infections In Horses & The Issue Of Antimicrobial Resistance

Horse Care

by HEATHER SMITH THOMAS There are several “bad bugs” that can affect horses and humans. One of these is Staphylococcus aureus—a bacterium normally found in the nose of about 30 percent of healthy humans and about 10 percent of horses. These bacteria are opportunists, waiting for a chance to multiply. They usually cause no problems in a healthy body because the immune system keeps them in check. If the person or horse becomes injured or sick, however, these pathogens can take advantage of the body’s weakened defenses and cause infection. Skin and soft-tissue infections are the most common, but occasionally other body systems are involved.

There are several strains of S. aureus.

Some of these are susceptible to certain antibiotics and some are resistant. This particular staphylococcus is categorized as being either methicillin-resistant (MRSA) or methicillin-susceptible (MSSA). The MRSA strains are resistant to all the beta lactams, which are antibiotics in the family that includes methicillin (common antimicrobials such as penicillins and cephalosporins).

Some strains of MRSA are resistant to other families of antimicrobials as well, which makes these infections more difficult to treat. Depending on geographic location, MRSA is now found in about 0.2 to 3.5 percent of the human popula-

tion. People who work with horses or livestock may be at increased risk of acquiring MRSA. Amy Johnson, DVM, DACVIM (Large Animal Internal Medicine, New Bolton Center), says that at their hospital facility MRSA is not as big an issue as some of the other infections they see in horses. “We see just a few cases of MRSA each year, so it’s not at the forefront of our concern.

It’s different in some other regions of the country. The cases

Antibiotic injections should only be given when needed—using special drugs to combat certain susceptible infections.

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CALIFORNIA THOROUGHBRED • JULY 2012 43

F E A T U R E

F E A T U R E

Horse Care Cont’d. we’ve dealt with are generally catheter-site infections and surgical-site infections. It’s sometimes difficult to know where the infection came from—whether horses or people.”

There seems to be a “horse” strain of MRSA that probably originated in people and then adapted to living in horses.

“This is the most common strain we culture from the infections we see in horses. A lot of people assume that it is transmitted via the hands of people who work with horses. A horse may come in from the farm with a MRSA infection, but we tend to see more infections that are probably acquired in the hospital. To prevent that, we try to use various precautions as much as possible, especially with young foals,” says Johnson.

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“When sick foals come in during foaling season, we make sure that the people who are putting in the intravenous (IV) catheters wear sterile gloves and masks while working with these foals. And if we identify a patient who is positive for MRSA, everyone who goes into that stall wears masks, gloves, gowns and shoe covers. We use those barrier precautions to try to contain the infection to that animal and not spread it,” she says.

“The biggest problem for the horse owner is that because MRSA tends to be resistant to many antibiotics, it may only be susceptible to the more expensive drugs, and the ones that require IV administration. This requires the animal to stay in the hospital longer, which also increases the total cost,” says Johnson.

“And the longer the horse is in the hospital, the greater the chance of developing complications with something else, just because the sickest patients are in the hospital, and the most aggressive microbes are in the hospital as well,” she says.

Many people worry about MRSA, but there are other bacteria that pose resistance problems, as well. “The other bacterial infections we commonly deal with that are drug resistant are Salmonella, Enterobacter and Enterococcus, as well as other gram-negative bacteria that live in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Here, we probably see as many multi-drug resistant infections that are due to either Enterobacter or Enterococcus as we do to MRSA,” says Johnson.

She recalls a horse whom she was initially treating for botulism, which can affect the motility of the GI tract.

“This mare colicked—secondarily to the botulism. She had a severe colon displacement and had to go to surgery.

After surgery, because she was weak from the botulism, she was lying on the ground because she couldn’t stand up.”

Her incision was in contact with the ground and became infected with gramnegative bacteria.

“It was a severe infection, and she did recover, but the only antibiotic we could use that would treat the infection cost $1,000 a day. This was a very valuable Thoroughbred mare and the owners had her insured, so they opted to treat her, but she was on that antibiotic for two weeks. She survived and did fine and became pregnant again, but it cost $14,000 just for the antibiotic alone (to treat the incision infection), on top of all the other care involved with treat-

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ing her. Many horse owners would not be able to afford this,” says Johnson.

This particular “bug” is commonly found in the GI tract and simply needs an opportunity to cause disease. “It’s present in the environment, and in the feces of horses. I don’t know whether this mare came in with it, or whether it was on the ground in the hospital—contaminated by another horse. It tends to take advantage of immune compromise situations and surgical sites,” she explains.

Antimicrobial Resistance Problems “This is a difficult issue to deal with since we sometimes have limited options in what will be effective in treating an animal. The options may be very expensive, or even if they are not extremely expensive they may require IV administration as opposed to a pill that the animal can go home with. The IV administration may require hospitalization or the horse to be at a lay-up facility to administer the antibiotic,” says Johnson.

Everyone fears we will someday get infections that will not respond to any type of antibiotic, due to bacterial resistance, and we won’t have any choices left. There’s been a lot of focus lately on prevention instead of having to treat disease, and on using local treatments (rather than systemic drugs), allowing the animal’s immune system to fight the infection.

“Today, we do not treat every incision infection with systemic antibiotics. Often we just use local treatment—opening up any pockets of infection and allowing these to drain. With time, the horse is able to heal itself. This is sometimes preferable to using an antibiotic. Every time you use an antibiotic, you are putting selection pressure on bacteria, and only the ones that are resistant to the drug will be able to survive. All the susceptible ones are cleared out. Every time you treat a patient, you end up with a more resistant population of bacteria,” she explains.

The other issue with horses is that their GI tract requires “good” bacteria to help ferment and break down their food.

The GI tract is therefore very sensitive to antibiotics. If you kill off too many of the normal, helpful bacteria, the horse will have other problems. We always have to walk a fine line on treatment.

“We try to discourage horse owners from self treating their animals. Rather than buying a bottle of penicillin or Naxcel at the feed store, they first need a proper diagnosis. There are

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many viral infections, but these resolve spontaneously with supportive care and without antibiotics,” she says. The antibiotic won’t kill the virus, and is a waste of money—and in the long run detrimental in that it may help lead to more resistant bacteria. If you treat a viral infection with antibiotics you’re not helping the original disease and may set that horse (or another horse) up for antibiotic resistance problems.

“When we prescribe a course of antibiotics, we try to insist that it be given on the proper dosage schedule and the entire course needs to be completed. The owner needs to make sure that the animal actually consumes the entire amount (if it’s a pill), even if they have to use a dose syringe rather than put it in feed. Sub-therapeutic dosing or missing a dose is not helpful.” The stronger bacteria will survive and this can lead to future issues with bacterial resistance.

CALIFORNIA THOROUGHBRED • JULY 2012 45

F E A T U R E

D E P A R T M E N T

Available Statistics Through June 3, 2012

Leading Sires in California

Leading Sires

by Number of Races Won

Leading Sires by Money Won Rank Sire Runners 1. Unusual Heat . . . . . . . . . . . . .79 2. Tribal Rule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103 3. Benchmark . . . . . . . . . . . . 85 4. Kafwain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100 5. Southern Image . . . . . . . . . . 75 6. Old Topper . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102 7. Bertrando† . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87 8. Giacomo# . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 9. In Excess (Ire)† . . . . . . . . . . 75 10. Ministers Wild Cat . . . . . . . 80 11. Awesome Gambler . . . . . . 26 12. Salt Lake* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65 13. Redattore (Brz)• . . . . . . . . . . 61 14. Aragorn (Ire)# . . . . . . . . . . . 64 15. Decarchy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 16. Swiss Yodeler . . . . . . . . . . . 78 17. Good Journey . . . . . . . . . . 40 18. Marino Marini . . . . . . . . . . . 67 19. Lucky Pulpit . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 20. Vronsky . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 21. High Brite* . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 22. Formal Gold• . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 23. Popular . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 24. Suances (GB) . . . . . . . . . . . 18 25. Perfect Mandate . . . . . . . . . 37 26. Stormin Fever . . . . . . . . . . . .60 27. Olmodavor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 28. Tizbud . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 29. Cyclotron . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 30. Sea of Secrets . . . . . . . . . . 64 31. Siberian Summer* . . . . . . . . 38 32. Globalize . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 33. Terrell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 34. Muqtarib† . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 35. Silic (Fr) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 36. Rocky Bar# . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 37. Cee's Tizzy† . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 38. Game Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 39. Capsized . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 40. Momentum . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 41. Ten Most Wanted . . . . . . . . .36 42. Comic Strip . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 43. Freespool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 44. Flame Thrower . . . . . . . . . . 31 45. Onebadshark . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 46. Crafty C. T.• . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 47. Gotham City . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 48. Our New Recruit* . . . . . . . . . 19 49. Memo (Chi)• . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 50. Trapper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

46 CALIFORNIA THOROUGHBRED • JULY 2012

Starts 303 340 366 379 275 361 289 263 262 309 82 207 196 202 238 268 143 240 110 93 210 236 110 67 121 204 179 110 20 230 139 145 134 61 48 131 124 89 89 167 134 88 175 107 49 53 69 63 84 16

Races Won 52 48 71 43 45 51 37 30 43 52 11 42 21 22 26 39 19 25 17 13 30 32 23 11 18 23 25 11 7 34 18 23 14 10 4 18 17 16 11 18 11 11 18 14 12 8 10 7 15 6

Earnings $1,860,720 1,245,095 1,167,634 1,153,427 997,960 956,316 926,635 815,336 808,853 773,083 746,339 634,402 597,394 591,834 578,655 544,550 521,916 517,325 489,252 481,439 457,895 450,127 350,915 348,009 340,135 324,457 323,508 320,181 319,034 312,602 308,921 300,426 265,158 226,393 226,327 217,705 216,799 209,062 208,629 207,676 207,062 197,930 187,239 184,105 170,183 169,181 166,651 159,552 156,514 153,288

Rank Sire

Runners

1. Benchmark . . . . . . . . . . . 85 2. Unusual Heat . . . . . . . . . 79 Ministers Wild Cat . . . . . . 80 4. Old Topper . . . . . . . . . . .102 5. Tribal Rule . . . . . . . . . . .103 6. Southern Image . . . . . . . 75 7. Kafwain . . . . . . . . . . . . .100 In Excess (Ire)† . . . . . . . . 75 9. Salt Lake* . . . . . . . . . . . . .65 10. Swiss Yodeler . . . . . . . . . .78 11. Bertrando† . . . . . . . . . . . 87 12. Sea of Secrets . . . . . . . . 64 13. Formal Gold• . . . . . . . . . 55 14. Giacomo# . . . . . . . . . . . .76 High Brite* . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 16. Decarchy . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 17. Marino Marini . . . . . . . . . 67 Olmodavor . . . . . . . . . . . 48 19. Popular . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Stormin Fever . . . . . . . . 60 Globalize . . . . . . . . . . . . .34

Starts

Races Won

366 303 309 361 340 275 379 262 207 268 289 230 236 263 210 238 240 179 110 204 145

71 52 52 51 48 45 43 43 42 39 37 34 32 30 30 26 25 25 23 23 23

Earnings $1,167,634 1,860,720 773,083 956,316 1,245,095 997,960 1,153,427 808,853 634,402 544,550 926,635 312,602 450,127 815,336 457,895 578,655 517,325 323,508 350,915 324,457 300,426

Leading Sires

by Average Earnings Per Runner (Minimum 10 Runners)

Rank Sire 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

15.

16.

17.

18.

19.

20.

Runners

Awesome Gambler . . . . . . 26 Unusual Heat . . . . . . . . . . . .79 Suances (GB) . . . . . . . . . . . .18 Vronsky . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Lucky Pulpit . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Silic (Fr) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Onebadshark . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Muqtarib† . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Benchmark . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85 Popular . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Southern Image . . . . . . . . . 75 Good Journey . . . . . . . . . . . 40 One Man Army . . . . . . . . . . 11 Tribal Rule . . . . . . . . . . . . .103 Crafty C. T.• . . . . . . . . . . . . .14 Kafwain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .100 Cindago . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 In Excess (Ire)† . . . . . . . . . .75 Giacomo# . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 Bertrando† . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87

Races Won 11 52 11 13 17 4 12 10 71 23 45 19 6 48 8 43 6 43 30 37

Average Earnings/ Earnings Runner $746,339 1,860,720 348,009 481,439 489,252 226,327 170,183 226,393 1,167,634 350,915 997,960 521,916 141,355 1,245,095 169,181 1,153,427 122,660 808,853 815,336 926,635

$28,705 23,553 19,334 19,258 16,871 15,088 14,182 14,150 13,737 13,497 13,306 13,048 12,850 12,088 12,084 11,534 11,151 10,785 10,728 10,651

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Leading Sires

by Turf Earnings

Leading Sires

by Number of Winners

(Minimum 50 Starts Lifetime)

Rank Sire 1.

2.

3.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

11.

12.

14.

17.

18.

19.

20.

Benchmark........................ 85 Ministers Wild Cat.............. 80 Unusual Heat ......................79 Tribal Rule ........................ 103 Old Topper ........................102 Kafwain ............................ 100 Southern Image.................. 75 In Excess (Ire)†................... 75 Bertrando† ..........................87 Giacomo#........................... 76 Swiss Yodeler..................... 78 High Brite* .......................... 49 Sea of Secrets.................... 64 Salt Lake* ........................... 65 Decarchy ............................ 70 Marino Marini ..................... 67 Formal Gold•...................... 55 Stormin Fever......................60 Olmodavor ......................... 48 Redattore (Brz)• ................. 61 Aragorn (Ire)# .................... 64

Rank Sire 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

15.

16.

17.

18.

19.

20.

Runners

Winners

Races Won

44 38 35 35 34 32 31 30 27 27 25 24 24 23 23 23 22 20 18 17 17

71 52 52 48 51 43 45 43 37 30 39 30 34 42 26 25 32 23 25 21 22

Earnings $1,167,634 773,083 1,860,720 1,245,095 956,316 1,153,427 997,960 808,853 926,635 815,336 544,550 457,895 312,602 634,402 578,655 517,325 450,127 324,457 323,508 597,394 591,834

Rank Sire 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

15.

16.

17.

18.

19.

20.

Races Runners Starts Winners Won

Unusual Heat ............. 53 In Excess (Ire)†............19 Vronsky ..................... 13 Redattore (Brz)• ....... 17 Good Journey ........... 19 Kafwain ...................... 16 Benchmark................ 24 Decarchy................... 21 Bertrando†................ 27 Tribal Rule .................. 19 Aragorn (Ire)# ............ 32 Suances (GB) ............. 7 Muqtarib† .................. 4 Popular...................... 6 Ministers Wild Cat...... 16 Old Topper ................ 18 Perfect Mandate ...... 10 Olmodavor ..................12 Capsized..................... 3 Marino Marini ............. 14

142 48 35 32 57 25 46 42 38 34 70 18 9 13 26 27 22 29 4 25

17 6 4 3 6 2 4 4 5 3 7 2 2 3 2 3 4 5 1 3

24 7 4 4 6 3 5 4 5 5 8 3 2 4 3 3 5 6 2 3

Earnings $1,075,661 307,052 280,076 273,932 273,871 259,920 221,981 204,518 203,240 203,092 201,381 156,916 137,340 132,232 127,228 111,456 109,894 108,701 108,634 106,499

Leading Sires

by Median Earnings Per Runner

Leading Sires

by Average Earnings Per Start

(Minimum 10 Runners)

(Minimum 50 Starts)

Runners

Suances (GB).................. 18 Unusual Heat .................. 79 Good Journey.................. 40 Awesome Gambler .......... 26 Popular ............................ 26 Takin It Deep.......................5 Tizbud.............................. 31 Crafty C. T.• ..................... 14 One Man Army..................11 Cindago ............................11 Game Plan ...................... 28 Onebadshark ....................12 Southern Image ................75 Globalize.......................... 34 Vronsky ............................ 25 Iron Cat ............................ 16 Benchmark ...................... 85 Roman Dancer................. 10 Grey Memo .......................13 Ministers Wild Cat ........... 80

Races Won 11 52 19 11 23 12 11 8 6 6 16 12 45 23 13 14 71 6 7 52

Median Earnings/ Earnings Runner $348,009 1,860,720 521,916 746,339 350,915 118,363 320,181 169,181 141,355 122,660 209,062 170,183 997,960 300,426 481,439 102,904 1,167,634 85,973 109,245 773,083

$14,969 11,085 8,031 7,880 7,678 7,135 6,700 6,383 6,326 6,240 6,110 5,906 5,845 5,700 5,450 5,331 5,290 5,174 5,160 5,095

Rank Sire 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

14.

15.

16.

17.

18.

19.

20.

Runners

Awesome Gambler.......... 26 Unusual Heat .................. 79 Suances (GB) ................. 18 Vronsky .......................... 25 Lucky Pulpit ................... 29 Muqtarib†........................ 16 Tribal Rule ..................... 103 Good Journey ................ 40 Southern Image ............. 75 Bertrando† ...................... 87 Crafty C. T.• ................... 14 Benchmark..................... 85 Popular........................... 26 Giacomo#........................ 76 In Excess (Ire)†............... 75 Salt Lake* ....................... 65 Redattore (Brz)• ............. 61 Kafwain ........................ 100 Aragorn (Ire)# .................. 64 Tizbud ............................ 31

Starts

Earnings

Average Earnings/ Start

82 303 67 93 110 61 340 143 275 289 53 366 110 263 262 207 196 379 202 110

$746,339 1,860,720 348,009 481,439 489,252 226,393 1,245,095 521,916 997,960 926,635 169,181 1,167,634 350,915 815,336 808,853 634,402 597,394 1,153,427 591,834 320,181

$9,102 6,141 5,194 5,177 4,448 3,711 3,662 3,650 3,629 3,206 3,192 3,190 3,190 3,100 3,087 3,065 3,048 3,043 2,930 2,911

The statistics contained in these rankings are compiled by The Jockey Club Information Systems Inc. (TJCIS). While every effort is made to prevent errors and omissions, California Thoroughbred cannot guarantee their complete and total accuracy. A dagger (†) indicates that a stallion has been pensioned, an asterisk (*) that he has died, a dot (•) that he is now standing elsewhere, a number sign (#) that he did not stand in California in 2011 but is standing in the state in 2012, a double dagger (‡) that he is not standing in California in 2012 but will stand in the state in 2013 and in bold that he is a freshman sire. In all cases, a sire will remain in the rankings until the year after his last California foals are two-year-olds. Statistics cover racing in North America (U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico), England, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates only.

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CALIFORNIA THOROUGHBRED • JULY 2012 47

D E P A R T M E N T

D E P A R T M E N T

Leading Lifetime Sires in California Crops of No Stallion, Year Foaled, Sire

Available Statistics Through June 3, 2012

Crops of Average Foals of Racing Crop Racing Age Size Age

Runners

Winners

2-Y-O Winners

Stakes Winners

Graded Stakes Winners

Progeny Earnings

Average Earnings Index

Comparable Index

1. Unusual Heat, 1990, by Nureyev 12 47 569 388-68% 278-49% 31-5% 33-6% 10-2% $33,773,435 2.18 1.25 2. Lucky Pulpit, 2001, by Pulpit.

3 22 66 34-52% 24-36% 13-20% 3-5% 0-0% $1,645,514 1.90 1.24 3. Awesome Gambler, 2004, by Coronado’s Quest 2 39 78 30-38% 10-13% 7-9% 1-1% 1-1% $1,034,201 1.83 0.76 4. Vronsky, 1999, by Danzig 5 15 77 35-45% 23-30% 3-4% 3-4% 1-1% $1,856,793 1.70 0.95 5. Cee’s Tizzy†, 1987, by Relaunch 20 36 728 504-69% 367-50% 58-8% 39-5% 9-1% $36,242,513 1.67 1.16 6. In Excess (Ire)†, 1987, by Siberian Express 17 57 967 694-72% 512-53% 114-12% 63-7% 11-1% $42,959,264 1.66 1.43 7. Southern Image, 2000, by Halo's Image 4 85 338 148-44% 103-30% 30-9% 5-1% 2-1% $5,528,265 1.48 1.42 8. Tribal Rule, 1996, by Storm Cat 7 64 447 248-55% 158-35% 68-15% 22-5% 2-0% $12,169,168 1.46 1.21 9. Good Journey, 1996, by Nureyev 7 48 336 138-48% 73-22% 10-3% 3-1% 2-1% $5,355,697 1.45 1.05 10. One Man Army, 1994, by Roman Diplomat 7 9 63 44-70% 29-46% 2-3% 4-6% 1-2% $2,468,300 1.44 0.98 11. Salt Lake*, 1989, by Deputy Minister 17 73 1,247 1,024-82% 822-66% 244-20% 72-6% 24-2% $60,271,991 1.42 1.42 12. Bertrando†, 1989, by Skywalker 16 63 1,009 736-73% 503-50% 118-12% 54-5% 12-1% $41,868,320 1.38 1.56 13. Memo (Chi)•, 1987, by Mocito Guapo (Arg) 15 35 525 336-64% 240-46% 43-8% 28-5% 9-2% $17,954,162 1.32 1.12 14. Birdonthewire, 1989, by Proud Birdie 15 17 255 182-71% 129-51% 37-15% 10-4% 1-0% $11,587,623 1.30 1.38 15. Rocky Bar#, 1998, by In Excess (Ire) 5 16 80 44-55% 37-46% 15-19% 10-13% 1-1% $2,109,039 1.27 0.78 16. Benchmark, 1991, by Alydar 11 59 652 462-71% 350-54% 91-14% 32-5% 8-1% $25,517,425 1.26 1.17 Stormin Fever, 1994, by Storm Cat 10 62 624 458-73% 326-52% 104-17% 30-5% 12-2% $25,562,082 1.23 1.43 18. Beau Genius†, 1985, by Bold Ruckus 19 39 749 611-82% 460-61% 138-18% 39-5% 5-1% $34,578,662 1.18 1.16 19. Formal Gold•, 1993, by Black Tie Affair (Ire) 11 43 470 367-78% 284-60% 77-16% 19-4% 5-1% $18,494,089 1.15 1.36 20. Kafwain, 2000, by Cherokee Run 6 67 403 290-72% 195-48% 70-17% 16-4% 4-1% $11,188,025 1.12 1.30 Robannier, 1991, by Batonnier 13 8 100 65-65% 38-38% 8-8% 3-3% 0-0% $2,916,946 1.12 1.07 22. Olympio*, 1988, by Naskra 17 30 511 389-76% 286-56% 60-12% 30-6% 4-1% $18,812,876 1.11 1.31 23. Atticus, 1992, by Nureyev 12 36 435 311-71% 187-43% 38-9% 13-3% 5-1% $12,752,087 1.08 1.49 24. Kelly Kip, 1994, by Kipper Kelly 9 12 108 86-80% 72-67% 16-15% 2-2% 1-1% $4,317,040 1.06 1.01 Popular, 1999, by Saint Ballado 5 15 75 46-61% 37-49% 14-19% 1-1% 0-0% $1,656,578 1.06 0.97 Snow Chief*, 1983, by Reflected Glory 21 13 270 181-67% 111-41% 27-10% 9-3% 1-0% $5,649,073 1.06 1.30 27. High Brite*, 1984, by Best Turn 21 44 9 923 714-77% 578-63% 145-16% 46-5% 9-1% $35,508,108 1.05 1.18 Swiss Yodeler, 1994, by Eastern Echo 11 61 674 505-75% 353-52% 148-22% 25-4% 2-0% $23,468,735 1.05 1.11 29. Siberian Summer*, 1989, by Siberian Express 11 35 382 287-75% 204-53% 26-7% 13-3% 4-1% $12,179,387 1.04 0.89 30. Tizbud, 1999, by Cee’s Tizzy 5 26 130 52-40% 24-18% 4-3% 3-2% 0-0% $1,405,843 1.03 0.93 31. Decarchy, 1997, by Distant View 6 44 265 159-60% 104-39% 32-12% 7-3% 1-0% $5,916,016 1.02 1.00 32. Giacomo#, 2002, by Holy Bull.

3 59 178 103-58% 64-36% 20-11% 5-3% 2-1% $2,649,140 1.01 1.47 Silic (Fr), 1995, by Sillery 8 19 150 105-70% 67-45% 11-7% 2-1% 1-1% $6,814,087 1.01 0.93 34. Aragorn (Ire)#, 2002, by Giant’s Causeway 3 57 172 106-62% 61-35% 21-12% 1-1% 0-0% $2,943,911 1.00 1.47 Redattore (Brz)•, 1995, by Roi Normand 6 84 501 337-67% 191-38% 43-9% 16-3% 12-2% $6,144,450 1.00 1.21 Suances (GB), 1997, by Most Welcome (GB) 5 17 85 37-44% 23-27% 3-4% 1-1% 0-0% $1,239,723 1.00 1.22 37. Lake George, 1992, by Vice Regent 13 12 159 100-63% 59-37% 10-6% 5-3% 1-1% $4,150,443 0.97 1.04 Old Topper, 1995, by Gilded Time 9 53 476 368-77% 275-58% 102-21% 19-4% 0-0% $14,486,042 0.97 0.87 Perfect Mandate, 1996, by Gone West 9 33 296 156-53% 97-33% 18-6% 11-4% 0-0% $5,746,742 0.97 1.26 40. Sea of Secrets, 1995, by Storm Cat 10 43 430 340-79% 250-58% 74-17% 20-5% 2-0% $16,636,582 0.96 1.09 41. Marino Marini, 2000, by Storm Cat 5 48 241 136-56% 96-40% 26-11% 5-2% 0-0% $4,441,433 0.95 1.03 42. Ministers Wild Cat, 2000, by Deputy Minister 4 53 212 128-60% 82-39% 26-12% 8-4% 0-0% $3,449,232 0.93 1.01 43. Poteen, 1994, by Irish River (Fr) 7 11 74 50-68% 36-49% 4-5% 3-4% 0-0% $1,952,218 0.91 0.81 Western Fame, 1992, by Gone West 11 25 279 186-67% 136-49% 45-16% 13-5% 0-0% $7,315,618 0.91 0.81 45. Crafty C. T.•, 1998, by Crafty Prospector 5 18 89 48-54% 36-40% 9-10% 1-1% 0-0% $2,073,039 0.89 0.95 Olmodavor, 1999, by A.P. Indy 5 41 206 126-61% 85-41% 24-12% 6-3% 1-0% $3,737,156 0.89 1.37 47. Iron Cat, 1995, by Storm Cat 11 12 135 99-73% 82-61% 7-5% 6-4% 0 0% $3,377,781 0.88 1.01 Thisnearlywasmine, 1994, by Capote 8 8 67 37-55% 25-37% 5-7% 0-0% 0-0% $1,327,361 0.88 0.74 49. Epic Honor, 1996, by Honor Grades 8 9 70 49-70% 38-54% 6-9% 1-1% 0-0% $2,197,119 0.87 0.74 Grey Memo, 1997, by Memo (Chi) 6 10 60 26-43% 20-33% 5-8% 0-0% 0-0% $801,473 0.87 0.76 Michael's Flyer†, 1986, by Flying Paster 17 6 107 53-50% 27-25% 5-5% 3-3% 0-0% $1,921,652 0.87 0.59 These statistics are for1988, activebyCalifornia-based sires with a minimum of 50 foals of racing age, ranked here by lifetime Average Earnings Index (AEI) The statistics in these rankings are compiled 77.Latin American, Riverman 15 21. contained 309 205-66%..134-43% 28-9%.

6-2%. by The Jockey Club Information Systems Inc (TJCIS) While every effort is made to prevent errors and omissions, California Thoroughbred cannot guarantee their complete and total accuracy A dagger (†) indicates that a stallion has been pensioned, an asterisk (*) that he has died, a dot (•) that he is now standing elsewhere, a number sign (#) that he did not stand in California in 2011 but is standing in the state in 2012, a double dagger (‡) that he is not standing in California in 2012 but will stand in the state in 2013 and In bold that he is a freshman sire. In all cases, a sire will remain in the rankings until the year after his last California foals are two-year-olds Statistics cover racing in North America (US, Canada and Puerto Rico), England, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) only Percentages are based upon number of foals of racing age

48 CALIFORNIA THOROUGHBRED • JULY 2012

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Available Statistics Through June 3, 2012

Leading Two-Year-Old Sires in California

Leading Sires Of Two-Year-Olds

by Money Won Rank Sire

Runners

Starts

Races Won

12 6 2 2 2 2 1 6 4 1 2 10 2 2 1 1 5 3 2 2 2 1 4 5 1

2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0

1. Awesome Gambler . . . . . . . . 8 2. Swiss Yodeler . . . . . . . . . . . 6 3. Unusual Heat . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 4. Redattore (Brz)• . . . . . . . . . 2 5. Suances (GB) . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 6. Rio Verde . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 7. Nineeleven . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 8. Tribal Rule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 9. Kafwain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 10. Southern Image . . . . . . . . . 1 11. Game Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 12. Tannersmyman . . . . . . . . . . 5 13. Old Topper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 14. Council Member . . . . . . . . . 1 15. Cee's Tizzy† . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 16. Sought After . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 17. Globalize . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 18. Stormin Fever . . . . . . . . . . . 2 19. Cindago . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 20. Olympio* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 21. Wild Cat Ridge . . . . . . . . . . 1 22. Salt Lake* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 23. Singletary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 24. Momentum . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 25. Lucky Pulpit . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Earnings $124,690 51,452 44,460 43,680 41,600 34,710 31,200 27,046 22,205 16,200 13,520 12,876 11,856 11,440 10,400 9,900 7,867 7,630 6,590 6,201 4,550 3,120 2,923 2,450 2,223

Leading Sires Of Two-Year-Olds

by Number of Winners Rank Sire

Runners

1. Awesome Gambler .......... 8 2. Swiss Yodeler .................... 6 Unusual Heat .................... 2 Redattore (Brz)• ................ 2 Suances (GB).................... 1 Rio Verde ........................ 2 Nineeleven ........................ 1 Tribal Rule .......................... 5 Kafwain ............................ 3 Southern Image ................ 1 Sought After ...................... 1 Globalize .......................... 3 Singletary.......................... 1

Winners

Races Won

Earnings

2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2

$124,690 51,452 44,460 43,680 41,600 34,710 31,200 27,046 22,205 16,200 9,900 7,867 2,923

AWESOME GAMBLER (LOVACRES RANCH) Leading Two-Year-Old Sire in California

by Money Won and Number of Winners through June 3, 2012.

Leading Sires Of Two-Year-Olds

by Average Earnings Per Runner (Minimum 2 Runners)

Rank Sire 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

Runners

Unusual Heat.................... 2 Redattore (Brz)•.................. 2 Rio Verde ............................ 2 Awesome Gambler ............ 8 Swiss Yodeler .................. 6 Kafwain.............................. 3 Tribal Rule.......................... 5 Stormin Fever .................... 2 Cindago ............................ 2 Globalize .......................... 3

Races Won Earnings 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 0 0 1

$44,460 43,680 34,710 124,690 51,452 22,205 27,046 7,630 6,590 7,867

Average Earnings/ Runner $22,230 21,840 17,355 15,586 8,575 7,402 5,409 3,815 3,295 2,622

Leading Sires Of Two-Year-Olds

by Median Earnings Per Runner (Minimum 2 Runners)

Rank Sire 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

Runners

Unusual Heat . . . . . . . . . . 2 Redattore (Brz)• . . . . . . . . 2 Rio Verde . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Awesome Gambler . . . . . 8 Stormin Fever . . . . . . . . . . 2 Cindago . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Tannersmyman . . . . . . . . . 5 Globalize . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Swiss Yodeler . . . . . . . . . . 6 Ministers Wild Cat . . . . . . 2

Races Won 1 1 1 2 0 0 0 1 1 0

Median Earnings/ Earnings Runner $44,460 43,680 34,710 124,690 7,630 6,590 12,876 7,867 51,452 1,801

$22,230 21,840 17,355 13,000 3,815 3,295 2,483 1,432 1,040 901

The statistics contained in these rankings are compiled by The Jockey Club Information Systems Inc. (TJCIS). While every effort is made to prevent errors and omissions, California Thoroughbred cannot guarantee their complete and total accuracy. A dagger (†) indicates that a stallion has been pensioned, an asterisk (*) that he has died, a dot (•) that he is now standing elsewhere, a number sign (#) that he did not stand in California in 2011 but is standing in the state in 2012, a double dagger (‡) that he is not standing in California in 2012 but will stand in the state in 2013 and in bold that he is a freshman sire. In all cases, a sire will remain in the rankings until the year after his last California foals are two-year-olds. Statistics cover racing in North America (U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico), England, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates only.

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CALIFORNIA THOROUGHBRED • JULY 2012 49

D E P A R T M E N T

D E P A R T M E N T

Dates in California

Regional Race Meetings, Stakes Races and Sale Dates 2012 REGIONAL RACE MEETINGS

Hollywood Park, Inglewood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .April 25-July 15, 2012 Alameda County Fair, Pleasanton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .June 21-July 8, 2012 California State Fair (Cal Expo), Sacramento . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .July 12-22, 2012 Del Mar Thoroughbred Club, Del Mar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .July 18-Sept. 5, 2012 Sonoma County Fair, Santa Rosa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .July 25-Aug. 12, 2012 Humboldt County Fair, Ferndale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Aug. 15-26, 2012 Golden Gate Fields (Los Angeles Turf Club), Albany . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Aug. 17-Sept. 16, 2012 Fairplex Park, Pomona . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Sept. 7-23, 2012 San Joaquin County Fair, Stockton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Sept. 19-30, 2012 Santa Anita Park (Pacific Racing Association), Arcadia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Sept. 26-Nov. 4, 2012 Fresno County Fair, Fresno . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Oct. 3-14, 2012 Golden Gate Fields (Pacific Racing Association), Albany . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Oct. 18-Dec. 16, 2012 Hollywood Park, Inglewood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Nov. 7-Dec. 16, 2012

JULY AND AUGUST 2012 REGIONAL STAKES RACES Date

Track

Stakes (Grade)

Conditions

Distance

Added Value

July 1 July 1 July 4 July 4 July 7 July 7 July 7 July 8 July 8 July 14 July 14 July 14 July 14

Hol Pln Hol Pln Hol Hol Pln Hol Pln Hol Hol Hol Hol

July 15 July 18 July 20 July 21 July 21 July 21

Hol Dmr Dmr Dmr Dmr Sac

July 22 July 22 July 25 July 27 July 28 July 28 July 28 July 29 July 29

Dmr Dmr Dmr Dmr Dmr Dmr Sro Dmr Sro

Robert K. Kerlan Memorial Handicap . . . . .3-y-o & up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 f. (T) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$70,000+ + Alamedan Handicap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-y-o & up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 1/16 m. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50,000+ Swaps Stakes (Gr. II) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-y-o . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 1/8 m. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .150,000g Sam J. Whiting Memorial Handicap . . . . . . .3-y-o & up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 f. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .75,000gg Hollywood Gold Cup (Gr. I) . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-y-o & up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 1/4 m. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .500,000g Royal Heroine Mile (Gr. II) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-y-o & up, f. & m. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 m. (T) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .150,000g Juan Gonzalez Memorial Stakes . . . . . . . . .2-y-o f. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 1/2 f. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50,000+ Le Cle Stakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-y-o f . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 m. (T) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70,000+ Everett Nevin Alameda County Stakes . . . . . .2-y-o . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 1/2 f. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50,000+g American Oaks (Gr. I) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-y-o f. (Invitational) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 1/4 m. (T) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .400,000g A Gleam Handicap (Gr. II) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-y-o & up, f. & m. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 f. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .200,000g Landaluce Stakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2-y-o f. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 f. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .200,000g Hollywood Juvenile Championship . . . . . . .2-y-o . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 f. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .200,000g (Gr. III) Sunset Handicap (Gr. III) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-y-o & up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 1/2 m. (T) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .100,000g Oceanside Stakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-y-o . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 m. (T) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .100,000+ CTBA Stakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2-y-o f., Cal-Bred/Cal-Sired . . . . . . . . . .5 1/2 f. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .100,000g Eddie Read Stakes (Gr. I) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-y-o & up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 1/8 m. (T) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .300,000g Osunitas Stakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-y-o & up, f. & m. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 1/16 m. (T) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .85,000+ California State Fair Fillies & . . . . . . . . . . . .3-y-o & up, f. & m. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 f. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .75,000g Mares Sprint San Clemente Handicap (Gr. II) . . . . . . . . . .3-y-o f. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 m. (T) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .150,000g California Dreamin’ Handicap . . . . . . . . . .3-y-o & up, Cal-Bred/Cal-Sired . . . . . . .1 1/16 m. (T) . . . . . . . . . . . . . .100,000g Wickerr Stakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-y-o & up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 m. (T) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .85,000+ Cougar II Handicap (Gr. III) . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-y-o & up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 1/2 m. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .100,000g Fleet Treat Stakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-y-o f., Cal-Bred/Cal-Sired . . . . . . . . . .7 f. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .200,000g San Diego Handicap (Gr. II) . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-y-o & up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 1/16 m. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .200,000g Diamond Jubilee Stakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-y-o f. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 1/16 m. (T) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50,000+ Bing Crosby Stakes (Gr. I) . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-y-o & up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 f. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .300,000g Luther Burbank Handicap . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-y-o & up, f. & m. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 1/16 m. (T) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50,000+

Aug. 1 Aug. 3 Aug. 4 Aug. 4 Aug. 5 Aug. 5 Aug. 5 Aug. 8 Aug. 10 Aug. 11

Dmr Dmr Dmr Sro Dmr Sro Sro Dmr Dmr Dmr

Graduation Stakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2-y-o, Cal-Bred/Cal-Sired . . . . . . . . . . . .5 1/2 f. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .100,000g Real Good Deal Stakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-y-o, Cal-Bred/Cal-Sired . . . . . . . . . . . .7 f. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .200,000g Clement L. Hirsch Stakes (Gr. I) . . . . . . . . . .3-y-o & up, f. & m. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 1/16 m. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .300,000g Robers Dupre Derby . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-y-o . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 1/16 m. (T) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50,000+ Best Pal Stakes (Gr. II) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2-y-o . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 1/2 f. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .150,000g Jess Jackson Owner’s Handicap . . . . . . . . .3-y-o & up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 f. (T) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50,000+ Joseph T. Grace Handicap . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-y-o & up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 1/16 m. (T) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50,000+ Sorrento Stakes (Gr. III) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2-y-o f. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 1/2 f. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .150,000g Daisycutter Handicap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-y-o & up., f. & m. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 f. (T) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .85,000+ La Jolla Handicap (Gr. II) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-y-o . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 1/16 m. (T) . . . . . . . . . . . . . .150,000g

50 CALIFORNIA THOROUGHBRED • JULY 2012

www.ctba.com

Date

Track

Aug. 11 Aug. 12 Aug. 12 Aug. 15 Aug. 17 Aug. 18 Aug. 19 Aug. 19 Aug. 24

Sro Dmr Sro Dmr Dmr Dmr Dmr Dmr Dmr

Aug. 25 Aug. 26 Aug. 26 Aug. 26 Aug. 26

Dmr Dmr Dmr Dmr Fer

Aug. 29 Aug. 31

Dmr Dmr

Stakes (Grade)

Conditions

Distance

Added Value

Wine Country Debutante Stakes . . . . . . . . .2-y-o f. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 f. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$75,000g John C. Mabee Stakes (Gr. II) . . . . . . . . . . .3-y-o & up, f. & m. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 1/8 m. (T) . . . . . . . . . . . .250,000g Cavonnier Juvenile Stakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2-y-o . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 f. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50,000+ Green Flash Handicap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-y-o & up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 f. (T) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .85,000+ Sandy Blue Handicap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-y-o f. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 m. (T) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .85,000+ Del Mar Oaks (Gr. I) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-y-o f. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 1/8 m. (T) . . . . . . . . . . . .300,000g Rancho Bernardo Handicap (Gr. III) . . . . . . .3-y-o & up, f. & m. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 1/2 f. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .150,000g Solana Beach Handicap . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-y-o & up, f. & m, Cal-Bred/Cal-Sired 1 m. (T) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .100,000g CTT and Thoroughbred Owners of . . . . . . .3-y-o & up, f. & m. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 3/8 m. (T) . . . . . . . . . . . . .85,000+ California Handicap Del Mar Handicap (Gr. II) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-y-o & up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 3/8 m. (T) . . . . . . . . . . . .200,000g TVG Pacific Classic (Gr. I) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-y-o & up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 1/4 m. . . . . . . . . . . . . .1,000,000g Pat O’Brien Stakes (Gr. I) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-y-o & up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 f. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .250,000g Del Mar Mile (Gr. II) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-y-o & up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 m. (T) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .200,000g C. J. Hindley Humboldt County Marathon . . . .3-y-o & up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 5/8 m. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30,000g Starter Stakes Generous Portion Stakes . . . . . . . . . . . . .2-y-o f., Cal-Bred/Cal-Sired . . . . . . . . . .6 f. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .150,000g El Cajon Stakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-y-o . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 m. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .100,000g *Purse includes money from Cal-bred Race Fund **Purse includes money from Breeders’ Cup Fund #-Purse includes money from Golden State Series Fund g-Purse guaranteed • e-Estimated purse • +-Added purse

2012 REGIONAL SALE DATES July 22 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .The Paddock Sale at Del Mar of “Race Ready” Horses of Racing Age . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .(Please contact Barretts Equine Ltd. for details) August 14 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Northern California Yearling Sale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .(Entries closed April 9) October 9 & 10 . . . . . . . . . . . .Barretts October Yearling Sale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .(Nominations closed April 20)

California-Bred/California-Sired Stakes Races July to September

It Pays To Be Cal-Bred

DEL MAR Friday, July 20

Sunday, July 22

Saturday, July 28

$100,000 CTBA Stakes Two-Year-Old Fillies 5 1/2 Furlongs

$100,000 California Dreamin’ Handicap Three-Year-Old & Up 1 1/16 Miles (Turf)

$200,000 Fleet Treat Stakes Three-Year-Old Fillies 7 Furlongs

Wednesday, August 1

Friday, August 3

$100,000 Graduation Stakes Two-Year-Olds 5 1/2 Furlongs

$200,000 Real Good Deal Stakes Three-Year-Olds 7 Furlongs

Sunday, August 19

Wednesday, August 29

Monday, September 3

$100,000 Solana Beach Handicap Three-Year-Old & Up, Fillies & Mares 1 Mile (Turf)

$150,000 Generous Portion Stakes Two-Year-Old Fillies 6 Furlongs

$150,000 I’m Smokin Stakes Two-Year-Olds 6 Furlongs

FAIRPLEX Saturday, September 8 $50,000(G) E. B. Johnston Stakes Three-Year-Old & Up, Fillies & Mares 1 1/16 Miles

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CALIFORNIA THOROUGHBRED • JULY 2012 51

D E P A R T M E N T

D E P A R T M E N T

Important Events, Dates and California-Bred Stakes Races

CTBA Calendar

July 2012 SUNDAY

MONDAY

TUESDAY

1

2

3

8

9

10

15

16

17

22

23

24

30

31

Alameda County Fair Closing Day

Hollywood Park Closing Day

California State Fair Closing Day

29

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

4

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

5

6

7

12

13

14

18

19

20

21

25

26

27

28

Indepedence Day

11

California State Fair Opening Day

Del Mar Thoroughbred Club Opening Day

Sonoma County Fair Opening Day

CALIFORNIA-BRED/CALIFORNIA-SIRED STAKES RACE(S) FRIDAY, JULY 20 $100,000(G) CTBA STAKES 2YO FILLIES, 5 1/2 FURLONGS Del Mar Thoroughbred Club, Del Mar, Calif.

SUNDAY, JULY 22 $100,000(G) CALIFORNIA DREAMIN’ HANDICAP 3YO & UP, 1 1/16 MILES (TURF) Del Mar Thoroughbred Club, Del Mar, Calif.

SATURDAY, JULY 28 $100,000(G) FLEET TREAT STAKES 3YO FILLIES, 7 FURLONGS Del Mar Thoroughbred Club, Del Mar, Calif.

IMPORTANT EVENTS & DATES TUESDAY, JULY 17 CALIFORNIA THOROUGHBRED FARM MANAGERS ASSOCIATION (CTFMA) ANNUAL FUNDRAISER/POTLUCK—“DINE WITH THE STALLIONS” Vessels Stallion Farm, Bonsall, Calif.

THURSDAY, JULY 19 CALIFORNIA HORSE RACING BOARD (CHRB) MONTHLY BOARD MEETING Del Mar Thoroughbred Club (Simulcast Facility), Del Mar, Calif.

SUNDAY, JULY 22 BARRETTS EQUINE LIMITED THE PADDOCK SALE AT DEL MAR OF “RACE READY” HORSES OF RACING AGE Del Mar Thoroughbred Club, Del Mar, Calif.

California Thoroughbred Breeders Association 201 Colorado Place, P.O. Box 60018, Arcadia, CA 91066-6018 • (626) 445-7800 • Fax (626) 574-0852 52 CALIFORNIA THOROUGHBRED • JULY 2012

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10 years of track experience DAEHLING RANCH 916-685-4965 E-mail: daehlingranch@hotmail.com www.daehlingranch.com

RACING SILKS

$10.00 A DAY 200 acres irrigated pasture with lots of lush grass, safely divided into 4- to 10-acre pastures. Individual paddocks available. Grain fed daily.

Bring us your broodmares, foals, yearlings, lay-ups. Electronic supervised foaling stalls.

For more information and pictures call

DAEHLING RANCH 10045 Grant Line Rd. Elk Grove, CA 95624 916/685-4965

Email: daehlingranch@hotmail.com www.daehlingranch.com

Looking for someone to start yearlings? Listen to what people are saying about COLE RANCH. “I thought I was saddling a four-year-old rather than a two-year-old. . .and that was on the colt’s very first day at the track.”

– Kristin Mulhall “Steve consistently delivers horses that are ready to rock and roll. They are well broke in every respect and a pleasure to train.”

– Mike Puype “The last horse Cole Ranch brought us went to the main tract the next morning, galloped like a seasoned professional and was comfortable with all the little things as well.”

– Kent Swazy, assistant to Eoin Harty “Two year olds from Cole Ranch are prepared well above the norm with soft mouths and mannerly dispositions ready to begin their careers as race horses.”

– Patty Harrington “Horses from Cole Ranch are well started. They do everything they’re supposed to do from day one.”

– Steve Specht “When Steve brings a horse to me, I know it will have been started correctly. They’re fit and well prepared, manageable and eager.”

– Howard Zucker “Every horse Steve has trained for us has been well prepared. Our trainers have only the best things to say about him. It comes down to confidence. Steve doesn’t take short cuts.”

– Richard Reid, Three Cent Stables “Steve starts all my horses. The horses always look great and behave like older horses. He takes his time and obsesses about the little things.

He loves his work and it shows.”

– Roger McNamara, Caro Farm

COLE RANCH Steve and Dana Cole (805) 990-3669 Steve@thecoleranch.com

www.ctba.com

Classified Advertising

WEST COAST RACING COLORS. June Gee. Silks, Blinkers and Horse apparel. 626-359-9179

D E P A R T M E N T

THOROUGHBREDS FOR SALE Granny Got Game (2004) by Stormy Atlantic, first foal currently running and a winner. Second foal a yearling colt by Lucky Pulpit. Infoal (early cover) to Desert Code. $7,000. 209-613-6020

TRAINING TRAINER WANTED for California racetracks. Cal Michael 818-7047551

EXCELLENT CARE AT AFFORDABLE RATES. Years of experience with breeding, foaling and dealing with all types of leg injuries. Nothing fancy, large paddocks, good feed with lots of TLC. $185 per month.

Standing for 2012–Pious. Contact Gloria Renteria 619-766-4557.

Who says you can’t get anything for FREE anymore?

Call 732-747-8060 for a FREE WEEK of the THOROUGHBRED DAILY NEWS the only seven-day-a-week newsletter delivered right to your fax machine.

The TDN keeps you up-to-date with: • Racing and breeding news • Stakes previews and results • Allowance and maiden results • European and Japanese results • Feature stories and columns • And much, much more, on a daily basis!

You have nothing to lose and everything to gain. So call for your FREE week today!

CALIFORNIA THOROUGHBRED • JULY 2012 53

D E P A R T M E N T

Classified Advertising Cont’d.

BUSINESS CARDS

18200 Yorba Linda Blvd.

Suite 207-A Yorba Linda, CA 92886 Office 949-264-1464 Facsimile 949-242-2454 Toll Free 888-403-9444 lisalerch@legalequestrian.com www.legalequestrian.com

www.horselawyers.com EQUINE

LAW

1 (800) 745-9336 THE LAW OFFICES OF BING I. BUSH JR. APC

Offices in Southern California & Lexington Kentucky Email: b.bush@horselawyers.com

Laurel Fowler Insurance Broker, Inc. Tel (800) 700 6263 (805) 473 2227 Fax (805) 473 0202

Lic.# O.B.57610

SWIFT

JUSTICE

877 Noyes Rd., Arroyo Grande, CA 93420

Lillian Nichols

54 CALIFORNIA THOROUGHBRED • JULY 2012

www.ctba.com

BUSINESS CARDS

Suzanne Cardiff

Janet Del Castillo 3708 Crystal Beach Road Winter Haven, FL 33880 n !

NEW 4TH Editio

Pedigree Research Consultation

OWNERS!

413 W. Camino Real Arcadia, CA 91007-7302

EVERYTHING YOU WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT TRAINING BUT DIDN’T KNOW HOW TO ASK! Read BACKYARD RACE HORSE, a comprehensive off-track program for owners and trainers Call or write for info on Book, Newsletter and Seminars!

863-299-8448 backyardracehorse.com NEW! TRAINING DVD!

Phone (626) 445-3104 Fax (626) 445-0743 www.thoroughbredinfo.com/showcase/cardiff.htm

JEANNIE GARR RODDY

California Thoroughbred Breeders Association 201 Colorado Place • P.O. Box 60018 • Arcadia, CA 91066-6018 Phone: (626) 445-7800 • Fax: (626) 574-0852 Web: http://www.ctba.com

D E P A R T M E N T

Broker Associate

626 862-0620 Cell 818 583-1217 Direct Line 818 583-1231 E-Fax jeannie.garr@dicksonpodley.com DRE # 00941946

This index is provided as a service. The publisher does not assume any liability for errors or ommisions.

Bold figures indicate a page that features a stallion.

NOTE: Inside Back Cover, IBC; Outside Back Cover, OBC; Inside Front Cover, IFC

846 Foothill Blvd., La Cañada, Flintridge, CA 91011

Index to Advertisers & Stallions Advertised ADVERTISERS

Arizona Thoroughbred Breeders Assoc...............................................................................................45 Backyard Race Horse ..........................................................................................................................55 Ballena Vista Farm .....................................................................................................................OBC, 26 Cardiff, Suzanne, Pedigree Research ..................................................................................................55 Cole Ranch ..........................................................................................................................................53 CTBA Foal Advertorial .........................................................................................................................38 CTBA Northern California Yearling Sale ..............................................................................................35 Daehling Ranch....................................................................................................................................53 Dickson Podley Realtors (Jeannie Garr Roddy) ..................................................................................55 E.A. Ranches........................................................................................................................................23 Equineline.com.....................................................................................................................................21 Equinesavings.com..............................................................................................................................37 Gayle Van Leer Thoroughbred Services ..............................................................................................54 Harris Farms .......................................................................................................................................IFC Laurel Fowler Insurance Broker Inc. ....................................................................................................54 Legacy Ranch ........................................................................................................................................5

Legal Equestrian/Lisa L. Lerch.Esq .....................................................................................................54 Lillian Nichols/Halters ..........................................................................................................................54 Linda Cardenas-Subias-Law Office.....................................................................................................54 Mares’ Nest-Nor Cal Sale Yearlings ....................................................................................................39 NTRA Advantage .................................................................................................................................44 NTRA Advantage/John Deere..............................................................................................................43 Odyssey Performance Premium Horse Exerciser................................................................................54 Old English Rancho .............................................................................................................................24 Paradise Road Ranch ..........................................................................................................................25 Ridgeley Farm ......................................................................................................................................41 The Loftin Firm LLP .............................................................................................................................54 Tommy Town Thoroughbreds LLC.........................................................................................................3 Trainers Praise Natural Alternative, EPO-Equine.................................................................................11 Woodbridge Farm ................................................................................................................................27 www.horselawyers.com .......................................................................................................................54

STALLIONS Benchmark......................................OBC, 26 Bonnrita ....................................................41 Brave Cat..................................................25 Chattahoochee War..................................23 Cyclotron ..................................................24 Desert Code......................................IFC, 39 Dixie Chatter ...................................OBC, 26 Drum Major...............................................23

www.ctba.com

Elusive Bluff..............................................23 Game Plan................................................23 Heatseeker (Ire).......................................IFC Kafwain.......................................................3 Lucky J. H...............................................IFC Lucky Pulpit ............................................IFC Mesa Thunder ..........................................25 Ministers Wild Cat ......................................3

Old Topper..................................................3 Papa Clem..................................................5 Rocky Bar.................................................23 Southern Image........................................39 Spensive...................................................23 Surf Cat ....................................................24 Swiss Yodeler..........................................IFC Tannersmyman .........................................27

Thorn Song .............................................IFC Tizbud .....................................................IFC Tribal Rule .......................................OBC, 26 Unusual Heat ..........................................IFC Vronsky.....................................................24 Western Fame ..........................................25

CALIFORNIA THOROUGHBRED • JULY 2012 55

C O L U M N

Guest Forum

We’ve Got Your Number

by BOB CARSON “If you really want something in life you have to work for it.

Now quiet, they’re about to announce the lottery numbers.”

—Homer Simpson.

“I've done the calculation and your chances of winning the lottery are identical whether you play or not.”—Fran Lebowitz For over a century, lotteries have been siphoning off money that would be better invested in horse racing. This irritates and confounds many of us in the equine field.

Maybe it’s time to work together. It has happened before.

In 1894, lotteries in the United States were outlawed in every state. Lotteries did not disappear; they merely went underground for 70 years and operated under terms like “the policy,” “bolita” or “the numbers.” The most popular bet of illegal lotteries was a three-number combination called “the gig.” The winning numbers would appear in the newspaper the day after the bets were collected. The most common method of selecting the numbers for the gig came from horse race results.

It has been a bit of a struggle to get the masses to see the wisdom of choosing horse racing as the gambling game of choice. Maybe we can nudge them towards in the right direction by bringing back “the gig.” Perhaps we can get lottery commissions to use our numbers. The concept behind this idea is simple; watching a horse race is more exciting than watching numbered ping pong balls being vacuumed up a plastic tube.

Lotteries are a ridiculously poor gamble; they seem to be a tax on people who do not understand math. Lottery players pick a group of numbers out of the air or off of a license plate and then wait for their money to disappear like snowflakes in the Serengeti.

In the typical Pick 6 form of a state lottery, six numbers are drawn from 49 possible numbers. If the six numbers on your ticket match the numbers drawn, you win. The order in which the numbers are drawn does not matter. The odds of being the jackpot winner in this common form of lottery are approximately one in 14 million (13,983,816 to be exact). If you purchase a single lottery ticket every week, you can expect to win the lottery once every quarter-million years.

This is a good bet compared to the Mega Millions multi-state lottery odd—which offers odds over 12 times as long.

Not only are lottery tickets a very bad investment—they are very boring. Lottery tickets offer the same entertainment value as watching your living room carpet grow. Lottery players buy pieces of paper and wait for ping-pong balls to pop up. Most people don’t even watch the ping-pong balls popping; they just wait for the report of the vacuumed numbers that vacuumed up their investment.

Horse racing could offer state lottery commissions an opportunity to spice up their game. We could give the lottery people a chance at rejuvenating a boring (although amazingly prosperous) game. We could give the multitude of television stations that broadcast lottery drawing programs a chance to fill the screen with some actual entertainment.

56 CALIFORNIA THOROUGHBRED • JULY 2012

The idea is simple. Everything that enthralls the lottery world will remain the same—the only thing that will change is the method of selecting the winning numbers. Horse racing should hustle to return to being the gig. Results could once again determine the winning number combination of the most recent lottery. There are plenty of ways the numbers can be selected, plenty of ways our numbers can be used.

The exact structure of how to use our horse races for number selection may vary, but the underlining concept is clear. A horse race will become the vehicle for random number selection. A horse race offers something that can be talked about, debated, watched, cheered for and reviewed.

Ticket holders will at least get something that offers a little drama for a lottery investment.

Let’s look at this proposal from the Lottery Commission perspective. What do they get out of this new twist on their old game? Several things; first, it would not deteriorate the good thing they have going. Their core customer cares about numbers. They do not care about the selection process. Second, the horse race angle would give Lottery Commissions a new promotional angle to sell their product, a gimmick to draw new customers. Third, the race will give an additional level for drama.

There are other reasons for Lottery Commissions to consider an alliance with the horse race selection process. The Lottery Commissions and television stations could make a real show out of the number selection; first, a drawing to select the race, then the race (or tape of an archived race) will be shown and analyzed. This would give lottery players a smidgen of entertainment for their investment.

This would not require a merger of the horse racing and lottery industries. We just happen to have a excellent generator of numbers be it a live or archived race. Horse racing offers an excellent and compelling delivery system of the random numbers that lottery players require.

What does horseracing get? Exposure.

Every time the quivering masses are poised to find the magic numbers, millions of people would find themselves watching horses with numbers race around the track.

The people with losing lottery tickets (this includes everyone who purchased a lottery ticket) could now have the added dimensions of second-guessing and conspiracy theories. Losing lottery players could now moan, “If number six had only run a little faster, I would have won!” or “ If number three had fallen down, I would have won!” or “If the race would have stopped half way through, I would have won!” We do this all the time in horse racing. Conspiracy theorists would smugly opine, “That race was fixed.” Despite the obvious fact that no one in the universe had a clue as to which race was to be selected.

What fun! Complaining about horses, jockeys and trainers, entities with ears instead of ping-pong balls. Soon, people with brains might begin wagering on these entities with ears.

Their odds would increase dramatically. www.ctba.com