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Kafwain Records Another Grade I Winner
News Bits
The California-based stallion Kafwain attained his second lifetime grade I winner on March 15, when his four-year-old filly Let Faith Arise captured the $350,500 Santa Margarita Stakes for distaffers at Santa Anita Park. The Kentucky-bred filly is the first grade I-winning homebred campaigned by California Thoroughbred Breeders Association (CTBA) members Tom and Debi Stull, who ©Benoit stand Kafwain, a 14-year-old son of Cherokee Run, at their Tommy Town Thoroughbreds nursery in Santa Ynez. Let Faith Arise has earned $380,240 from 10 starts to date.
Let Faith Arise
Kafwain
Northern California Sale-Topper Brings Six Figures A colt whose $60,000 yearling purchase price topped the 2013 Northern California Sale hosted by the California Thoroughbred Breeders Association (CTBA) last August more than quadrupled his value seven months later as a pinhooking prospect when he secured a $280,000 bid at the 2014 Barretts March Sale of Selected Two-Year-Olds in Training.
The Kentucky-bred Sky Mesa colt out of Broken Vow’s stakes-placed winner Serious Vow was purchased as a yearling by Del Playa Bloodstock, and consigned to the March 3 auction by Steven Venosa’s SGV Thoroughbreds, agent. He was sold to Rockingham Ranch and Lanzman Racing after he posted a one-furlong move in :10 during the sale’s Feb. 27 under-tack preview at Fairplex Park.
2015 Nor Cal Racing Dates Finalized After months of discussion, primarily regarding the dates for Cal Expo in Sacramento and Santa Rosa’s Sonoma County Fair, the Northern California racing schedule for next year was finalized by the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) on March 21. The 2015 dates are as follows: Alameda County Fair,
Pleasanton – June 17-July 6; California State Fair at Cal Expo, Sacramento – July 9-26; Sonoma County Fair, Santa Rosa – July 30Aug. 16; Humboldt County Fair, Ferndale – Aug. 19-30; Golden Gate Fields, Berkeley – Aug. 21-Sept. 13; San Joaquin County Fair, Stockton – Sept. 18-27; Big Fresno Fair, Fresno – Oct. 1-12; and Golden Gate Fields, Berkeley – Oct. 15-Dec.20.
Jockey Club Publishes Breeding Stats The Jockey Club’s 2014 Fact Book reports that there were 1,680 registered foals of 2012 in California, a drop of 8.3 percent on the 1,833 total reported for the previous year, which ranked the Golden State third in the nation behind Kentucky (7,137) and Florida (2,015). For the 2013 breeding season, California also placed
third nationally with 2,353 mares bred to 150 stallions, in comparison to the corresponding numbers of 2,445 and 192 recorded for 2012. Last year, 15,548 mares were bred to 244 stallions in Kentucky and 136 stallions covered 2,876 mares in Florida, while the previous year’s totals for these states were 15,260/254 and 3,150/152, respectively.
A Heartening Tale The debut win by California-bred Given after Marine Cpl. Josh Hotaling, Hotaling Hart at Golden Gate Fields on who lost both of his legs to an improvised Feb. 22, prompted California Thoroughbred explosive device (IED) in Afghanistan Breeders Association (CTBA) member during 2011. After Hotaling got involved Bob Bone, the breeder and c-owner of in co-ownership of the filly, he designed the three-year-old filly, to state “That’s ©Vassar the silks with “USMC” for U.S. Marine absolutely one of the most special wins Corps on the front and the image of two Hotaling Heart combat-duty marines on the back that in my career.” That’s because Bone named the dark bay daughter of Point were carried to victory by Hotaling Heart.
6 CALIFORNIA THOROUGHBRED • APRIL 2014
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