American Racehorse - September/October 2014

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SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2014

Covering the Thoroughbred industry in Texas, Oklahoma and around the region

In This Issue: • How to Stand a Stallion • Oklahoma Trainer Hits the Double • Creating Demand for Ex-Racehorses • Getting Happy in Colorado • Living Legend Jack Van Berg

A Division of Center Hills Farm

THANK YOU BUYERS!

Thank you to all the buyers who helped make Mighty Acres, agent for Center Hills Farm, the leading consignor at the record-breaking Carter Sales Co. OKC Summer Sale on August 17.

Mighty Acres consigned four of the five highest selling yearlings:

• Hip #72, SUMMER BIRD colt, sold for $48,000 to Lester Ellenz • Hip #29, TOCCET filly, sold for $26,500 to Bradley Raney • Hip #30, TOCCET filly, sold for $26,000 to Randy Patterson • Hip #6, KIPLING filly, sold for $18,500 to Tim Harris

Selling at the Fasig-Tipton Texas Yearling Sale on Oct. 13 at Lone Star Park.

Look for these yearlings consigned by Legacy Bloodstock, agent for Center Hills Farm:

• Colt by SAVE BIG MONEY out of Gracinha, by Siphon (Brz) • Colt by TOCCET out of Passionate Miss, by Macho Uno • Filly by TOCCET out of Tempestra, by Tale of the Cat • Filly by BIG DRAMA out of Showmethegreencard, by De Niro • Filly by KIPLING out of Belle’s Appeal, by Valid Appeal

KIPLING • TOCCET • SAVE BIG MONEY • THE VISUALISER Mighty Acres 675 W. 470 Rd. • Pryor, Oklahoma 74361 Phone: 918-825-4256 • Cell: 918-271-2266 • Fax: 918-825-4255 www.mightyacres.com

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In This Issue:

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SUBSCRIBE TODAY! American Racehorse covers the racing and breeding industry in Texas, Oklahoma, Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Louisiana, North Carolina and South Carolina and provides you with the news and information you need to know!

Each issue features articles on horse health, second-career racehorses, horsemen and horses in the region and more, plus breeding, racing and sales news.

[ ] Please sign me up for a one-year subscription to American Racehorse

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Billing Address for Card____________________________________________________________________ Authorized Signature_______________________________________________________________________ • Members of the following state associations receive a free subscription to American Racehorse as part of their membership: Texas Thoroughbred Association, Thoroughbred Racing Association of Oklahoma, Alabama HBPA, Arkansas Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Horsemen’s Association, Colorado Thoroughbred Breeders Association, Georgia Horse Racing Coalition, North Carolina Thoroughbred Association and South Carolina Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association.

Mail, Fax or Email to:

American Racehorse P.O. Box 8645, Round Rock, TX 78683 Phone: 512-695-4541 • Fax: 512-870-9324 Email: info@americanracehorse.com www.americanracehorse.com 2

AMERICAN Racehorse • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2014

Reed Palmer/Churchill Downs

Valor Farm Stallions Are Proving That Texas-breds Can Compete Anywhere FIFTYSHADESOFGOLD, by MY GOLDEN SONG, was a two-time stakes winner last year. This year, she won the Grade 3, $200,725 Eight Belles Stakes at Churchill Downs, finished second in the Grade 2 Fair Grounds Oaks to UNTAPABLE, and was fourth, beaten a length and two noses, in the Grade 1 Test Stakes at Belmont, bringing her earnings to $417,262.

Dustin Orona Photography

W V JETSETTER, by JET PHONE, won the $103,180 TTA Sales Futurity at Lone Star and finished third in the Grade 2, $300,000 Saratoga Special at Saratoga.

Reed Palmer/Churchill Downs

SILVER CITY is also the sire of undefeated PROMISE ME SILVER, winner of the $108,300 Debutante Stakes at Churchill Downs.

CROSSBOW • EARLY FLYER • JET PHONE • MY GOLDEN SONG • SILVER CITY The Estate of Clarence Scharbauer, Jr. Ken Carson, General Manager Donny Denton, Farm Manager • David Unnerstall, Attending Veterinarian Post Office Box 966 • Pilot Point, Texas 76258 (940) 686-5552 • Fax (940) 686-2179 www.valorfarm.com • www.facebook.com/valorfarm

Dustin Orona Photography

SILVERHILL, by SILVER CITY, was an easy maiden winner at Lone Star and finished second in the Grade 3, $108,100 Bashford Manor Stakes at Churchill Downs.

Dustin Orona Photography

THEGIRLINTHATSONG, by MY GOLDEN SONG, won last year’s $100,000 Happy Ticket Stakes on the Louisiana Downs turf and then captured this year’s $75,000 Texas Stallion Stakes on the main track at Lone Star. In her last start, she finished a strong third in the Grade 3, $100,000 Torrey Pines Stakes on the grass at Del Mar.

ABOUT AMERICAN RACEHORSE American Racehorse (formerly Southern Racehorse) covers Thoroughbred racing and breeding in Texas, Oklahoma, Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Louisiana, North Carolina and South Carolina. The magazine reaches more than 6,000 readers and is mailed to all members of the Texas Thoroughbred Association, Thoroughbred Racing Association of Oklahoma, Alabama HBPA, Arkansas Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Horsemen’s Association, Colorado Thoroughbred Breeders Association, Georgia Horse Racing Coalition, North Carolina Thoroughbred Association and South Carolina Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association, plus more than 1,200 Louisiana horsemen. That makes it the largest racing and breeding magazine in the region by far.

For more information or to inquire about advertising, contact Denis Blake at (512) 695-4541 or visit www.americanracehorse.com.

CONNECT WITH AMERICAN RACEHORSE HHH

Online: www.americanracehorse.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/americanracehorse Twitter: @AmerRacehorse Email: info@americanracehorse.com Phone/Text: (512) 695-4541 Fax: (512) 870-9324

Published by Pangaea Enterprises LLC d/b/a American Racehorse American Racehorse P.O. Box 8645 Round Rock, TX 78683 Physical Address American Racehorse 1341 Meadowild Drive Round Rock, TX 78664 Editor/Publisher Denis Blake info@americanracehorse.com Art Director Amie Rittler arittler3@gmail.com Copyeditor Judy Marchman Contributing Writers Martha Claussen Michael Cusortelli Virginia Heizer

Chris Kotulak Shelby O’Neill Denise Steffanus Fred Taylor Jr. Photographers Ackerley Images Sarah K. Andrew Aura Exposures Photography Denis Blake Debbie Burt Terri Cage Coady Photography Michael Cusortelli Brant Gamma Gay Harris Jonathan Horowitz iStock William Jones Miller Dustin Orona Photography Reed Palmer Photography/Churchill Downs Lea Watson Cover Photo Horsephotos.com

Copyright © 2014 American Racehorse All rights reserved. Articles may not be reprinted without permission. American Racehorse reserves the right to refuse any advertising or copy for any reason. American Racehorse makes a reasonable attempt to ensure that advertising claims are truthful but assumes no responsibility for the truth and accuracy of ads.

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AMERICAN Racehorse • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2014

33 You

WHAT’S INSIDE

American

Racehorse September/ October 2014

26

Q&A about stallion ownership

Departments Editor’s Letter Fast Furlongs State Association News The Marketplace Classifieds

6 10 18 58

Features The Stallion Stakes: How to Stand a Stud 26 The ins and outs of getting started in the sire business 33 Like Father, Like Daughter Oklahoma trainer Tara Sanders kicks off her career in style

33 Young trainer wins with two breeds 40 Marketing

ex-racehorses for a second career

40 Supplying Demand Steuart Pittman and the Retired Racehorse Project aim to bring back demand for Thoroughbreds in other disciplines Mister Arapahoe Colorado-bred Get Happy Mister is putting his name in the record books

46

48 Something in the Air Study finds particulates in stable air can cause airway inflammation and affect performance Jack Van Berg Still Going Strong at 78 Biography by Remington Park’s Chris Kotulak chronicles a living legend

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Tax Talk: Costly Tax Return Omissions and Mistakes 52 What horsemen need to know about business losses and travel expenses 55 Winners All Around Texas- and Oklahoma-breds win open races around the region, plus a recap of stakes at Remington Park and Lone Star Park AMERICAN Racehorse • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2014 5

Letter from the EDITOR Welcome to the first issue of American Racehorse. If you are thinking it looks a lot like Southern Racehorse, you are correct. Although we have renamed the magazine to better reflect its scope of coverage across nine states, not much else has changed. We will still provide in-depth news and information about the Thoroughbred racing and breeding industry in Texas and Oklahoma, along with important membership updates from the Texas Thoroughbred Association and Thoroughbred Racing Association of Oklahoma, just as we did when the magazine launched two years ago. But we have steadily been adding states since then. Initially, we brought in the Georgia Horse Racing Coalition and South Carolina Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association while also providing coverage of Louisiana. Later, we added in the North Carolina Thoroughbred Association, Alabama HBPA, Colorado Thoroughbred Breeders Association, and most recently, the Arkansas Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Horsemen’s Association.

While each of you might be loyal to a particular state or association, it’s likely you have friends and associates across the region and probably have participated in some way outside of your own state. We hope this expanded format allows you to stay informed about everything happening in all nine states and beyond.

This magazine would not be possible without the support of the state associations, especially the TTA and TRAO, which helped get it off the ground. Thanks also go to all the advertisers, from those who have run a full-page ad in every issue since the beginning to those who placed a single classified.

Please consider patronizing our advertisers, which are all listed on this page, and tell them you saw their ad in American Racehorse. As always, if you have any comments or suggestions about the magazine, please feel free to contact us at info@americanracehorse. com or (512) 695-4541.

Denis Blake Editor/Publisher

www.americanracehorse.com

6

American Racehorse Advertisers Index 7S Racing Stables............................59 Aragon Nutraceuticals...................15 Arizona Thoroughbred Breeders Association....................................12 Asmussen Horse Center....................8 Biomedical Research Laboratories....................................9 Brandon Jenkins Racing Stable.....60 Channon Farm LLC.........................58 Equine Sales Company..................31 Equiwinner........................................11 Fasig-Tipton Texas.......................24-25 Foal to Yearling Halter....................58 Grade 1 Promotions........................60 Harmony Training Center...............44 Heritage Place................................16 Inside Move.....................................58 John Deere/NTRA..............................7 Lane’s End Texas...............................1 Mallory Farm....................................58 Mr. Nightlinger/JEH Oklahoma.....BC Mighty Acres.................................. IFC No Escape Ranch/Heidi Bailey......58 Paradise Farm Inc...........................59 Pelican State Thoroughbreds........58 Retired Racehorse Project.............39 Rewards Racing..............................58 River Oaks Farms Inc.......................53 Tara Sanders....................................60 Santa Fe Horse Transport................59 Stallion for Sale – Immaculate.......60 Stephenson Thoroughbred Farms.............................................58 Texas Horse Racing Hall of Fame..................................32 Thoroughbred Owner Conference..................................45 Thoroughbred Racing Association of Oklahoma.... IBC, 54 Valor Farm..........................................3 Wes Carter Training Stable.............59 Winners Circle..................................59

AMERICAN Racehorse • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2014

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Asmussen Horse Center and El Primero Training Center

would like to congratulate Steve Asmussen Racing Stable on their latest millionaire, TAPITURE, winner of the $750,000 West Virginia Derby (G2) bringing his earnings to $1,014,406. Congrats to owner Ron Winchell and manager David Fiske.

Keith and Marilyn Asmussen

Steve and Julie Asmussen

UNTAPABLE and TAPITURE are the 12th and 13th millionaires to graduate from El Primero

Coady Photography

Steve Queen

UNTAPABLE winning the G1 Kentucky Oaks

TAPITURE winning the G2 West Virginia Derby

Also congratulations to owner Mike McCarty and trainer Steve Asmussen on winning the Manitoba Derby with STREET PRANCER, owners Kirk and Judy Robison and trainer Steve Asmussen on winning a $100K stakes at Mountaineer with MICO MARGARITA ($390K in earnings) and to the Robisons and trainer Henry Dominguez for winning their third stakes with THAT’S THE IDEA ($276K in earnings).

Keith Asmussen

Dr. Steve Velasco, veterinarian P.O. Box 1861 • Laredo, TX 78044 • Phone: 956-723-5436 • Fax: 956-723-5845 Email: kaasmussen@aol.com • Website: www.asmussens.com

ADVERTISEMENT

ILLEGAL DOPING MEETS ITS MATCH Trainers Praise Natural Alternative By: Mark Hansen

The pressure to win is so enormous that many horsemen resort to whatever it takes to get a piece of the purse or a decent sale…even if it means putting their horses’ lives in mortal danger by doping them with illegal synthetic erythropoietin (EPO) drugs to boost endurance.

Veterinarian Gary Smith said, “It’s a problem all over the industry. There is no way horses should be put on (synthetic) EPO.” So how do racers win? How do you gain a competitive edge without harming your horses or risking your livelihood? The answer may be found in a safe all-natural horse supplement that supports natural EPO function.

Why is EPO boosting so critical? Just like in people, a horse’s muscles require oxygen for fuel.

Red blood cells are the body’s oxygen-carrying cells. A higher red blood cell count = more oxygen = more muscle energy. Elevated muscle energy helps the horse perform harder, faster and longer during endurance events. All horses naturally produce EPO in their kidneys to stimulate production of new red blood cells from bone marrow. In short, EPO is a natural “blood builder.”

With EPO doping, trainers try to boost the EPO effect to get a winning performance every time. They use a synthetic EPO (recombinant human EPO), even though the side effects can harm the horse. That’s one reason why it’s illegal.

Fortunately there’s another option. EPOEquine® is a safe, highly effective natural dietary supplement scientifically engineered for performance horses.

A Kentucky trainer who refused to give out his name, said, “I don’t want my competition to know about this.” He found EPO-Equine® to be

so effective that he’s dead set against disclosing who he is, who his horses are, or even where he trains and races. He first started ordering a single jar of EPO-Equine® once a month. Now he’s ordering several CASES each month. And he won’t tell BRL exactly why. He said respectfully, “Sorry – no way.”

Bioengineers at U.S. based Biomedical Research Laboratories (BRL), first discovered a completely natural EPO-booster for human athletes (and it’s working miracles for top athletes and amateurs around the world). Seeing these results, horse trainers contacted BRL and asked about using this natural formula for their animals.

That’s when the BRL team dug deeper and discovered a proprietary, horse-friendly strain of a common herb that promotes optimal bloodbuilding results. EPO-Equine® is based on the blood-boosting abilities of a certain strain of Echinacea that’s astounding researchers and trainers alike. (It’s not a strain you can find at the local health store.)

Veterinarians at the Equine Research Centre in Ontario, Canada ran a double-blind trial investigating the blood building properties of the active ingredient in EPO-Equine® in healthy horses. For 42 days, one group of horses was supplemented with the active ingredient in EPOEquine® and another group of horses was given a placebo.

The supplement delivered significant blood building results, increasing red blood cell count and hemoglobin levels. Researchers also observed improved blood quality and increased oxygen transport in the supplemented horses. Improved blood levels leads to elevated exercise physiology and performance.

The patent-pending formula in EPO-Equine® contains a dozen different herbs, antioxidants and anti-inflammatory components combined to promote natural red blood cell production…for remarkable speed, strength and stamina right out of the gate.

Trainers find it easy to add just 1 scoop (3.2 grams) of EPO-Equine® to the horse’s daily feeding routine in the barn or on the road.

Within a few weeks of daily use, you can expect to see increased red blood cell levels with no undesirable side effects. An increase in red blood cell levels can improve muscle performance, supercharge endurance, and enhance recovery after hard exercise. Nothing else is scientifically proven to deliver these benefits in a completely safe and natural formula.

Compared to the cost of veterinarians, drugs, icing, tapping the knees, and putting the horse on Bute; or even the consequences of being banned for synthetic doping, EPOEquine® is very affordable at the low price of just $59.95 per jar. Or save $180 if you are ready to commit to a larger trial of 12-jar case for just $539.55 with FREE shipping. EPOEquine® can be ordered at www.EPOEquine.com or 1-800-557-9055, and comes with a 100% money-back satisfaction guarantee.

fastfurlongs Texas Racing Commission Passes Rules for Historical Racing The Texas Racing Commission on August 29 passed rules authorizing pari-mutuel wagering on historical races at Texas racetracks. The commission voted seven in favor, one against and one abstention.

The vote was put in jeopardy after State Representative Matt Krause (R-Fort Worth) filed a lawsuit to block it; however, a Tarrant County judge decided not to issue a temporary restraining order.

At press time, a hearing was scheduled for the 48th District Court to consider an injunction to prevent the rule change from going into effect.

Turn to pages 13 and 18 for more information. For the latest updates on historical racing in Texas, go to texasthoroughbred. com and americanracehorse.com.

Historical racing is a form of pari-mutuel wagering that allows players to bet on previously run races. Once implemented, it is expected to increase purses at Texas tracks, which will in turn stimulate breeding activity and benefit the agricultural economy in the state.

Historical racing has significantly boosted purses at tracks in Arkansas and Kentucky, and it is currently being implemented in several other states.

Southern Racehorse Relaunched as American Racehorse Southern Racehorse magazine has announced a name change to American Racehorse to better reflect the scope of the publication’s coverage of Thoroughbred racing and breeding. Southern Racehorse was founded in 2012 to fill the void left by the shelving of The Texas Thoroughbred, the official publication of the Texas Thoroughbred Association, and The Homestretch, the official publication of the Thoroughbred Racing Association of Oklahoma. Since then, the magazine has expanded to include coverage across the region in nine states.

“The focus of the magazine will remain on Texas and Oklahoma and keeping TTA and TRAO members informed about what’s happening in their states and with their associations,” said American Racehorse Editor and Publisher Denis Blake, “but with so many horsemen participating in multiple states it just makes sense to cover the entire region. We look forward to highlighting the accomplishments of the horses and horsemen in all nine states.”

In addition to being mailed to all members of the TTA and TRAO through an agreement with those associations, American Racehorse 10

AMERICAN Racehorse • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2014

has arrangements with six other state associations to provide their members with a free subscription and coverage of each state’s racing and breeding industry along with state association updates.

Those associations include the Alabama Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association, Arkansas Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Horsemen’s Association, Colorado Thoroughbred Breeders Association, Georgia Horse Racing Coalition, North Carolina Thoroughbred Association and South Carolina Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association. The magazine is also distributed to more than 1,200 horsemen in Louisiana and has a total circulation of approximately 6,000.

American Racehorse is published on a bi-monthly basis with a seventh issue, the American Racehorse Stallion Register, in December.

The magazine’s website is now at americanracehorse.com and its primary email address is info@americanracehorse.com. You can also find American Racehorse on Facebook at facebook.com/americanracehorse and on Twitter by following @AmerRacehorse.

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Lone Star Park Announces Meet Champions Lone Star Park wrapped up its Thoroughbred meet on July 12 and announced the meet’s leading horsemen and horses.

Jockey David Cabrera started the meet as an apprentice rider and finished as a journeyman with a total of 65 wins.

He was crowned champion apprentice jockey and champion jockey of the 50-date spring Thoroughbred season.

These were the first riding titles of his young career.

Champion trainer honors went to Karl Broberg, who finished the season with a total of 58 wins. The champion owner title ended in a tie between 2013 leading owner Danny Keene and 2012 leading owner End Zone Athletics Inc. (Karl Broberg) as they each finished the meet with 20 wins.

The Horse of the Meet award went to Grand Contender, who won the Grade 3 Texas Mile and the Grade 3 Lone Star Park Handicap. Lasting Bubbles took home the Texas-bred Champion title as winner of the Wayne Hanks Memorial Stakes and Valor Farm Stakes, and Perfect Tap earned Claiming Horse of the Meet off of three wins and one second in six starts at the Grand Prairie track.

CHECK US OUT ON TWITTER Follow American Racehorse on Twitter at twitter.com/AmerRacehorse or @AmerRacehorse AMERICAN Racehorse • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2014 11

ff Texas Horse Racing Hall of Fame Announces 2014 Inductees

The Texas Horse Racing Hall of Fame will once again honor individuals who have enriched the tradition and sport of horse racing in Texas during the annual gala on Saturday, October 18, at Retama Park near San Antonio. The celebration will be held starting at 5 p.m. and will include cocktails featuring Tito’s Vodka, a gourmet buffet dinner, induction of the honorees, a silent auction and live Thoroughbred races.

All proceeds from the gala, which is open to the public, will benefited the Texas Horse Racing Hall of Fame, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving the legacy of the horse racing industry and those individuals who have contributed to its development. Proceeds from the 2013 gala benefitted the Saddle Light Center and Groom Elite, as will the proceeds from this 2014 event.

The featured speaker will be Anthony Sanfilippo, the CEO of Pinnacle Entertainment, a casino resort entertainment company that is the management company for Retama Park. Pinnacle Entertainment owns and operates 16 casinos throughout the country.

The emcee for the evening will be Australian-bred Dave Appleton, a former superstar on the professional rodeo circuit who is known to Texas racing fans for his broadcast work at Lone Star Park. Appleton is a member of the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame and the Australian Rodeo Hall of Fame.

The 2014 Hall of Fame honorees are: • Art Preston, who entered the Thoroughbred racing industry when he bought a $10,000 claimer named Old Sew and Sew before he and his three brothers established Prestonwood Farm near Versailles, Kentucky. It was later sold and renamed Winstar Farm in 2000. • Joe McDermott of McDermott Ranch, owner of a leading Thoroughbred breeding facility in the Southwest and the recent T.I. “Popsâ€? Harkins Award winner from the Texas Thoroughbred Association for lifetime achievement. • Cecil Perkins, owner of Witch Doctor Farms just outside of Austin in Bee Caves. He was a columnist for The Texas Thoroughbred for 12 years and was named TTA’s Man of the Year in 1984. Perkins was instrumental in the passage of pari-mutuel racing in Texas. • Jerry Rheudasil (deceased), breeder of On a High, who won American Quarter Horse racing’s most important race,

12

AMERICAN Racehorse • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2014

the All American Futurity, in 1983. • Leo Wood (deceased), a Quarter Horse trainer who was, in large part, responsible for the building of Lubbock Downs.

He also trained Pie in the Sky and Mighty Deck Three.

Southern Racehorse For more information or to purchase tickets for the gala at $125 per person, visit txhorseracingmuseumandhalloffame. org or contact Sharolyn Grammer at (210) 651-7000 or txhorseracinghof@gmail.com.

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Jonathan Horowitz

Arapahoe Announcer Jonathan Horowitz Calls in England

Debbie Burt

Track announcer Jonathan Horowitz, the voice of Arapahoe Park in Colorado and Zia Park in New Mexico, ventured overseas between meets to do some guest race calling at Royal Windsor Racecourse near London. The figure-eight racetrack offers views of the River Thames and Windsor Castle. Horowitz (on left in photo) joined racing commentator Gary Capewell to call the Sultanate of Oman Arabian Raceday.

Horowitz first called in England at the 2001 Glorious Goodwood Festival when he was 16.

He also commentated the 2003 Group 2 Emirates Arabian International Stakes at Newbury.

Reed Palmer Photography/Churchill Downs

Top Trainer Kenny McPeek to Race in Texas, Shows Support for Historical Racing Texas horsemen are optimistic that historical racing machines could soon come to the state’s racetracks, and that possibility has attracted the attention of leading trainer Kenny McPeek, who recently announced he plans to have a string of horses at Sam Houston Race Park.

McPeek has been following the Kenny McPeek progress of historical racing machines in Texas and is making a significant change to his 2015 circuit. His goal for the first part of the year is to divide his string between Oaklawn Park and Sam Houston, shipping 30-40 horses to Texas in December for training. Sam Houston’s meet opens in January 2015.

Since 1985, the 51-year-old conditioner has saddled 8,942 starters, winning 1,377 races and amassing earnings of $61 million. His top horses include Belmont Stakes (G1) winner Sarava and numerous other major stakes winners, including Tejano Run, Harlan’s Holiday, Hard Buck (Brz), Repent, Take Charge Lady and Einstein. McPeek was born in Arkansas and his McPeek Racing is based in Lexington, Kentucky. In addition to managing his stable, McPeek created HorseRacesNow, an app for the iPhone and Android, which gives racing enthusiasts a wealth of racing and handicapping information along with live video and race replays.

McPeek made his first trip to Sam Houston in 2002 with the incomparable Take Charge Lady, who won the $275,000 NTRA Great State Challenge Distaff. He returned in 2013 and saddled

Maxxam Gold Cup winner Unstoppable U. He made a third trip to Houston last March with Frac Daddy, who finished a game second to Maxxam Gold Cup winner Red Rifle.

“I’ve made the decision; we are coming to Texas,” McPeek said. “The possibility of Instant Racing [historical racing] in Texas could change the landscape. It would be really good for the Texas economy.”

While Texas horsemen are doing everything in their power to help the cause, McPeek has impressed Texas racing industry officials with his efforts. On July 10, he forwarded the Texas Thoroughbred Association’s alert “Sign the Petition: Help Grow Thoroughbred Racing in Texas!” to his HorseRacesNow email list. McPeek has seen the boost that historical racing has given to the racing industry in Arkansas and Kentucky.

“To have a nationally prominent horseman like Kenny McPeek get behind our effort to bring historical racing to Texas means a great deal,” said Mary Ruyle, TTA’s executive director. “We believe this will level the playing field for Texas racing by increasing purses and bringing a whole new level of respect to our industry.”

McPeek has done well at Sam Houston, and his game plan for the first few months of 2015 is coming to fruition.

“I feel I can develop better horses in Houston,” the conditioner said. “The climate, track surface and turf course are all factors.”

If historical racing does come to pass in Texas, McPeek will likely be the first of many out-of-state horsemen and horsewomen who give strong consideration to racing and breeding in the Lone Star State.

—Martha Claussen AMERICAN Racehorse • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2014 13

ff

Texas Stallion Unbridled’s Heart Relocated to Double Infinity Ranch

Terri Cage

Unbridled’s Heart, a son of leading sire Unbridled’s Song, has relocated to stand stud at Wes Melcher’s Double Infinity Ranch in Sulphur Springs, Texas, for the 2015 breeding season.

On the board in 12 of 20 starts, Unbridled’s Heart placed in stakes at Belmont Park and Lone Star Park and retired with earnings of $151,893. His dam, Wild Heart Dancing, is a multiple graded stakes-winning daughter of Farma Way who earned nearly $600,000. As a yearling, Unbridled’s Heart was a $1 million purchase by John Ferguson for Darley Stable.

Unbridled’s Heart is the first stallion to stand at Double Infinity Ranch, which is in its second year of operation. Double Infinity’s owner, Wes Melcher, has campaigned top Texas-breds including 2013 Texas Horse of the Year Worldventurer and 2014 TTA Sales Futurity winner W V Jetsetter. Sold privately by Melcher after winning that stakes at Lone Star, W V Jetsetter finished third in the Grade 2 Saratoga Special in August.

Owned by Ian Yarnot, Unbridled’s Heart stood the previous three seasons at Keen Farms. His first foals are currently yearlings. The stud fee for Unbridled’s Heart will be announced at a later date.

For more information, contact Double Infinity Ranch at (903) 885-7280 Unbridled’s Heart or info@unbridledsheart.com or visit unbridledsheart.com.

OKC Summer Sale Sets Records for Gross and Average The Carter Sales Co.’s OKC Summer Sale set records in all areas on August 17 at the Oklahoma City Fairgrounds. It was the highest grossing sale with a new record sale-topper and the highest average since the sale started in 2007.

A Tiz Wonderful colt out of the Cherokee Run mare Serena Ballerina topped the sale at $67,000. Shawn Schabel of Independence, Kansas, purchased the Oklahoma-bred from Brewster Ranch, agent for Clark O. Brewster.

With a $48,000 price tag, the sale’s second-highest seller was a Summer Bird colt out of the Petionville mare Nakayama Jeune. Like the sale-topper, the colt went to a buyer who came south from Kansas to attend the auction. Lester Ellenz of Tipton purchased the Oklahoma-bred from Mighty Acres, agent for Center Hills Farm.

Mighty Acres and Center Hills have sold the last two winners of the Iowa Stallion Stakes at the OKC Summer Sale, and this year, they also sold the full sister to this year’s winner.

With total sales of $487,450, the auction averaged $8,863 with a median of $5,100 and a buy-back rate of 35 percent.

The average was a 20 percent increase over last year’s sale, and the gross was up 23.5 percent. The catalog had 93 horses 14

AMERICAN Racehorse • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2014

with 85 offered and 55 sold. The buy-back rate was up from last year’s 26 percent.

“We had the best crowd, the best horses and the best results in our sale’s history,” Sales Manager Terri Carter said.

“Our buy-back rate is a tribute to the incredible racing we have here with maiden special weights running for $35,700. We also have a great stakes schedule, and the sale company added a $25,000 bonus to the Clever Trevor Stakes [at Remington Park], so some consignors chose to hold on to their horses and take a shot at that.”

Mighty Acres was the sale’s leading consignor with 12 head sold for $165,700, and Schabel was the leading buyer with one purchase for $67,000.

Carter said the sale has always been Denis Blake tied to opening weekend at Remington Park, and this year it also coincided with the National HBPA Summer Convention in Oklahoma City.

“The atmosphere at the track opening weekend was just incredible,” Carter said. “[Remington President] Scott Wells does such a great job and it sure didn’t hurt that Bryan Hawk, who won the $175,000 Governor’s Cup Saturday night with Code West, was shopping Sunday while grinning from ear to ear.”

Complete sales results are online at cartersalesco.com.

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AMERICAN Racehorse • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2014

Coady Photography/Oaklawn Park

Oaklawn Park Announces Record Stakes Schedule

Oaklawn Park will offer 31 stakes worth $6,675,000 during the 2015 meet.

One year after increasing the purses of 19 stakes races, Oaklawn Park has planned the richest stakes schedule in track history for 2015. Chief among the changes are a $150,000 bump to the Rebel Stakes (G2), the last local prep before the Grade 1, $1 million Arkansas Derby. The Rebel will now carry a purse of $750,000.

Overall, Oaklawn will run 31 stakes worth $6,675,000—a $300,000 increase over 2014 and a jump of more than $2 million compared to just seven years ago.

“I am continually impressed by what we’ve been able to accomplish the past several years,” Oaklawn Park Director of Racing David Longinotti said. “The timing of the Rebel and the quality of its field for the past several runnings makes it an important Triple Crown prep in its own right. It is very deserving of a purse increase. We also felt by enhancing the purses of the Razorback and Azeri we could build on the Preview Day concept we started in 2014. Last year, we were also able to boost the purse of both the Apple Blossom and the Oaklawn Handicap by $100,000 each, and we’re pleased to be able to keep those purses at

the $600,000 level for 2015.”

The Rebel will share the card for the second straight year with the Razorback Handicap (G3) and Azeri Stakes (G2) as part of a Racing Festival Preview Day, Saturday, March 14. The $250,000 Razorback (G3), which had its purse raised by $50,000 for 2015, is the final local prep for the $600,000 Oaklawn Handicap (G2), while the $300,000 Azeri Stakes (G2), which had its purse bumped $100,000 over last year’s, is the last prep before the $600,000 Apple Blossom Handicap (G1).

The 1 1/16-mile Rebel, whose past winners include 3-year-old champions Will Take Charge, Lookin at Lucky, Curlin and Smarty Jones, is the third of four Oaklawn stakes races offering points for the Kentucky Derby (G1) culminating with the Arkansas Derby. The first two races in the track’s rich series highlight the holiday Monday cards in January and February. The $150,000 Smarty Jones Stakes will be run on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, January 19, and the $300,000 Southwest Stakes (G3) will be run on Presidents Day, February 16.

The Racing Festival of the South will kick off Saturday, April 4, with the $400,000 Fantasy Stakes (G3) for 3-year-old fillies. The track will be dark on Easter Sunday, April 5, and then the Festival will resume Wednesday, April 8, with the $100,000 Carousel Stakes for female sprinters. The $300,000 Count Fleet Sprint Handicap (G3) will anchor the card Thursday, April 9, and the Apple Blossom Handicap and $100,000 Bachelor Stakes are the highlights of Friday, April 10.

The meet will culminate with the 79th running of the Arkansas Derby, which produced three different top-three finishers in the 2014 Triple Crown races: Danza (Kentucky Derby), Ride On Curlin (Preakness) and Commissioner (Belmont). The closing day card will also feature the Oaklawn Handicap, $100,000 Northern Spur Stakes and $100,000 Instant Racing Stakes.

Oaklawn’s 2015 season begins Friday, January 9, and ends on Arkansas Derby Day, Saturday, April 11. For more information about Oaklawn’s 2015 race meet, visit oaklawn.com or call (800) OAKLAWN.

Eureka Thoroughbred Farm Adds The Hunk and Expect a Lot to Stallion Roster

William Jones Miller

Expect a Lot is an unraced son of leading stallion and Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) winner Awesome Again out of a full sister to two-time Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Tiznow. Expect a Lot is also a full brother to Preakness Stakes (G1) winner and Belmont Stakes (G1) runner-up Oxbow.

The Hunk will stand for a $1,500 fee, and Expect a Lot’s fee has been set at $1,000.

They will join the Giant’s Causeway stallion Angliana at Eureka, and Grossman also stands Read the Footnotes, Latent Heat, Chitoz and Oratory at Lori and Francisco Bravo’s River Oaks Farms in Sulphur, Oklahoma. Oratory stood at Eureka this past breeding season.

Expect a Lot

Lea Watson

Mike Grossman’s Eureka Thoroughbred Farm in Fredericksburg, Texas, will welcome two new stallions for the 2015 breeding season with The Hunk and Expect a Lot. The Hunk is a stakeswinning son of champion sprinter and top stallion The Hunk Speightstown. A winner of six of 19 starts, The Hunk captured the 2012 John J. Reilly Handicap at Monmouth Park. The front-running sprinter also reeled off four straight allowance wins in 2011 at Monmouth and Gulfstream Park. His dam, the Pentelicus mare Penniless Heiress, has produced the twotime graded stakes-winning mare Forest Heiress and leading Florida stallion and Grade 1 winner Wildcat Heir, both by Forest Wildcat.

AMERICAN Racehorse • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2014 17

State Association News TEXAS THOROUGHBRED ASSOCIATION NEWS

Nominations Being Taken for TTA Board of Directors

Texas Racing Commission Passes Rules for Historical Racing

This winter, Texas Thoroughbred Association members will elect candidates to fill five at-large director positions in addition to regional director positions for the Central and East regions on the TTA Board of Directors. Those elected will serve three-year terms beginning in 2015.

Ballots must be received for tabulating by December 15. All TTA members will receive ballots for the at-large positions, while only members in the Central and East regions will be eligible to vote in their respective regions. A list of counties that comprise these regions is included below.

The nominating committee will be accepting recommendations for candidates until September 22. Candidates must have been a TTA member in good standing for the past two years and a resident of Texas.

To submit a candidate for consideration, contact any member of the Nominating Committee:

Texas horsemen and the Texas Thoroughbred Association are pleased and grateful that the Texas Racing Commission (TRC) on August 29 took a step toward revitalizing the Texas horse industry.

With a vote of seven in favor, one against and one abstention, the TRC approved rules authorizing pari-mutuel wagering on historical races.

Commission staff reported that over 13,000 comments on the subject had been received during the public comment period, with about three-quarters in support of the measure.

Chairman Robert Schmidt allowed a limited amount of testimony at the meeting, including testimony from a representative of Gaming Laboratories International, a regulatory certification firm that conducted scientific studies on historical racing terminals, determining that historical racing terminals are indeed pari-mutuel in nature and do not comply with scientific standards for slot machines. The terminals operate through a totalisator system with pari-mutuel pools that are seeded only on the first day of operation and are basically the same as any self-service racetrack wagering terminal. The terminals do not produce outcomes, as do slot machines, but simply display the outcome of a race. Whereas the outcome of a slot machine is based entirely on chance, the outcome of a historical racing terminal is based upon actual race results and the patron’s skill in selecting the winner of the race.

Those speaking in opposition to adoption of the rules included representatives of the Christian Life Commission, the Kickapoo Traditional Tribe and charitable bingo operations.

Horsemen including TTA President Ken Carson, Fasig-Tipton Texas Director of Sales Tim Boyce, Robert Francis and Bryan Neff, DVM, spoke in support of the measure.

In spite of pressure from competing interests both inside Texas as well as out-of-state, the TRC firmly embraced the technological advances that have evolved since the original Texas Racing Act was enacted in 1986. Pari-mutuel wagering on historical races will help to make Texas more competitive with our casino-laden neighboring states by increasing purses, which will in turn encourage breeding and sales activity. The state of Texas stands to benefit overall from the resulting positive agricultural impact and opportunity for additional jobs.

Prior to the meeting, State Representative Matt Krause (R-Fort Worth) filed a lawsuit against the Commissioners along with petition for a temporary restraining order to prevent the TRC from voting on the matter. A Tarrant County judge decided not to issue the temporary restraining order.

But 48th District Court Judge David Evans set a September 10 hearing to consider whether to approve an injunction to prevent the rule change from going into effect.

Please take the time to express your thanks to the Texas Racing Commission. This victory is just the first step of many we must take in order to restore our industry to health. Let’s all work together to make it happen.

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AMERICAN Racehorse • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2014

2014 Nominating Committee Phil Adams (940) 668-2600 • philadamsatty@yahoo.com John Adger (713) 504-5797 • johnadger@adgerbloodstock.com Stan Huntsinger (254) 741-0406 • stanhunt@aol.com Rick Penn (214) 675-6163 • rpenn@penninterests.com Bill Tracy (Chair) (830) 688-1709 • tracyhorses@gmail.com Alfred Vardeman (325) 728-8055 • vardeman.alfred@yahoo.com Henry Witt Jr. (254) 662-4004 • aglass2@hotmail.com Central counties: Austin, Bastrop, Bell, Blanco, Bosque, Burleson, Burnet, Caldwell, Colorado, Coryell, Ellis, Falls, Fayette, Freestone, Hamilton, Hays, Hill, Lampasas, Lee, Leon, Limestone, Llano, Madison, Mason, McCulloch, McLennan, Milam, Mills, Navarro, Robertson, San Saba, Travis, Williamson East counties: Brazoria, Brazos, Chambers, Fort Bend, Galveston, Grimes, Hardin, Harris, Jasper, Jefferson, Liberty, Matagorda, Montgomery, Newton, Orange, Polk, San Jacinto, Tyler, Waller, Washington, Wharton

Online Auction of Donated 2015 Stallion Seasons Once again, TTA is soliciting stallion seasons to be auctioned via the TTA website to benefit the Texas Thoroughbred Educational Fund, The Paddock Foundation, Political Action Committee or the general fund. For maximum exposure, remit your donation form by September 30. The form is available on the TTA website (texasthoroughbred. com) or by calling the TTA office. Please direct any questions to Mary Ruyle at (512) 458-6133 or at maryr@texasthoroughbred.com.

Texas Stallion Stakes Series and TTA Sales Futurity The deadline for final payment on stallions nominated to the Clarence Scharbauer Jr. Texas Stallion Stakes Series for the 2014 breeding season is October 1. Texas-accredited stallions not previously nominated for 2014 may be late nominated by October 1 by payment of the 2014 advertised stud fee or $1,500, whichever is greater, plus a $500 penalty.

Eligible yearlings (foals of 2013) not already nominated as weanlings may be nominated to the $450,000 Texas Stallion Stakes Series (first races in 2015) by payment of $500 by December 31, 2014.

Eligible weanlings (foals of 2014) may be nominated to the $450,000 Texas Stallion Stakes Series (first races in 2016) by payment of $100 by December 31, 2014.

Foals of 2013 that are Fasig-Tipton Texas sale graduates or are accredited Texas-breds may be nominated to the TTA Sales Futurity by payment of $150 by December 31, 2014.

The next races in the Texas Stallion Stakes Series for 2-year-olds (foals of 2012) will be run at Retama Park on November 15. The sixfurlong races have a guaranteed purse of $75,000 for each division.

The deadline to nominate Texas-accredited stallions that will be standing in Texas in 2015 to the Texas Stallion Stakes Series for the 2015 breeding season is December 31, 2014. The fee is $1,500 or the advertised stud fee, whichever is greater. A stallion may be nominated for $750 with the balance due by October 1, 2015, or the fee may be paid in full less a 10 percent discount.

All nomination forms will be mailed to current TTA members in November with a deadline of December 31, 2014. For more information on the Texas Stallion Stakes or any TTA-sponsored race, please contact Racing Coordinator Jennifer Gibbs at jenniferg@ texasthoroughbred.com or in the TTA office at (512) 458-6133.

from us in the past month, we do not have an email address for you on file. Please take a moment to send an email with that information to Mary Ruyle at maryr@texasthoroughbred.com.

TTA Looking for More Members There is strength in numbers, and the more members we have, the greater strength we have as an association. Please refer your associates, clients and friends to TTA for membership. Forms can be downloaded from texasthoroughbred.com or you may join or renew your membership online or by calling the TTA office.

THOROUGHBRED RACING ASSOCIATION OF OKLAHOMA NEWS Oklahoma-bred Purse Supplements Rise at Remington Park

Eligible Oklahoma-bred horses competing at Remington Park now contend for even more money as an increase in purse supplements has been approved.

The Thoroughbred Racing Association of Oklahoma (TRAO) has authorized an increase of 10 percent in purse supplements to eligible Oklahoma-breds competing in all races at Remington.

“Remington Park is pleased to announce this specific increase of Oklahoma-bred purse fund distribution by 10 percent, available in open company and Oklahoma-bred races,” said Matt Vance, vice president of racing and wagering at Remington Park. “We’re proud of our relationship with Oklahoma’s horsemen and the achievements we’ve all made over the years. This increase is proof of our ongoing commitment to grow racing at Remington Park as we work with the TRAO to achieve these goals.”

The increase for Oklahoma-bred purse supplements is now in place.

Thoroughbreds Return to Remington Park

The 2014 Thoroughbred season at Remington Park, featuring 67 race dates, kicked off August 15 and runs through December 14.

This season will feature many special events celebrating the sport of horse racing, Remington’s accomplishments and Oklahoma’s culture.

Among the events are: • “Wear it Wednesday”: Wear your neon-colored Remington Park T-shirt on Wednesdays for a chance to win $20 toward a racing wager.

• “Throwback Thoroughbred Thursday”: Fill out one entry form and place it into a bin before race three every Thursday for a chance to win a $100 cash prize during races three through eight.

Yearling Accreditation Deadline • “Throwback Thoroughbred Friday”: Fill out one entry form and Please note that December 31, 2014, is the deadline for TTA place it into a bin for one of the top jockeys before race three every members to accredit eligible foals of 2013 for a fee of $200. As of Friday to win a $100 cash prize during races three through eight.

January 1, 2015, the fee increases to $1,500. An application may be • Oklahoma Derby Day: On Sunday, September 28, the Grade 3, found online at texasthoroughbred.com or requested from the TTA $400,000 Oklahoma Derby will be featured as the marquee racing office at (512) 458-6133. event of the season. With first post at 1:30 p.m., Oklahoma Derby Day will feature a wine and craft beer tasting, party on the lawn and some Email Addresses of the richest purses of the season. Fans can choose from plenty of Email is the quickest and most cost-effective way for TTA to keep entertainment options, including five Oklahoma wine vendors, five our members informed of important events, deadlines, legislative Oklahoma craft beer vendors, drawings for cash prizes, a hat and updates and animal health alerts. If you have not received an email bowtie contest, free carriage rides, live music, food trucks and more.

AMERICAN Racehorse • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2014 19

State Association News Milestones for Cliff Berry and Donnie Von Hemel Jockey Cliff Berry of Jones, Oklahoma, started the Remington Park meet with a bang as he picked up his 2,000th local victory on opening night after ending last year’s meet with 1,999 to easily top the all-time wins list at the Oklahoma City track. For his career, Berry has accumulated more than 4,250 wins.

Trainer Donnie K. Von Hemel earned his 2,000th career victory on August 9 at Indiana Grand just prior to the start of the Remington meet. Von Hemel comes from a family of horse trainers. Both his father, Don, and his brother, Kelly, are also trainers. He resides in Piedmont, Oklahoma.

Heritage Place Sale The Heritage Place mixed sale for Thoroughbreds of all ages is set for Saturday, December 13, at 11 a.m. in Oklahoma City. Entries must be received no later than November 15. The sale takes place the closing weekend of Remington Park. Consignment contracts are available on the Heritage Place website at heritageplace.com.

National HBPA Convention in Oklahoma City The TRAO hosted the National HBPA Summer Convention at the historic Skirvin Hilton Hotel in Oklahoma City August 14-17. Horsemen from around the country came to listen and attend a variety of meetings, forums and presentations on topics ranging from horse retirement to simulcast contracts to medication and more.

We received very good feedback from visitors who got to learn more about the TRAO and Oklahoma racing. We would also like to thank Remington Park for hosting the NHBPA attendees for a night of racing on opening night of the Thoroughbred meet. It was the first visit to Remington Park for many of the attendees, and they all came away impressed with the facility and the quality of racing.

Alabama HBPA News Letter from the Executive Director We are still here, but the obstacles and closed doors have not gone away.

The Birmingham Racing Commission (BRC) held an irregular meeting at which the Jefferson County Racing Association (JCRA) asked for the funds held in escrow for horsemen’s benefits, including purse money and money to pay the past three years of property taxes on which the JCRA is in arrears. The JCRA was granted the funds to pay the 2011 tax, leaving around $500,000 in escrow. The JCRA is to come back to the BRC with an update on its appeal for the 2012 and 2013 tax amounts due. The next scheduled racing commission meeting is September 10. Unless a miracle happens, I will venture to say that the funds are given out.

This really puts a damper on the final Phase III of the Birmingham Race Course Feasibility Study being done by the Innovation Group, as they were earmarking the $900,000-plus in funds for purses. Innovation Group is now in the process of redoing their projections.

It is a never-ending battle with an operator that obviously does not want to have anything but a simulcast parlor and machines if they can 20

AMERICAN Racehorse • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2014

get away with it.

ALHBPA President David Harrington has worked diligently in preparing and presenting a contract between the JCRA and ALHBPA should we be successful in obtaining Instant Racing machines while continually pursuing support from the powers that may approve and help this become a reality. Not one word of response; not one of the many phone calls returned by JCRA. We in Alabama truly appreciate all of the advice, input and support received from the members of the National HBPA as our saga continues.

Nancy Delony, Executive Director

Arkansas Thoroughbred Breeders’ & Horsemen’s Association News Razorback Races Move to Remington, Oaklawn on the Horizon Members of the Arkansas Thoroughbred Breeders’ & Horsemen’s Association (ATBHA) will receive American Racehorse magazine beginning with this issue. American Racehorse covers and updates participating members of state owner and breeder associations on the Thoroughbred industry in their state.

What a great summer we’ve had! Arkansas has experienced a cooler and wetter summer than is normal. Not only has this made the horsemen happy, the horses also seem happy because there is a lot of grass for grazing.

Our association and members are gearing up for the 21st running of the Razorback and Lady Razorback Futurity races. After holding the races at Louisiana Downs for 20 years, the ATBHA Board of Directors moved them to Remington Park for 2014. Both races will be run November 8 at six furlongs and have a guaranteed $50,000 purse.

We thank Remington Park Director of Racing/Racing Secretary Mike Shamburg for working with our board to make this move possible.

We are excited to be at a location that seems to be booming, and we are anxious to see how well the horsemen concur with this move.

Horses will be returning to Oaklawn Park in just a few months. The stable area opens Monday, November 10, and the track will open the following Monday, November 17. In 2015, the horsemen and fans will be greeted by a newly expanded gaming area, which is scheduled to open Friday, November 7, with new games. Also, the Silks Bar and Grill and poker make their return. Oaklawn will have record purses in 2015, including a $6.7 million stakes schedule (see page 17 of this issue). The first condition book will be ready by early September.

For more information about the ATBHA, visit atbha.com or call the ATBHA office at (501) 624-6328.

www.americanracehorse.com

Colorado Thoroughbred Breeders Association News

North Carolina Thoroughbred Association News

Big Brown Colt Tops Colorado Yearling Sale

President’s Message

After booking its largest catalog to date, Colorado’s Silver Cup Yearling Sale on August 9 showed a 6 percent increase in gross sales.

A bay son of Big Brown out of the winning Langfuhr mare Leniently topped the sale at $26,000. Consigned by Linda Wood’s Menoken Farms, the colt was purchased by Annette Bishop’s Tangarae LLC. Bishop also signed the ticket for a $21,000 purchase of a colt by Oklahoma stallion Mr. Nightlinger, consigned by Bill Stivers, out of multiple stakes producer Spooner, by Dixieland Heat.

Sam Brookover paid $20,000 for a son of Fort Prado, consigned by Willard Burbach. For the second straight year, Bill Stivers consigned the top-selling filly, a daughter of Mr. Nightlinger sold to Richard Lueck for $16,500. She is out of a half sister to Swale Stakes (G2) winner This Ones for Phil.

Adding to the evening’s Oklahoma flavor, Kirton Farms sold a daughter of Western Expression out of stakes winner Tax Dancer for $14,000 to Kent Bamford and Randy Patterson.

With 43 horses selling for $255,300, the average of $5,937 was down 38 percent from last year’s $9,632. Median price was $3,700, compared to $6,000 in 2013. Both numbers were slightly ahead of the 2012 figures.

All horses in the sale are eligible for next year’s Silver Cup Futurity at Arapahoe Park. This year’s sales stakes, contested on August 2, generated purses of $42,048 for the colts and geldings division and $38,393 for the fillies division.

For more information, go to cotba.com.

A board meeting was held on August 12 in Raleigh, and the date for the awards dinner has been set for January 24, 2015, and it will again be held at Bennett-Bunn Plantation. Tom and Jill will be hosting us again, and if you have been to a meeting in the last three years, then you know how good the venue and food will be. So mark your calendars for this date to celebrate our awards winners, enjoy the company of our members, see old friends and make new ones. Where else can you go and talk horses all night? We look forward to seeing you there.

The North Carolina Thoroughbred Association and Blue Bloods will be hosting a booth at the North Carolina State Fair on October 2022 as part of the Year of the Horse Celebration. Blue Bloods will be furnishing a retired Thoroughbred to be in the Parade of Breeds every day from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m., and there will be all kinds of equine exhibitions throughout each day. Please make plans to attend and to visit our booth and support the Thoroughbred horse in North Carolina.

The Year of the Horse events include five-minute riding lessons, the Parade of Breeds and a highlight show. Guy McLean, who performs in Las Vegas every night with his Australian stock horses to standing ovations, will be performing on Monday and Tuesday, October 20-21. Our own North Carolinian, Mary Miller-Jordan, will perform on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, October 22-25. An accomplished equestrian, Mary won the “America’s Favorite Trail Horse” TV show in 2011; authored the book, Silver Mane: The Tale of the Wild Mustang; earned reserve champion in the 2012 Supreme Extreme Mustang Makeover with her mustang Silver Lining; and had her first adopted mustang, Lindsay’s Faith, immortalized as a Breyer Model Horse. She has also written a song, “Believe in Me,” and was featured on National Geographic TV with her wild mustangs. This should be a very exciting time for horse lovers in North Carolina.

Please support the efforts of the NCTA. It will make us a much better organization. Thanks to all who help me every month. I could not do this without you.

Joanne Dew NCTA President

Georgia Horse Racing Coalition News Stretch Drive to Bring Racing to Georgia Kicks into High Gear Their Georgia Horse Racing Coalition began its stretch drive to bring racing to Georgia with the Atlanta premiere of “50 to 1” at the historic Buckhead Theatre on August 27. Academy Award winner and director Jim Wilson was a special guest host for the evening, along with GHRC Chairman Carl Bouckaert and GHRC President Dean Reeves, owner of Mucho Macho Man, as the masters of ceremonies.

Hundreds of racing fans turned out to give their support to the GHRC along with leading political, business and civic leaders, as GHRC targets 2015 to pass a constitutional amendment allowing voters to decide on legalizing pari-mutuel wagering in the state. The last poll conducted in 2012 showed over 70 percent of Georgia voters would approve pari-mutuel wagering.

From left, GHRC Executive Director Steve Crayne; GHRC President Dean Reeves and wife, Patti; Director Jim Wilson; and GHRC Chairman Carl Bouckaert

Winners Congratulations to all of the NCTA members who recently had winners: JOHN BAILEY (by Cosmonaut) broke his maiden on the Saratoga inner turf course on August 10. He is owned by George and Stephanie Autry. It’s always great to win at Saratoga!

HANGOVER SATURDAY (by Pomeroy), a first-time starter on the turf at Gulfstream Park on August 8, broke her maiden impressively by nearly five lengths. She was bred and is owned by Steve Laymon and his partner, John Eaton. These two have bred and owned many fine horses.

BET U CANT FIND ME (by Run Away and Hide) was a winner at Finger Lakes on July 28, and again on August 23, both in a claiming race. She was bred by Hubert Vester.

AMERICAN Racehorse • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2014 21

State Association News TALIESIN (by Misbah) posted a maiden win at Belterra Park on August 10. She was bred by Jim Chandley.

MISSDIXIEACTIVIST (by Activist) was a winner at Penn National in a claiming race on August 7 and also finished second on July 23.

She was bred by Jim Chandley, who had another August winner in Taliesin. He seems to have a winner almost every month. Jim stands the stallion Misbah in Pennsylvania, and this stallion is siring some winners (including Taliesin) and even has broodmares that are throwing winners (Misbah is the broodmare sire of Missdixieactivist).

Congratulations on a great breeding program.

Congrats also go to all of the NCTA members who had horses run second or third: MICHAEL’S TRIBUTE (owned by Jim Chandley), BEBOP RAINDROP (owned by George and Stephanie Autry), PLAYITAGAIN HOWIE (bred

by Beth Muirhead, our reigning Breeder of the Year), MUY MAN (another horse bred by Jim Chandley), SPECIAL CONGRATS (bred by Beth Muirhead), MACO LIGHT (bred and owned by Joanne and Sandy Dew’s Dogwood Plantation), MIRAMICHI (bred and owned by Nancy Shuford), MORE THAN SPECIAL (bred by Beth Muirhead) and LOOKOUT KATE (bred by Tom Hendrickson).

South Carolina Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association News SCTOBA Members Score Big with Wonder Gal

Every breeder dreams of a foal turning into a stakes winner, but rarely does it happen as early or as impressively as it did with Wonder Gal, a filly bred by SCTOBA members Jane and Bill Moriarty in the name of their Apache Farm LLC. The New York-bred daughter of Tiz Wonderful sold for $210,000 at the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Company’s March sale of selected 2-year-olds in training to Jeffrey Treadway. Then, in her first career start for Treadway Racing Stable, the filly romped to a 14 ½-length victory in the $125,000 Lynbrook Stakes on July 6 at Belmont Park. After that win against state-breds, she moved into open company and the Leah Gyarmati-trained runner finished a solid third in the Grade 2, $300,000 Adirondack Stakes at Saratoga to push her earnings to $95,000 after just two starts.

Residency Races Close with 240 Nominees

The 2014 South Carolina Residency Races closed with 240 nominations. The Christopher Elser Memorial for 2-year-old colts and geldings closed with 114 nominees, and the Donna Freyer for 2-year-old fillies closed with 126 nominees. The 10th running of these stakes for horses that spent at least 90 days in South Carolina will be contested at Parx Racing on November 16 at a distance of 6 ½ furlongs.

Training center nominations were led by the Webb Carroll Training Center and Kip Elser’s Kirkwood Stables. Wilhelmina McEwan’s Fenwick Equestrian will donate coolers to the winners.

“Our team likes to give our owners a chance to run in these races,” Carroll said. “We also like to support our fellow training centers and SCTOBA in sponsoring these terrific races.”

For more information, go to sctoba.org.

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AMERICAN Racehorse • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2014

South Carolina Residency Races—Nominated Horses

Colts Affable Say Eye Afleet Tom All About Ashley All Around Brown Animal Instinct Awesome Prizes Benaiah Bourbon Soul Calzini Rossi Captain Kidd Cat Humor Chilly Bay Cleveland Sound Code Name Brielle Come Out Swinging Compass Stone Daystrike Done With Talent Dry Affair Duff Ebreeq Epic Quest Fact or Fiction Full of Charge G Five Gladstone Gottagetamoveon Harker Hollywood Critic Hot Stocker I Get Around Irish Strait Irish Gold Digger It Doesnt End Well It’s A Plane Just Another Toy Kensington Kid Kid Charlemagne Long Legacy Lord Tyrion Madaket Road Memory Keeper Money Changer Morning Muse Mostly Mozart Navigate Norm By A Nose Northern Freeway Nothing Fancy Now We Are Free One Stormy Spring Ontheroadtovictory O’Shaughnessy P J’s Bad Boy Parker Ridge Pawn To A King Quality Callin Qusaichi Ram Bam Rocker Really Ready Revelation Rockhopper Penguin Royal and Ready Royal Marine Russell’s Fastness Safe At Sea Sandler Savvy Street Sajy Scattered Scattered Gold Sea of Stars Search N Destroy Shadows of Love Si Cology Sky Tower Smed Spartianos Spring Quality Starling’s Law Stonebriar Storm Stories Storybook Hero

Strategery Super Psyche Swordstone Tell ‘M Nothin The Stars Aligned True Best Turnberry Isle Unbridled Lion Velocious Warrior Forever Water Hazard Welcome Bay Whoop Ti Do Wildcatter’s Gold Wilderside Unnamed/Closetoaten Unnamed/Crystal River Unnamed/Eyedontblink Unnamed/French Flag Unnamed/Holiday Lady Unnamed/ Humor and Lights Unnamed/Lunacy Unnamed/Miss Del Gallo Unnamed/Rcuandry Unnamed/Rose City Unnamed/ Sharky’s Dancer Unnamed/ Shootforthestars Unnamed/Silent Eskimo Unnamed/Sorority Gal Unnamed/ Sunny Cide Street Unnamed/ Veiled Reference Fillies Adorn Alex’s Rose Alphabet Dancer Amen Joy Aunt Glee Bai Bai Baby Bella Ranger Bella Violetta Bid On Line Broke N Dixie Burning Bluegrass Bustinwithlove Buttercup Gold Cal’s Pal Cap’s Vow Cashondebarrelhead Casting Director Class Crest Congrey Conquest So True Curalina Cynisca Dais Dance With Ron Delay of Game Divine Dawn Ebony Bird Electrified Esther the Queen Euphonic Evening Ride Extol Fakery Filly Idol Finnerty’s Fire Foolish Flower Fortress Gap Year Gem Tobias Golden Starlet Gwen’s Reggae Harlan’s Treasure Hay Diddle Diddle Holiday Twist Holier Than Thou Howmyheartworks

I See How It Is Idle Dancer Immortal Life In Spite of Mama Inspired Voyage Its Up in the Air Ivy Celebration Kalamity Jane Katzenjammer Kawfee Fa Marfa La Rambla Lacey’s Racey Lady Daphne Lady Dyna Larking Last Great Splash Lavender Chrissie Longstocking Lust for Diamonds Marti’s Charm Matty’s Wondergirl Midnight Soul Minimambo Miss Bullistic Miss Polenza Mondor Movie Starlet My Dutchess Kate My Senses My Sister Caro Mysterious Ways Navy Ribbon Nile Sapphire OK by Me Ovidienne Paper Dollie Pattitude Pinkout Port Charlotte Pure Riverwalk Weekend Royal Parisian (GB) Saifaana Saluda Saratoga Trunk Save Our Oceans Sixtieth and Dune Spa Dutchess Stellar Wind Stormkeeper Street Winner Subtle Intent Success At Sunup Summer Valentine Sunshine Sandy Sweeter Than Ever Sycee Tale of the Spa Tarkia Ten Coins Tide Is High Truly Posseble Unspoken Updated Daily Waves on The Sea Weathervane Unnamed/Ballistae Unnamed/Belva Unnamed/Claremont Unnamed/ Golden Borders Unnamed/Hailie’s Girl Unnamed/ Lady Monarchos Unnamed/Last Shot Unnamed/Love Match Unnamed/Miss Cat Ballou Unnamed/ Miss Ocean City Unnamed/Mohonour Unnamed/Sheer Luck Unnamed/Symbolic Unnamed/Wapiti

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DIAMOND LUCY Wnr. 2014 Wilma Mankiller Memorial S

AMERICAN Racehorse • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2014

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the stallion stakes:

How to Stand a Stud

The ins and outs of getting started in the sire business

By Shelby O’Neill

Ackerley Images

All-time leading Texas stallion Valid Expectations, now pensioned, made an impact well beyond the borders of the Lone Star State.

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AMERICAN Racehorse • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2014

H

ave you ever dreamed of owning a top Thoroughbred graded stakes and racked up earnings of $644,403, and when the racehorse and retiring him to a successful career at stud? Or horse retired, Martin decided to stand him. maybe you’re looking for the next great stallion prospect as a way to get involved with Thoroughbreds at the Why did you decide to start standing breeding level? Or perhaps you just want stallions? a stallion to breed to your own broodmare Mike Grossman: Originally, it was the band and a few outside mares? choices of stallions available to me. I used When we think of Thoroughbred stallions, Chad Schumer, a broker out of Kentucky. we typically think of large-scale stud farms, I’ve used Chad for many years, and we’re but not all of those stallions are owned by pretty close. Using a broker is the only way the farms themselves. With some hard work, you’d know the real value of a horse. Some money and luck, anyone can be a stallion are worth more than you think, and some owner. American Racehorse talked with three aren’t worth nearly what you think. owners of Texas- and Oklahoma-based stalPhil Leckinger: I actually got started lions to get their advice on how to get started in the stallion business with Tinners Way. in standing a stallion with these tips straight William Jones Miller I had watched him run and followed his from the horse’s—or horse owner’s—mouth.

Chitoz is one of seven stallions career to the breeding shed. At that time, At his Eureka Thoroughbreds in Fredmy partner, Jerry Hardin, and I were breedowned by Mike Grossman standing in Texas or Oklahoma. ericksburg, Texas, Minnesota native Mike ing mares at Vinery [in Kentucky], and Ben Grossman stands two newcomers for the 2015 breeding season, The Walden was very high on the horse. He got off to a slow start and Hunk, a stakes-winning son of Speightstown, and Expect a Lot, a was moved to Harris Farms [in California]. They did a great job with son of Awesome Again from the family of two-time Breeders’ Cup him, but it is a numbers game. On a whim, I called Harris Farms Classic (G1) winner Tiznow, plus Angliana, a stakes-winning son of and learned that they would be open to an offer. Overall, it was a Giant’s Causeway. Grossman also stands four stallions—Chitoz (by great experience acquiring the horse, and then the education began Forest Wildcat), Latent Heat (by Maria’s Mon), Oratory (by Pulpit) as to what we really got ourselves into. While Tinners Way did a fanand Read the Footnotes (by Smoke tastic job for us, the one thing that I Glacken)—at longtime friend Franciswould be hard-pressed to ever do again co Bravo’s River Oaks Farms in Oklais bring in a stallion that has already homa. Latent Heat is the leading sire in been in another market. No matter Oklahoma by 2014 progeny earnings, what the circumstance, they carry a and Oratory was a top five Texas stalbias, justified or not. Tinners Way lion before relocating from Eureka to held and holds a special place for River Oaks. me as he was Secretariat’s last colt Phil Leckinger stands leading Texborn and his last millionaire. We as sire Special Rate (by Pulpit) at Sue gave him a good shot, and he, Dowling’s Stoneview Farm in Hempunfortunately as far as his stud castead. He and partner Jerry Hardin reer, had to contend with some rookie Coady Photography previously stood Tinners Way, the final mistakes on our part. A year later, Texas-bred Special U F O, shown here foal sired by Secretariat who now, at age we acquired Sand Ridge, and that is winning the Texas Horse Racing Hall of 24, has been retired to Old Friends in when Jerry and I decided to look at Fame Stakes at Retama Park, is one the Kentucky, and Sand Ridge, who died in syndicating. Special Rate came along top turf performers for Special Rate.

2008. Special Rate is one of the top turf in 2005. We did a tremendous amount stallions in the region and the sire of Texas champion Patty’s Pride. of research on all three of the boys. Prior to acquiring Tinners Way, Bill Martin stands Oklahoma’s 2013 leading freshman sire we developed a set of parameters that the horse had to meet, and the Mr. Nightlinger (by Indian Charlie) at JEH Stallion Station in only modification we’ve made was that we have to start the stallion Wynnewood, Oklahoma. Martin raced Mr. Nightlinger in out. partnership with perennial leading Lone Star Park owner Carl Bill Martin: I purchased Mr. Nightlinger at the 2005 Keeneland Moore to great success. Mr. Nightlinger won and placed in multiple yearling sale in partnership with Carl Moore. I did not have him on AMERICAN Racehorse • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2014 27

What resources did you use to decide on a stud fee and to get the word out about him?

Grossman: Initially, it was based on my costs, and then as I got more proven stallions, it became a little bit of what the market was and what their value was and what the costs were to maintain them. It’s a lot more difficult than it looks. First, the stallion takes a lot of space and a lot of handling to do it correctly.

If you’ve got a good one, you might have to insure him, and then there are the hidden expenses—nomination fees, stallion auction stakes, promotion—that sneak up on you.

How did you go about choosing the Leckinger: The stud fee has to comright place to stand your stallion? municate value and opportunity, and Grossman: You need a big enough it has to be compatible with the maroperation to provide the scale that ket. You can have a great horse, but if standing a stallion requires. I’ve you price too high, he will be a lonely known Francisco Bravo for many boy come breeding season. Price too years and knew how good of a low, and you will not attract the right horseman he was. It was more a mares. matter of convincing him he needed to Martin: We did our homework on do this, but it’s worked out very well for the market and the competition. We Courtesy JEH Stallion Station him. started him at a very reasonable fee Mr. Nightlinger easily topped last year’s Leckinger: Not every stud farm is leading freshman sire list in Oklahoma and backed him with some of our own willing to have outside owners control with five winners and two stakes horses. mares. He was advertised in several the stallion, so that narrowed it down stallion directories as well as a pretty a bit. Texas is also different from Kentucky and other large breed- aggressive regional advertising program managed by David Smith ing states. In Kentucky, you can board your mares in the Lexington with StallioneSearch.com, who does an excellent job for the JEH area and you’re a short van ride away from 100 farms. In Texas, it’s stallions. more difficult, so we wanted to be sure that not only the facility for the stallion was what was needed, but that our shareholders How did you decide which programs to nominate your stallion to and clients had a place that they were comfortable and confident or which mares to give consideration to? in bringing their mares for foaling and breeding. Sue Dowling and Grossman: It changes every year. When you go to other states, her team at Stoneview Farm do a fantastic job in caring for Special initially you nominate or give consideration to gain awareness of the Rate and, equally as important, in providing care for the mares and stallion. Once the awareness factor is gone, then it becomes more a newborn foals. matter of if there’s a market that’s supporting us, then we need to Martin: Mr. Nightlinger entered stud in 2010, which was not a support that market. great year to start a stud career. The horse market was going through Leckinger: Obviously, we support the Texas-bred program and a correction as the country was deep in the middle of a recession. In the Texas Stallion Stakes Series, as well as a couple of other regional 2010, a number of Kentucky sires were relocating to smaller regional stallion series like Iowa’s. Initially, we nominated to the Breeders’ markets. It seems that there was an oversupply of sires headed for Cup, and honestly, we made a mistake for a couple of years of Louisiana, so we looked elsewhere. We were considering Oklahoma not nominating back to it because it seemed very few owners were and met with Jim Helzer, owner of JEH Stallion Station. JEH has nominating their foals. But this is a game of chances and dreams, and an Oklahoma division that was a perfect fit for Mr. Nightlinger. It is if you don’t believe in the dream, then why should your clients? So managed by a very good horseman, Shawn Lindsey. We knew a lot of we’ve corrected that. As far as consideration to mares, it really comes owners that send their mares there, and they had good things to say down to what the mare did on the track or what she has already about the operation. So that’s where he landed. It turned out to be a produced. good decision as we exceeded the numbers we were hoping for, which Martin: He’s a Breeders’ Cup-eligible stallion, which I feel is a is critical in the first few seasons. must. Also, he is part of the Oklahoma-bred programs. my short list but noticed him in the walking area just before he went into the sale ring. He was a very well-made yearling with that look that gets your attention, so we followed him in and bought him. I was pretty sure we had ourselves a racehorse. The thought of standing him at stud was the last thing on my mind at that time. As it turned out, he made a name for himself as a multiple graded stakes-winning sprinter. But prior to that, he proved himself as a miler and could run on all surfaces. So when it was time for him to retire, we felt that he would be attractive to breeders in the Southwest region with all that speed and versatility.

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AMERICAN Racehorse • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2014

What did it feel like to see your stallion’s first runners hit the track?

Grossman: That’s always a kick; it’s a parallel to running your own homebreds whether it’s your stallion or not. It’s pretty equivalent.

Leckinger: It has to be like watching your son or daughter in a sporting event—you’re full of pride, hope and a little consternation because you want to see them do well. For Special Rate, the thrills started with his first runner, Valid Heart. He won at first asking and then placed in the Manor Downs Futurity, missing it by a nose.

I know I am prejudiced, but the foals just keep getting better and better.

Martin: It’s like watching your grandkids play ball. We follow his runners, and it’s very exciting. He was leading freshman sire in Oklahoma last year.

What do you enjoy most about having a stallion?

Grossman: I think they’re such exceptional animals; they’re just awesome. I enjoy just being around them as much as anything. Other than that, the ease of our own breeding is helpful. That’s driving it as much as anything.

Leckinger: Seeing the foals and the promise, and knowing that you have a chance to be part of creating some really good racehorses.

A stallion obviously is not a pet, so it’s not like you go and visit and spend hours scratching him behind the ears, but I do get a lot of

enjoyment standing and watching him in the pasture and looking out at my own farm and seeing his foals and yearlings. It definitely gives you something to look forward to.

Martin: The action. There are Mr. Nightlingers running in this region every week.

What advice would you give an owner who is retiring a horse and considering standing him as a stallion?

Grossman: You better be very good with horses or have someone who is. My first year, our crew was not very good. It wasn’t good for the stallion and wasn’t good for conception. I might have been a little naïve. It really is not a backyard deal in any sense.

Leckinger: Be honest with yourself about what you think the horse can really accomplish in the breeding shed. What is his conformation like, what was his race record, what is his temperament and how strong is his family? While we talk about the game of chances and dreams, it is a big investment, not only in the horse, but in what it is going to cost to keep, nominate, advertise and insure him. How many mares will it take to support the horse? Do you personally have the mares to support the horse, and, most important, can you get the right mares that fit the horse? If you feel good about all those answers, then take the shot.

Martin: Patience is a virtue; you’ll need a lot of it. It’s a long-term proposition. H

Have a horse health question? Ask an expert!

Starting with the January/February 2015 issue, American Racehorse is teaming with the University of Georgia Veterinary Teaching Hospital to provide horsemen with accurate, helpful information about equine health.

Each issue of the magazine will include an “Ask the Vet” feature covering a general health topic or answering a question submitted by an American Racehorse reader. To submit a question to possibly be answered in a future issue, send an email to info@americanracehorse.com or a fax to (512) 870-9324.

To find out more about the UGA Veterinary Teaching Hospital, go to vet.uga.edu/hospital.

Please note that all questions may not be answered in the magazine, and horsemen should seek the advice of their veterinarian for urgent issues.

AMERICAN Racehorse • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2014 29

COMING SOON TO Courtesy Fred Taylor Jr.

Starting with the November/December issue of American Racehorse, Fred Taylor Jr. of Mojo Racing Partners will write a series of articles examining what is right about the sport of horse Fred Taylor Jr. racing, in particular the thrill and excitement of Thoroughbred ownership. At a time when millions of people play fantasy football while pretending to own their own sports franchise, why aren’t more of those obvious sports enthusiasts, along with others looking for a hobby, considering owning a racehorse? Fred, a co-recipient of the TexasThoroughbred Association’s Allen Bogan Memorial Award for member of the year, offers a brief overview of what’s to come.

Terri Cage

Hello American Racehorse Readers!

I’m the founder and managing partner of Mojo Thoroughbred Holdings LLC—a Thoroughbred horse racing entity based in Fort Worth.

Mojo LLC, which conducts its racing operations as Mojo Racing Partners, was founded in 2006 to give people affordable and fun opportunities to participate in the exciting sport of Thoroughbred racing. Since its inception, Mojo LLC has owned 15 horses and raced at Arlington Park, Churchill Downs, Indiana Grand, Keeneland, Kentucky Downs, Lone Star Park, Oaklawn Park, Remington Park and Turfway Park.

As an owner, partnership creator and advocate for the sport who is also a senior manager of customer service for a major airline, I feel compelled to offer my ideas and opinions about helping others take an active part in this fantastic sport. In the upcoming issues of American Racehorse, I’m going to provide my thoughts about promoting various opportunities for people to get involved in Thoroughbred racing.

Taylor’s Mojo Racing Partners has helped The economic reality of any sport is predicated by the number of options introduce dozens of newcomers to Thoroughbred available and the cost to participate in those options. And, to make things more racehorse ownership. challenging, in today’s world where virtual participation (with reset buttons and video game “cheat” codes) is easier than real effort, actual involvement in any recreation gets supplanted by athome entertainment. These days, I think capturing someone’s attention boils down to demonstrating how our sport offers unique, affordable and more exciting personal experiences than could be realized in some other way.

The good news: Horse racing has a distinctive style, recurring element of thrill and tangible rewards that other pursuits don’t offer. And, to date, video game makers have been unable (and have shown little commitment) to replicating the experience of having a vested interest in a racehorse. As such, the biggest challenges facing the sport are helping people work out the participation costs and the complexities of the way the sport works (as a fan and an owner).

Tennis great John McEnroe recently said, “Tennis is one of the most difficult sports to learn, but when you do master it, it’s so enjoyable.” And, he went on to say, “Maybe you don’t always win, but you’ll be amazed that a lot of good things will happen.” I believe the same things are true and can be said about owning a racehorse.

Since the readers of this publication come from all walks of life and have vast levels of knowledge, pride and passion for our game, I invite every reader to share your thoughts with me about the various topics that I plan to cover. I also encourage you to share my op-ed pieces with your family, friends and associates to consider horse racing as one of their top hobbies.

The topics that I’ll go into include: • The Sport of Thoroughbred Racing Should Be Based on Passion • A Fun and Rewarding Ownership Experience Is About More Than Winning • Understanding the Costs of Racehorse Ownership • The Roles and Responsibilities of Racing Groups • Embracing a Strategy that Diversifies the Bloodstock in a Racing Stable Because many American Racehorse readers are aware of (or already involved with) the main issues facing the industry, I do not plan to discuss controversial topics or the agendas of any group(s)—I simply don’t want to turn this space into a soapbox nor do I have an interest in debating an existing issue or particular group.

The overall goal is to start a conversation about the ways we can elevate the sport as a regular hobby consideration and parlay that into options that will help more people get involved in Thoroughbred racing. More owners benefit everyone in the sport, and together we can help attract new owners to this great game.

I hope you’ll enjoy my op-eds and will take part in the discussion.

Fred Taylor Jr. If you have a topic you’d like to see Fred cover or a comment on attracting new racehorse owners, send an email to info@americanracehorse.com.

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AMERICAN Racehorse • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2014

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AMERICAN Racehorse • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2014

Like Father,

Like Daughter

Oklahoma trainer Tara Sanders kicks off her career in style

H

By Michael Cusortelli

Courtesy AQHA

Tara Sanders, with her father, Gregg, after he saddled Winalota Cash to win the richest race in American Quarter Horse racing in 1995, is off to a fast start as a trainer.

The night of June 6, 2014, is one that trainer Tara Sanders won’t soon forget.

The scene was Fair Meadows in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Tara—the oldest daughter of longtime American Quarter Horse trainer Gregg Sanders and his wife, Caroline—had just saddled the winners of a Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse race with her first official starters for each breed.

AMERICAN Racehorse • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2014 33

Sanders didn’t have to wait with earnings of $1,952,848 long to have her first winner’s from 31 starts. circle photo taken. Her first “Any trainer who wins with career victory came in the eveher first two starters would be ning’s second race, a $10,000 ecstatic, but she won with a non-winners-of-two claimer, Thoroughbred and a Quarter with Just Ours, a 5-year-old Horse, and I don’t think any Thoroughbred daughter of trainer—male or female—has Half Ours ridden by Sasha ever done that before,” said Risenhoover for owner Erby her father. “This is the kind of Thompson Jr. thing good stories are made A few hours later, she won of.” with her first Quarter Horse Sanders was just eight starter, as Jacob and Tara when Winalota Cash won Thompson’s Tempestinateathe All American Futurity, pot, a 4-year-old mare by Quarter Horse racing’s richest Furyofthewind, won a 250and most prestigious race for yard sprint against $5,000 2-year-olds, but she has vivid non-winners-of-three claimmemories of the experience. ing company under jockey “This might sound funny, Tony Bennett. but I still remember the way Coady Photography Sanders, 27, described the he smelled, the way he felt,” Sanders enjoys her first career feeling she had that night as Sanders said about the horse victory with jockey Sasha Risenhoover surreal. who also won the Grade 1 and the Thoroughbred Just Ours at Fair Meadows.

“I must have cried about Texas Classic Futurity at 50 times before the night was over, and it started when the Trinity Meadows. “We spent so much time on the road with gray mare [Just Ours] won her race,” she recalled. “She drew him. It seemed like every waking moment revolved around off down the backstretch, and she ended up winning by 6 1/2 that horse. lengths. I knew she was a winner when she hit the quarter-pole “Horses like him are so few and far between because they on the turn. She won so easily she would’ve had to have fallen make it seem so easy,” she added. “I also remember how rogue down not to win. he was as a colt—when they were breaking him, he kicked the “I absolutely bawled after that race, even when I met Sasha gallop boy’s leg and broke his femur bone, but once they got on the track to bring her back to the winner’s circle,” Sanders him past that it was easy. Every time we sent him to the track, added. “Sasha was bawling, and I was bawling. My dad never we honestly believed he was going to win.” trained Thoroughbreds regularly. He might have had a few The younger Sanders’ racing barn is based at the that someone sent to him when he was in New Mexico years Sallisaw Training Center, formerly known as Blue Ribago, but he never focused on them.” bon Downs, in eastern Oklahoma. She and her assistant, In fact, Gregg Sanders’ best successes have come with Quar- Samantha Williams, currently have 28 horses in training, ter Horses, most notably two-time champion Winalota Cash. of which eight are Thoroughbreds and the rest are Quarter A modestly bred son of Light on Cash who he trained for Horses, Paints and Appaloosas. Her father is still an active Andra Meridyth, Winalota Cash won the $1.68 million All Quarter Horse trainer.

American Futurity (G1) in 1995 and completed his FuturityIn addition to the Thompsons, Sanders’ primary clients Derby double with a win in the 1996 All American Derby are Jo Rice and Nelson Dickerson. A resident of Pryor, (G1) at Ruidoso Downs. The gelding is one of only five horses Oklahoma, Rice is a longtime Quarter Horse owner and to win both races, and he retired after his 4-year-old season breeder whose starters include Heritage Place Futurity (G1)

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AMERICAN Racehorse • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2014

Sanders made a promise to Chicks a Flyin that she would retire him after he won a race, but the gelding hasn’t taken retirement easily and might race again in the near future.

“He makes us regret retiring him daily,” she said with a laugh. “He basically tries to climb out of his stall every day, and we’ve had to go back to galloping him because we can’t keep him on the walker.

“He’s a big horse, about 17 hands tall, and he has a lot of personality,” Sanders added. “He’s the kind of horse where you never have to wonder what he’s thinking. In his seven years of life, he’s learned all of the facial expressions.”

In addition to her full-time job as a trainer, Sanders is Coady Photography also a certified life coach. At this point, she would like to continue training both Thoroughbreds and Quarter Horses.

Sanders and her father were all smiles after she scored victories with two One of her goals—albeit a lofty one—is to win both the All breeds on the same night.

American Futurity and Kentucky Derby (G1) in the same winners Hiclass Girl and A Chick of Class. For Dickerson, year.

Sanders is training a pair of 2-year-old Appaloosas who are “Double Eagle Ranch and Dr. [Leonard] Blach had a being pointed to the September 27 Cricket Bars Futurity at horse qualify to the All American the same year they won the Will Rogers Downs.

Kentucky Derby with Mine That Bird,” Sanders said, referSanders also bought four yearring to the Birdstone geldlings, all Thoroughbreds, at the ing who won the first leg August 15-16 New Mexico-Bred of Thoroughbred racing’s Sale at Ruidoso Downs. However, Triple Crown in 2009. the star of her barn might actually “I know that winning both be a colorful stakes-winning 7-yearraces in the same year has old Thoroughbred gelding with a never been done before, Quarter Horse-sounding name, but I’m the type of person Chicks a Flyin. who thinks anything is Sanders bought Chicks a Flyin possible. for Jacob Thompson after the Texas“The same night I won bred had dropped all the way down my first two races, somethe class ladder, and under her care, body asked me if I was he finished second twice at Fair going to focus on training Mike Cusortelli Thoroughbreds or Quarter Meadows before winning a fourfurlong, $5,000 claiming sprint at Tara (right), here with her sister Horses,” she recalled. “At Kaylee, finished the Fair Meadows the Tulsa track on July 16. that time I didn’t know, meet with a record of 11-3-3-2 “This horse hadn’t won a race in because I had an equal with Thoroughbreds. two years, and when we got him to number of both in my our barn, I actually thought about not racing him,” Sanders barn. So I jokingly said that I would let God decide by which said about the Wimbledon gelding who won the 2010 Golden one of my horses won that night. If my Quarter Horse won, Circle Stakes at Prairie Meadows and had banked more than I’d focus on Quarter Horses, and if my Thoroughbred won, I’d $200,000. “But just like [Just Ours] a few weeks earlier, the focus on Thoroughbreds. night he won for us he went right to the lead and kept on “Of course, they both won, so the results of that night didn’t going until he got to the wire.” help me make any decision at all.” H AMERICAN Racehorse • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2014 35

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AMERICAN Racehorse • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2014

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2015 Stallion Register DEADLINES Stallion Statistical Page Reservations: Friday, October 10, 2014 ONE FORM PER STALLION (please type or print) Stallion

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[ ] Accredited Texas Stallion [ ] Nominated to Texas Stallion Stakes [ ] Nominated to Breeders’ Cup [ ] Accredited Oklahoma Stallion [ ] Nominated to Oklahoma Stallion Stakes [ ] Accredited Louisiana Stallion [ ] Nominated to Louisiana Stallion Stakes Other accreditation or eligibility__________________________________________________________________________

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38

AMERICAN Racehorse • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2014

AMERICAN Racehorse • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2014 39

Supplying Demand

Sarah K. Andrew

Steuart Pittman and the Retired Racehorse Project aim to bring back demand for Thoroughbreds in other disciplines

By Shelby O’Neill

40

While there are many things the horse racing industry cannot agree on, the one issue with near universal support is ensuring Thoroughbreds find new homes after their racing days are over. But not everyone agrees on how to achieve that goal.

For Steuart Pittman, a nationally known eventing, dressage and jumping instructor and clinician based in Maryland, the answer can be distilled into one word—marketing. That’s why the Retired Racehorse Project (RRP), the organization he founded in 2010, focuses not on a palliative approach to the problem of ex-racehorses but instead on a curative one—increasing the demand for Thoroughbreds in other disciplines outside of racing.

“I’m not sure that the plight of ex-racehorses is my motivation,” Pittman said. “I find it hard to pity a Thoroughbred horse; I admire them too much to feel sorry for them. I do, however, pity the people who never get to experience these horses or who never learn how to get along with them. If Winston Churchill was right that the outside of a horse is good for the inside of a man, then I swear you can triple that ‘good’ when the horse is a Thoroughbred. That’s really what I am after—more people with more Thoroughbreds doing more things. It’s just good all around.”

Growing up in Maryland’s horse country, Pittman remembers when Thoroughbreds were in vogue for many different equestrian endeavors. Dodon Farm covers 550 acres in Davidsonville, not far from Annapolis, and as part of the eighth generation of family members to own that farm, Pittman knew from an early age that horses would always be a big part of his life. As a child, he rode in the hunt field, raced ponies, competed in dressage and eventing and soon found himself falling in love with Thoroughbred racehorses.

“When I was a small boy, my father would take me around the corner to Larking Hill Farm,

AMERICAN Racehorse • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2014

Retired Racehorse Project

Steuart Pittman is a nationally known eventing, dressage and jumping instructor and clinician who also has a passion for Thoroughbreds and increasing the demand for racehorses off the track. where Fendall Clagett had a training center and breeding operation,” Pittman recalled. “I was obsessed with his two stallions, Bold Ambition and Exclusive Nashua. To me, they were the most magnificent creatures on earth. Later, when I was in the hunt field on my 12-hand pony, the hounds and foxes were only mildly interesting to me. It was all about Al Smith’s and John Myers’ racehorses for me. And then came the Tuesday-night summer cookouts at Flee and Charles Stisteds’ next door. Flee was a trainer, groom and exercise rider, and her daughter Jenny was a jockey. Most of the cookout regulars worked at Bowie or Laurel, and I loved those people almost as much as I loved the horses they sold me. I never actually worked at the track, but I was jealous of everybody who did.”

Pittman grew up to train and sell horses for jumping, eventing and dressage, and throughout his career, he has seen the prominence of Thoroughbreds in those disciplines wane dramatically.

“We started RRP because there had been a decline in the popularity of Thoroughbreds in equestrian sports, and that [made me mad],” he said. “In 1982, 40 percent of the horses registered for equestrian competition in the U.S. were Thoroughbreds. In 2010, that number was down to 10 percent. Breed associations market their horses aggressively for sports in which they excel, but nobody was marketing Thoroughbreds outside of racing. Nobody else was approaching the issue from this marketing perspective. To me, it was common sense.”

In 2009, Pittman gathered some friends to put on the Retired

Racehorse Training Symposium, giving him an opportunity to serve as an ambassador for the Thoroughbred breed to the broader equestrian world of showing and eventing.

“We did the symposium to see whether there was demand for education and promotion in this area, and the answer from the 350 participants was a resounding yes,” Pittman said. “That’s when we got to work.”

The Retired Racehorse Training Project (the word “Training” has since been dropped) was founded the very next year with a clear focus in mind—it was not to be a rescue organization.

“The phenomenon of horse rescues for ex-racehorses arose in response to the decline in the market for Thoroughbreds in second careers, and they are an important safety net,” Pittman said. “I cringe when I hear the word ‘rescue’ applied to the act of acquiring a horse off the track. To me, a rescue is acquiring a horse from neglect or on its way to the killer. I also dislike the word ‘aftercare’ unless it is applied to lay-up situations. If we want to create demand for these horses, we should be talking about the fact that they leave the track professionally trained, fit and proven as athletes. ‘Rescue’ and ‘aftercare’ are effective words for fundraising but not for marketing horses.

“Higher demand for horses off the track means higher prices, and those prices should ultimately be paying for the training and transition from racing,” he continued. “Higher prices should also be rewarding the racing owners and trainers who retire their horses sound.”

AMERICAN Racehorse • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2014 41

Brant Gamma

Pittman, an accomplished equestrian, speaks from experience in saying that Thoroughbreds can succeed in eventing and other non-racing events.

With its distinct mission, RRP was soon drawing attention and support from the racing industry. Early sponsors of RRP activities included the Maryland Horse Breeders Association and the Maryland Jockey Club, and in 2011, the National Thoroughbred Racing Association invited Pittman to speak at Keeneland Race Course,

generating additional interest and support. Pittman also spoke at this year’s National HBPA Summer Convention in Oklahoma City.

Another key supporter was Dan Rosenberg, who chairs the Thoroughbred Charities of America (TCA) board.

“Steuart came to see me and explained what they were doing,” Rosenberg said. “I realized immediately that creating a demand for out-of-training Thoroughbreds is the real long-term solution to the problem of unwanted former racehorses. I showed hunters, jumpers and equitation growing up in the ’60s. At that time, if you weren’t riding a Thoroughbred, it was unlikely you were going to be pinned.

Somewhere along the line, warmbloods became fashionable. I know that Thoroughbreds are outstanding athletes in any discipline and believe that bringing this to the attention of the sporthorse world can bring them back to prominence. My hope is that by creating a market for good-looking and sound Thoroughbreds who are not competitive on the track, owners and trainers will be incented to sell those horses before they break down.”

Pittman and RRP supporters worked steadily on solidifying opportunities to advocate for Thoroughbreds to the sporting community, and the message they chose to market was clear and simple.

“Compared to other breeds, Thoroughbred ex-racehorses are braver, more trainable, more athletic, more eager to work and more likely to stay sound if they retired sound from racing,” Pittman said.

“I teach a lot of riders to do basic dressage and jumping and find that teaching balance and tact is much easier on a horse with an engine and sensitivity. The European warmbloods in particular are impressive movers with a lot of power over a jump but take a stronger rider with a better seat to bring out their potential. Some riders do better with a quiet colder-blooded horse, but most can learn to ride the

Retired Racehorse Project Teams with Thoroughbred Charities of America for Thoroughbred Marketplace Event In keeping with its mission of increasing demand for Thoroughbreds in the equestrian marketplace, the Retired Racehorse Project (RRP) is joining forces with the Thoroughbred Charities of America (TCA) to present the TCA Thoroughbred Marketplace at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland, on October 3-5.

“Ex-racehorses at all levels of training will be present for the weekend, catalogued online, inspected by veterinarians and offered an opportunity to perform,” RRP founder and President Steuart Pittman said. “Approved exhibitors will be nonprofit placement organizations, professionals, amateurs and racing owners. It’s a model we are putting together with help from some smart people that we hope can be replicated easily at racetracks everywhere. We expect a good showing of buyers and adopters.”

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AMERICAN Racehorse • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2014

Last year, the Thoroughbred Marketplace drew more than 800 people out to Pimlico, prompting an expansion of the event for 2014. Some of the weekend seminars lined up include The First 100 Days, Racehorse Reality Check, The Trainers Forum and Maryland Racing: Where Horses Come First. Hands-on sessions covering Selecting Prospects, Soundness Issues, Holistic Health and Saddle Fit will take place in the barns.

In addition to educational seminars and Thoroughbred demonstrations, the event also will include the second annual Thoroughbred Makeover and America’s Most Wanted Thoroughbred Contest, a multi-horse training challenge.

For more information, visit retiredracehorseproject. org/2014-thoroughbred-makeover.

average Thoroughbred, and when they do, they tend to get hooked on the feeling. Many of us in eventing suspect that rotational falls on cross-country courses happen less often to Thoroughbreds than other breeds.”

To get this message to sporting and recreational horsemen, RRP has developed a significant online presence through a website that includes a Resource Directory (also available in a print version) that lists racetracks, retirement programs, placement organizations and trainers who work with ex-racehorses; an active YouTube channel packed with educational videos; advice from experts on transitioning Thoroughbreds to new disciplines; a library of published reports and surveys on second-career Thoroughbreds; a user-sourced Bloodline Brag that demonstrates how well racing bloodlines adapt to other activities; and, perhaps most important, listings of ex-racehorses who are ready for their second careers. The website receives 75,000 hits each month, while the monthly RRP e-newsletter reaches 12,500 subscribers. The educational videos have been viewed more than 300,000 times, and more than 55,000 people follow RRP on Facebook.

“Organizations and farms who use our online horse listings, which include more than 100 active horses currently, and our online directories report better traffic than any other marketing tools they have,

and it’s all free to use,” Pittman said. “The users of our Bloodline Brag swear by it as a way to research second-career accomplishments of racing bloodlines. What really matters, however, is how many people are choosing Thoroughbreds off the track as a result of our work. We get enough people telling us that it happened to them and thanking us that we know we are on the right track.”

Events form another crucial component of the RRP marketing mission. More than 11,000 people attended RRP events in 2013. In addition to educational seminars, RRP has hosted three training challenges with a fourth edition—America’s Most Wanted Thoroughbred Contest—on tap for this October as part of the TCA Thoroughbred Marketplace at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland (see sidebar).

“America’s Most Wanted Thoroughbred Contest takes the best aspects of the first three challenges and presents 10 horses training for 10 different disciplines with 10 good trainers for a prize of $10,000,” Pittman explained. “Online followers can read training reports, watch video updates, comment on progress and eventually vote ‘American Idol’-style. The horses will perform at Pimlico during our Thoroughbred Makeover before a panel of judges. After last year’s Thoroughbred Makeover at Pimlico, Thoroughbred Charities of America awarded us its Industry Service Award and has funded our

Polo was one of the many disciplines showcased at the Thoroughbred Makeover, which this year will be held October 3-5 at Pimlico.

Sarah K. Andrew

AMERICAN Racehorse • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2014 43

More than 800 people attended last year’s Thoroughbred Makeover, along with 60 horses and 40 vendors.

Sarah K. Andrew

work generously. That recognition was a huge honor for us, given the composition of TCA’s Board.”

Because much of the racing industry’s charitable funding is restricted to nonprofit retirement organizations, the TCA award and its funding have proved critical for RRP. For now, the organization relies largely on the support of its donors to take on new projects. While the goal of RRP is to reach those in the sporting and recreational disciplines, its success would be impossible without the support of the racing industry. For those interested in supporting RRP, donations are welcome, but support can also be as simple as spreading the word and using the tools the organization provides, such as the Resource Directory, which includes articles offering guidance to sellers, buyers, adopters and donors of horses, such as sample contracts and what to watch out for.

“The organization is growing fast, and demand for its services is huge,” Pittman said. “We started as all-volunteer but have learned that the effectiveness of what we put out depends on its quality, and that Internet-based services and major public events need professional staff. That will allow us to build on our success and undertake the projects that our board of directors envisions.”

For more information on the Retired Racehorse Project, visit retiredracehorseproject.org. H

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Mister Arapahoe

Get Happy Mister has never lost a race in his home state, and he earned his most impressive victory to date in the $100,000 Arapahoe Park Classic.

Colorado-bred Get Happy Mister is putting his name in the record books •

By Denis Blake Photos by Coady Photography

46

Since even before the first Kentucky Derby in 1875, the Bluegrass State has far and away been the leading breeder of Thoroughbred racehorses. But there are exceptions to every rule; Secretariat was bred in Virginia and Cigar in Maryland, and a Montana-bred even won the Run for the Roses (Spokane in 1889). In recent years, state-bred programs around the region have produced some stellar horses of their own—Oklahoma has millionaire and graded stakes winner She’s All In, Texas can boast about one of the nation’s top 3-year-old fillies in Fiftyshadesofgold and Vicar’s in Trouble won the Grade 2, $1 million Louisiana Derby for his home state. Now, Colorado is getting in on the game with Get Happy Mister, who just might be the best horse ever bred in the Centennial State.

The safest bet at Arapahoe Park near Denver has been on the nose of the 4-year-old gelding, who in nine races at his favorite track has visited the winner’s circle every single time. Consigned by breeder Willard Burbach to the 2011 Silver Cup Yearling Sale put on by the Colorado Thoroughbred Breeders Association, the son of First Samurai sold for $46,000 to Annette Bishop’s Tangarae Farms LLC. He debuted at Arapahoe in June 2012 with an easy maiden victory, and then in a span of barely a month he humbled his foes in the CTBA, Silver Cup and Gold Rush futurities by an average margin of nine lengths and with the last-named coming against open company.

AMERICAN Racehorse • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2014

As a 3-year-old, Get Happy Mister again proved he didn’t need horse of the year, had chased Get Happy Mister, with the final two restricted competition or the Rocky Mountain air to win, as he resulting in runner-up finishes. Bred by Menoken Farms, where his defeated a strong field of sophomores in the $100,000 Northern sire Oliver’s Twist stood the 2014 breeding season for a $1,000 fee, Spur Stakes at Oaklawn Park. He Magical Twist has hit the board kicked off his 4-year-old campaign in 13 of 21 career starts with at Santa Anita Park with a good earnings of $144,057. fourth behind eventual Grade 3 Get Happy Mister was named winner Fury Kapcori in the Santhe 2012 Colorado-bred horse of tana Mile Stakes before returning the year, and he’ll need to start home after not racing in Colorado clearing some space on his shelf as a 3-year-old. for a 2014 award.

In one of the most impressive “This race tested him to see if displays at any racetrack, anywe know how far he can run and where, Get Happy Mister reeled what he can do,” said Bishop, off five straight wins this season who lives in Lakewood, Coloat Arapahoe at distances from rado. “It seems like any distance 1 5 ½ furlongs to 1 /8 miles. The can work for him. He’s the best last four all came against stakes horse I’ve ever had.” company, with the grand finale Get Happy Mister is out of the in the $100,000 Arapahoe Park Colorado-bred mare Sara MargaClassic against a field that inret, a daughter of Elusive Qualcluded East Coast stakes winner ity who placed in two stakes at Ground Transport.

Arapahoe. The gelding is due for But the quality of the field some well-deserved rest after his didn’t seem to matter to Get Arapahoe campaign, but he’ll be Happy Mister, as the Kenneth back to try for his 10th local win “Butch” Gleason trainee deliv- Owner Annette Bishop leads Get Happy Mister next year. ered yet another win under jockey to a familiar place, the Arapahoe Park “Right now, he’s turned out, winner’s circle.

Mike Ziegler to improve his career and I will start him at Santa bankroll to $324,928.

“He’s a superstar,” Ziegler said. “When you can go 1 1/8 miles and take command like he did, that’s the sign of a real racehorse.

“He was a little rank early,” the jockey added. “I saw the speed go.

He fought a little bit. When he got halfway around the first turn, he leveled out. I just watched them until the three-eighths-pole. Then Mister just took me. He knows what he’s doing. Down the lane he was kind of pricking his ears.”

Even with his perfect eight-for-eight Arapahoe record going into the $100,000 race, the betting public, or at least some of them and somewhat foolishly, bet against Get Happy Mister, sending him off as the 9-5 second choice behind 4-5 favorite Ground Transport. But at the wire, it was Get Happy Mister again.

“I’ll just say one thing—It’s hard to beat home cooking,” Gleason said.

Colorado-bred Magical Twist also enjoyed some home cooking, as the 5-year-old gelding closed gamely to take second for owner Eli Diamant and trainer Sharlot Martinez. It marked the fourth consecutive race in which Magical Twist, the 2013 Colorado-bred

Anita again (in early 2015),” said Bishop about his return to the races, which will start in the barn of her son-in-law Mark Tsagalakis on the West Coast before moving back to Gleason’s barn. “We’ll bring him back to Arapahoe and see if someone wants to run with him.”

No matter who lines up to run against him, Get Happy Mister is not going to back down from a challenge.

“He needs a few manners and likes to bite a little,” Bishop said.

“He knows he’s the top boy, but he’s a sweet, laid-back, fun horse. I was amazed at how calm he was for his last race; I was worried if he was alright. He just takes everything in stride. He knows happy and happy knows him.”

As for his name, Bishop said it just kind of came to her at the sale.

“Butch and I were sitting there and they started bidding on him, and Butch got a little nervous,” she recalled. “He said he wants this horse. So I said, ‘get happy mister,’ and that ended up being his name.

The name certainly fits.

“He’s a happy horse, and he makes a lot of people happy,” Bishop concluded. H AMERICAN Racehorse • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2014 47

Something in the Air

Study finds particulates in stable air can cause airway inflammation and affect performance

By Denise Steffanus

Poor air quality in racing stables may inflame a horse’s airway, cause the accumulation of mucus and potentially decrease racing performance, according to a three-part study led by researchers at Michigan State University. The study looked at the air quality and incidence of airway disease in three racing stables at Thistledown racetrack near Cleveland. The researchers, led by Melissa MillerickMay, Ph.D., mapped the particulate (dust) concentration in those stables, documented the size of the particles, identified horses in those stables with airway inflammation and mucus, then correlated the incidence of airway disease with hot spots of airborne particles.

For part of the study, the research team used hand-held devices to assess airborne particulates; another part outfitted the noseband of each horse’s halter with a device that sampled the air quality in the horse’s breathing zone.

Air in racing stables Millerick-May is a lifelong horsewoman whose parents own racehorses. Her cousin Buster Millerick trained Racing Hall of Fame horse Native Diver and assisted Charles Howard in training Seabiscuit.

After years as a toxicologist and industrial hygienist in the auto industry, where she focused on the effect of occupational exposure to particulates and airborne contaminants on workers, MillerickMay wanted to look at how air quality in racing stables affects horses’ lungs. She discussed the topic with equine airway specialist Edward Robinson, B.Vet.Med, Ph.D. at Michigan State, who put together an investigative team that included Millerick-May; Robinson; Susan Holcombe, V.M.D., Ph.D.; Frederik J. Derksen, D.V.M., Ph.D.; and Brett Berthold, D.V.M. Particle mapping was the first step in the study. The team sampled the air in the stables and drew a grid of where the highest concentration of particulates—“hot spots”—occurred. These hot spots were different for each stable, depending upon management practices and month of the year, as well as the environment surrounding the barns.

Some factors that increased particulate levels were activities that kicked up dust such as mucking stalls, moving hay and raking aisles.

These activities occurred principally during morning hours. Weather and season also played a role, with the lowest counts occurring in July after a period of damp weather. The highest concentration was detected in September.

Next the team measured the size of particulates and their prevalence.

“The size of the diameter of the particle is very important,” Millerick-May said. “Large particles are trapped in the upper airway and can 48

AMERICAN Racehorse • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2014

iStock

Extra windows and open stalls can help reduce the concentration of particles in a barn. be sneezed out, but small particles can reach deep into the lung and cause inflammation.”

The team also examined horses in those stables for signs of airway disease.

“We correlated [particulate measurements] in the stables with the measures of airway inflammation, which was visible trachael mucus on endoscopic examination as well as inflammatory cells from trachael washes in the first year of the study,” Millerick-May said. “Then in year two, we put personal monitors on horses to measure peak exposures over an 18-hour period for horses that had mucous scores that were known to affect racing performance and for horses that had no trachael mucus.”

Millerick-May said the study confirmed what the expert respiratory team hoped it would prove.

“Stables that had high concentrations of particles were those that had a higher prevalence of horses with trachael mucus present on endoscopic examination,” she said. “In those months that were the driest, where particle concentrations were the highest, we also found the highest prevalence of horses with visible trachael mucus on endoscopic examination.

“What was interesting and made sense was that even in November, when it was wet and cold and snowy, the particle concentrations within the stables, even the most open-air stables, were high. Because it was cold, rainy and snowy, all the windows and doors were locked tight, so there wasn’t sufficient natural dilution ventilation to clear out the particulates.”

Management practices Holcombe, professor of Large Animal Clinical Sciences at MSU, said changing certain management practices can significantly reduce a

iStock

Brick buildings with small windows can be problematic for proper air circulation.

Better Stable Management Practices

• Remove horses when cleaning stable.

• Use least-dusty bedding.

• Feed hay on floor.

• Do not store hay above stalls.

• Dampen aisle/shedrow before sweeping or raking.

• Turn off parked vehicles near stable.

• Open windows (except adjacent to dusty roads).

• Place fans above ground level (stall fronts).

Stable construction

GOOD: Modern-constructed building with outwardly facing stalls, roll-up shutters the full length of the building, vaulted ceilings and sliding doors at each end POOR: Old-style brick building with closed-front stalls, low ceilings, small windows only on outer walls set high and kept closed, and large doors at each end of the barn

horse’s exposure to harmful particulates. The most important factor is to remove horses from the barn while it is being cleaned.

At racetracks, the morning training schedule and its logistics do not allow for all horses to be out of the stable at the same time. In this situation, cleaning a horse’s stall only when the horse is out of it helps limit its exposure to particulates.

Trainers who have access to nearby turnout paddocks and round pens can send horses to the racetrack, bathe them and cool them out outside the barn when they return, and then turn them out until the dust settles inside the barn.

Which bedding a trainer should use is a tricky question, Holcombe said.

“Some paper pellets have very low dust levels, and so does peat-moss bedding,” she said. “If the straw you’re using is very clean, that’s great.

Shavings tend to be less reactive and less dusty than straw. But use whatever is the least dusty.”

Avoid storing hay and straw above a horse’s stall, and feed hay on the floor, not in a hay net or hay rack, the study found. Particulates from hay are not as likely to become airborne when it is lying on the stall floor. And because the horse’s head is lowered to eat, its nasal passages drain normally. Hay also can be soaked or sprayed with water to dampen particulates.

Holcombe said some stalls in barns seem to be chronic hot spots for

particulates, perhaps from growing mold, hay storage above the stall or air currents that carry dust into the stall.

“Melissa May found that these are stalls where the horse may chronically have a lot of mucus, and all you need to do is move it to a different stall,” she said.

Other suggestions from Holcombe and Millerick-May were to wet down the shed row or aisle before raking or sweeping it, keep windows open except for those adjacent to a dusty road, turn off vehicles parked nearby to reduce exhaust emissions and limit the use of floor fans.

“Placement of fans on the floor within the stable was a big factor,” Millerick-May said. “Large-diameter fans placed on the ground at the end of the aisles [picked up] particles from [the ground] and dispersed them back into the air. Fans mounted on stall fronts or that were placed above the ground worked best to improve ventilation without dispersing particulates into the environment.”

The primary sign that air quality may be affecting a horse’s respiratory system is a decline in performance, Holcombe said.

“Its respiratory rate may not come back to normal quickly after exercise, and the horse may take longer to cool out,” she said. “If the horse is coughing in the stall, when it eats or when it first begins to exercise, it could indicate lung disease or pulmonary inflammation. Of course, if you see a nasal discharge or notice a general malaise, this could indicate an infection.”

She urged the horse owner or trainer to consult a veterinarian if the horse develops any of these signs.

Particle mapping Although logic would seem to dictate which areas of a stable are more likely to have a high concentration in particulates, Millerick-May said this is not always true. That is why she urges particle mapping.

“Some of the stalls within the stables that had the highest concentration of particulates were next to doors or had windows,” she said. “So we were able to look at the circumstances within that stable that were occurring at the time the monitoring took place and understand why those concentrations were highest.

“Sometimes it’s not as simple as saying, ‘Keep all your doors and windows open.’ The actual management practices as dictated by the trainer may induce dispersion of particulates. So it is helpful to do this type of monitoring because you can pinpoint certain activities that generate the highest concentration of particulates within the stable, and you can work to control that handful of activities.”

Millerick-May said particle mapping of stables is a specialized service that requires knowledge of industrial hygiene and the horse industry, and few people have both. She invited anyone interested in having a stable particle-mapped to contact her for further information. H

For more information:

Melissa Millerick-May, Ph.D. Department of Medicine • Michigan State University 120 W. Fee Hall • East Lansing, MI 48824 Phone: (517) 432-0707 • E-mail: melissa.may@hc.msu.edu AMERICAN Racehorse • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2014 49

Jack Van Berg Still Going Strong at 78 Biography by Remington Park’s Chris Kotulak chronicles a living legend

Jack Van Berg and Chris Kotulak

50

AMERICAN Racehorse • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2014

It’s not often that race fans get to see a living legend at the track, but at Lone Star Park this past meet they were treated to the frequent sight of trainer Jack Van Berg in the winner’s circle. The 78-yard-old conditioner enjoyed a stellar meet with a 25 percent win rate and an overall record of 32 starts, eight wins, five seconds and four thirds. Of course, that’s merely a footnote in a career that has rewritten the record books.

Van Berg was the first trainer in North America to reach 5,000 career wins and currently is ranked fourth all-time in wins at 6,424. He previously held the record for most wins in a year with 496.

The son of Marion H. Van Berg, another legendary trainer who was inducted into the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame in 1970, the younger Van Berg followed his father into the Hall in 1985.

Van Berg’s greatest runner was Alysheba, who won the 1987 Kentucky Derby (G1) and Preakness Stakes (G1) for Texans Dorothy and Pam Scharbauer, the wife and daughter of Clarence Scharbauer Jr. Track announcer Tom Durkin famously declared Alysheba “America’s Horse” when he won the 1988 Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) in near darkness at Churchill Downs.

Van Berg simultaneously operated many divisions of Thoroughbreds across the nation throughout the 1970s and 1980s and became known as a taskmaster trainer with his strict work ethic and a gentle and generous knack to help those in need.

He also mentored many young horsemen who went on to achieve great success, including Bill Mott, Frankie Brothers and Wayne Catalano.

“He’d give you all the barbed wire you could eat and somehow you’d end up liking it,” said Brothers

WHERE TO BUY THE BOOK

• Jackfromgrittoglory.com • Amazon.com • Remington Park gift shop • Lone Star Park gift shop

who worked for Van Berg for nearly 10 years and later trained Hansel, winner of the 1991 Preakness and Belmont (G1) stakes.

Van Berg’s story is chronicled in JACK, From Grit to Glory: A Lifetime of Mentoring, Dedication and Perseverance, a biography written by Chris Kotulak, who is known to racing fans across the country from his time at TVG and track announcing in Louisiana and at Hollywood Park. Kotulak currently works as an analyst and television host at Remington Park.

The book is filled with anecdotal recollections from a variety of horsemen and gives a chronological account of the tremendous hardships and accomplishments Van Berg faced in his career and personal life.

The following excerpt illustrates the influence Van Berg has had on numerous trainers, in this case, a young Tom Amoss, who set his sights on the Cornhusker Handicap at the now defunct Ak-Sar-Ben in Omaha, Nebraska. The race, which lives on as the Prairie Meadows Cornhusker Handicap in Iowa, was one of the top handicap races in the country. H

Tom Amoss was awestruck when he first laid his eyes on a Cornhusker Handicap trophy. Tom and his childhood bud dy Al Stall Jr. were invited guests with Al’s parents at a party held at Van Berg ’s newly constructed home and training center in Kentucky. The trophy case at the facility was prominent. Seeing all the gold made Amoss feel like he’d just stepped into the tomb of Tutankhamen—Tom was taken.

“I’ll never forget those giant Cornhusker trophies and how they stood out among all the others,” said Amoss.

It was a remarkable trophy case and a remarkable case of foreshadowing. In time, Tom Amoss would earn a Cornhu sker Handicap trophy of his own.

Tom’s entry point into Thoroughbred raci ng came at the Van Berg barn at the Fair Grounds in New Orleans, when he spent part of his high school Christmas vacation as a hotwalker for Jack. Vaca tion was three weeks; Tom lasted nine days.

“I was at the barn from sunrise to suns et and I never stopped working the entire time I was there,” Amoss said.

As a teenager, Tom might have been over whelmed by the demands of working for Jack, but he gained an early and vita l understanding of dedication. Amoss was as absorbed and intense then as he is now. Tom would learn more about the Van Berg method of training as he deve loped his horsemanship under Frankie Brothers, who was one of Jack’s early disciples. Amoss, like Brothers, would ultimately leave the nest and hatch into a prominent trainer.

In August of 1993, on the backstretch of Ak-Sar-Ben, and just two days before the Cornhusker Handicap, Tom Amo ss watched his hard-knocking gelding, Link, step off the horse van lam e. Something had gone wrong with the horse during the haul from Louisiana to Nebraska.

Tom’s mind began to whir. He rapidly rifled through all the lessons he had learned as a trainer, as well as what he had learned as an assistant trainer to Larry Robideaux and what he had retained from his days of working for Frankie Brothers. And then his desperate search for a solution stopped; he got his answer from Jack.

“I recalled a remark Jack Van Berg mad e when he said, ‘Horseshoeing is a lost art.’ His statement that shoeing a horse was an art form really stuck with me,” said Amoss. “I remembered that Van Berg said Jack Reynolds was the best horseshoer in the nation.”

Tom was able to locate Reynolds and quickly get him to Omaha to have a look at Link.

“Jack Reynolds reshod Link and in one and a half hours Link was walking like new,” marveled Amoss.

One day later, the red dots on the yello w sleeves of the Stewart Madison silks worn by jockey Ronald Ardoin shone through when Link won a four-horse blanket finish of the Grade 3 Cornhu sker Handicap. Bossanova, trained by Jack Van Berg, was in that blanket finis h.

AMERICAN Racehorse • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2014 51

Tax Talk:

Costly Tax Return Omissions and Mistakes

By Virginia Heizer

Not many people have had the privilege of reviewing thousands of tax returns prepared by thousands of accountants. As a former corporate income tax auditor, I reviewed the finances and tax strategies used by the largest corporations in the nation, as well as those used by the struggling mom and pop shop. In addition to observing excellent tax preparation and strategy, there were also many costly mistakes.

The two most common and costly errors for the struggling business involved omitting losses and not maximizing travel expenses, both of which are often applicable to equine-related businesses. Another big error by taxpayers is their fear of the unknown to amend tax returns and claim refunds.

Good Years and Lean Years in the Horse Business The life of a horseman includes the many highs and lows that come with the thrills of racing. Those loss years can greatly lower taxes by reducing taxable income in the good years. Losses are applied two years back and 20 years forward. For example, in 2010 you had a nice stakes winner and had taxable income of $160,000, but in 2012 your barn struggled and lost $20,000. It’s 2014, but it is not too late for you to amend your 2010 tax return to apply the $20,000 loss and get a refund of about $6,000.

A skilled tax preparer can analyze your mix of good years with bad years to save you the most money. Applying the net operating loss tax code gets more complicated the longer you wait. My advice is: 1) Don’t procrastinate discussing losses with your tax preparer. Loss carryback requires an election (decision). Without a waiver, the losses will disappear under the statute of limitations.

2) Get what is coming to you. I’ve seen some people tip-toe around the issue of losses and understate the situation. It is gut-wrenching to see taxpayers miss out just when they need a refund the most. If this scenario sounds familiar, then you still have an opportunity to amend tax returns for sizable refunds.

Meal Expenses for Horsemen Most taxpayers are familiar with the standard mileage deduction for your travel. There is also a standard meal deduction for your travel and temporary assignments. The meal allowance is available to both business owners and any employees who don’t get meals reimbursed (for example, assistant trainers and grooms).

Although your groceries may only cost $9 per day, the IRS allows a standard meal deduction as high as $35.50 per day. Following is a table of current 52

AMERICAN Racehorse • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2014

standard meal allowance rates for tracks frequented in the region.

Every taxpayer’s situation is different, but most horsemen on temporary assignments can deduct meal expenses over $7,000 every year, which is a tax savings of about $1,400. Figuring out how your temporary assignment fits into the IRS rules is complicated. Temporary assignments might total about seven months, but cannot total the entire 12 months, because of the tax home (regular place of business) rule. Researching travel tax code is long and difficult, but your tax preparer can determine the correct travel expenses for you to deduct on Form 2106—Employee Business Expenses.

Lastly, if you discover that you have overstated your taxable income in recent years, then have your tax returns amended to claim your refund. It’s not too late to amend your tax return to get refunds for 2013, 2012 and 2011. In some cases, you can amend 2010, 2009 and 2008 for refunds. One visit to your preparer will save you a bundle of money. H Virginia Heizer has been a Certified Public Accountant since 1987. As a former auditor at the Oklahoma Tax Commission, she has a wealth of knowledge about tax-saving opportunities. For more information, please visit her website at HeizerCPA.com or email her at virginia@heizercpa.com.

Standard Meal Allowance by Location • Rates from 10/1/13 to 9/30/14

Track County

100% Rate

50% Deduction

Sam Houston Race Park Harris $71.00

Lone Star Park Dallas $71.00

Retama Park Bexar $66.00

Will Rogers Downs Rogers $46.00

Fair Meadows at Tulsa Tulsa $46.00

Remington Park Oklahoma $66.00

Oaklawn Park Garland $46.00

Delta Downs Calcasieu $46.00

Fair Grounds Race Course Orleans $71.00

Evangeline Downs St. Landry $46.00

Louisiana Downs Bossier $46.00

Note: The IRS bases rates on the work location, not the location of the accommodations.

$35.50 $35.50 $33.00 $23.00 $23.00 $33.00 $23.00 $23.00 $35.50 $23.00 $23.00

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www.riveroaksthoroughbreds.com AMERICAN Racehorse • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2014 53

Winners All Around

Dustin Orona Photography

Coady Photography

Texas- and Oklahoma-breds win open races around the region while Remington Park opens its rich stakes schedule and Lone Star Park wraps up with Stars of Texas Day

big sugar rush

W V JETSETTER $103,180 TTA Sales Futurity (colts and geldings division) Lone Star Park 5 Furlongs • :58.11 • July 12 2-year-old colt by Jet Phone out of Better than Most, by Elusive Quality Breeder: Clarence Scharbauer Jr. (Texas) • Owner: Wesley Melcher Trainer: Bret Calhoun • Jockey: Jamie Theriot Sire Jet Phone stands in Texas at Valor Farm

TEXAS BLING $50,000 Assault Stakes Lone Star Park 1 Mile • 1:38.21 • July 12 4-year-old colt by Too Much Bling out of Anythingmore,

by Country Pine Breeder/Owner: Hall’s Family Trust (Texas) Trainer: Danele Durham • Jockey: David Cabrera Sire Too Much Bling stands in Texas at Lane’s End Texas

Dustin Orona Photography

Dustin Orona Photography

$84,955 Iowa Stallion Stakes Prairie Meadows 1 Mile and 70 Yards • 1:44.81 • July 6 3-year-old gelding by Kipling out of Royal and Ancient,

by Royal Academy Breeder: Center Hills Farms (Oklahoma) • Owner: Big Sugar Racing LLC Trainer: Timothy Martin • Jockey: Jake Barton Sire Kipling stands in Oklahoma at Mighty Acres

VIVIAN DA BLING $98,100 TTA Sales Futurity (fillies division) Lone Star Park 5 Furlongs • :58.13 • July 12 2-year-old filly by Too Much Bling out of Midnight Lightning,

by Mountain Cat Breeder: Channon Farm LLC (Louisiana) Owner: JRita Young Thoroughbreds LLC Trainer: Bret Calhoun • Jockey: Cliff Berry Sire Too Much Bling stands in Texas at Lane’s End Texas

Dustin Orona Photography

LASTING BUBBLES $50,000 Valor Farm Stakes Lone Star Park 6 Furlongs • 1:09.89 • July 12 6-year-old mare by Pulling Punches out of Slim’s Secret, by Desert Secret (Ire) Breeder/Owner: Judy Peek (Texas) Trainer: Kevin Peek • Jockey: Chris Rosier AMERICAN Racehorse • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2014 55

JOHNNY WHIP

Coady Photography

Dustin Orona Photography

Coady Photography

$47,500 Route 66 Stakes Fair Meadows 6 ½ Furlongs • 1:19.40 • July 26 5-year-old gelding by Stephen Got Even out of Paradisa,

by Seeking the Gold Breeder: Robert H. Zoellner (Oklahoma) • Owner: George W. Straw Jr. Trainer: Jody Pruitt • Jockey: Jose Medina

IVAN FALLUNOVALOT

Dustin Orona Photography

SOONER SUPERSTAR $50,000 Red Earth Stakes Remington Park 7 ½ Furlongs, Turf • 1:28.76 • August 22 5-year-old mare by Ra Ra Superstar out of Skip a Dare, by Skip Away Breeder: H. Allen Poindexter (Oklahoma) Owner: Dwayne Scruggs and Marti Rodriguez Trainer: Marti Rodriguez • Jockey: Ken Tohill

56

$47,500 Muscogee (Creek) Nation Stakes Fair Meadows 6 Furlongs • 1:12.60 • July 26 6-year-old mare by Devil His Due out of Nemisia, by Rubiano Breeder: Diamond G Ranch Inc. (Oklahoma) • Owner: Doyle Williams Trainer: Scott Young • Jockey: Floyd Wethey Jr.

Dustin Orona Photography

$75,825 David M. Vance Sprint Stakes Remington Park 6 Furlongs • 1:09.40 • August 16 4-year-old gelding by Valid Expectations out of Flashdance Missy,

by Horse Chestnut (SAf) Breeder: Eileen H. Hartis (Texas) • Owner: Lewis E. Mathews Jr. Trainer: W.T. Howard • Jockey: Lindey Wade

LESLEY BE JUDGED

AMERICAN Racehorse • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2014

CODE WEST $176,050 Governor’s Cup Stakes Remington Park 1 1/8 Miles • 1:49.82 • August 16 4-year-old ridgling by Lemon Drop Kid out of Charitabledonation,

by Saint Ballado Breeder: Edward P. Evans (Virginia) • Owner: Bryan Hawk Trainer: Boyd Caster • Jockey: Cliff Berry

Dustin Orona Photography

Dustin Orona Photography

bim bam $75,000 Edward J. Debartolo Memorial Handicap Remington Park 1 1/16 Miles, Turf • 1:42.25 • August 23 7-year-old horse by Deputy Wild Cat out of Laurel Light, by Colony Light Breeder: J D Farms (Florida) • Owner: Chuck and Ella Lou Hagaman Trainer: Ron Moquett • Jockey: Jareth Loveberry

SATIN GOLD

Coady Photography

$50,000 Ricks Memorial Stakes Remington Park 1 Mile, Turf • 1:37.46 • August 29 4-year-old filly by English Channel out of Bright Gold,

by Hold for Gold Breeder: Hazel B. Marsh (Kentucky) Owner: Kathy Stephens and Frank Nieschwietz Trainer: Dewey Smith • Jockey: Glen Murphy

$75,250 Evangeline Downs Star Stakes Evangeline Downs 6 Furlongs • 1:12.79 • August 30 2-year-old gelding by Offlee Wild out of Oklawaha, by Carson City Breeder/Owner: Dream Walkin’ Farms Inc. (Oklahoma) Trainer: Harlan Boutte • Jockey: Coby Bourque

Coady Photography

WAHA WILD

SKIM THE RAIL $50,000 Manzano Stakes The Downs at Albuquerque 6 Furlongs • 1:10.81 • August 31 2-year-old filly by Latent Heat out of Brush the Rail,

by Broad Brush Breeder: Clark O. Brewster (Oklahoma) • Owner: Jeff Plotkin Trainer: Justin Evans • Jockey: Jose Beitia Sire Latent Heat stands in Oklahoma at River Oaks Farms

Gay Harris

OL WINEDRINKER WHO $60,000 Ruidoso Downs Thoroughbred Championship Handicap Ruidoso Downs 1 1/16 Miles • 1:45.92 • September 1 5-year-old gelding by Sligo Bay (Ire) out of Silverup, by Prenup Breeder/Owner: Sam E. and Sammy L. Stevens (Texas) Trainer: Joel Marr • Jockey: Carlos Madeira Ol Winedrinker Who also won the $75,000 San Juan County Commissioners Handicap on June 22 at SunRay Park in 1:51.80 for 1 1/8 miles

AMERICAN Racehorse • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2014 57

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–––IMMACULATE–––

2009, Distorted Humor – Folklore, by Tiznow

• Sold for $450K as a yearling • Dam FOLKLORE won BC Juvenile Fillies and was Eclipse Champion • Son of sire of sires DISTORTED HUMOR, broke maiden at Santa Anita in 1:09.11

Call (832) 642-1820 for more information

Tara Sanders

Racing in Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma Thoroughbreds, Quarter Horses, Paints/Apps

(318) 491-2915

How can you reach more than 6,000 horsemen and horsewomen across the region for only $75?

With the American Racehorse classifieds!

Contact us today at info@americanracehorse.com or (512) 695-4541 and we’ll help you get your message out.

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AMERICAN Racehorse • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2014