News and Notes for July 18, 2014
NEWS AND NOTES FOR JULY 18, 2014
LONE STAR PARK THOROUGHBRED MEET CONCLUDES
Last weekend marked the close of the Thoroughbred meet at Lone Star Park with four stakes races. The stakes action kicked off with the $50,000 Valor Farm Stakes for Texas-bred fillies and mares, and Judy Peek’s homebred Lasting Bubbles captured the event for the second year in a row. Ridden by Chris Rosier for trainer Kevin Peek, Lasting Bubbles scored a convincing three-length victory as the 9-10 favorite. The 6-year-old daughter of Pulling Punches covered six furlongs in 1:09.89. This was the fifth career stakes win for Lasting Bubbles and improved her lifetime record to 23-9-6-1 with earnings of $295,581.
In the fillies division of the $98,100 Texas Thoroughbred Association Sales Futurity, Louisiana-bred Vivian Da Bling romped to an easy 6 ¼-length victory under jockey Cliff Berry. Trained by Bret Calhoun and owned by JRita Young Thoroughbreds LLC, the daughter of Lane’s End Texas stallion Too Much Bling was sent off as the 1-5 favorite after breaking her maiden at Lone Star by 9 ½ lengths in her debut. Bred by Channon Farm LLC, the filly sold for $40,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Texas Yearling Sale from the consignment of Inside Move Inc., agent. The filly, who dashed five furlongs in :58.13, has already banked $70,740. Read more 
TRC Public Comment Hearing Location Change
To ensure sufficient accommodations and parking, the Texas Racing Commission’s Public Comment Hearing on proposed rules (including pari-mutuel wagering on historical races) scheduled for Thursday, July 17, 2014, has been moved. The new location is:
John H. Reagan Building, Room JHR 120
If you have any questions, please contact Robert Elrod at 512-833-6699 or email info@txrc.texas.gov.
TB Meet Champions at LSP
LONE STAR PARK ANNOUNCES MEET CHAMPIONS
Lone Star Park wrapped up its Thoroughbred meet on Saturday and has announced the leading horsemen.
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 his first riding titles of his young career.
Champion Trainer honors went to Karl Broberg, who finished the season with a total of 58 wins.
For the Champion Owner of the Meet, it ended in a tie between 2013 leading owner, Danny Keene, and 2012 leading owner, End Zone Athletics Inc., as they each finished the meet with 20 wins.
Other Champion categories were:
Horse of the Meet: Grand Contender, winner of both the Grade 3 Texas Mile and the Grade 3 Lone Star Park Handicap.
Texas-bred Champion: Lasting Bubbles, winner of the Wayne Hanks Memorial Stakes and he Valor Farm Stakes.
Claiming Horse of the Meet: Perfect Tap – with six starts, three wins and one second.
LSP TB MEET CLOSES
LONE STAR MEET CLOSES WITH STARS OF TEXAS DAY
Lone Star Park on Saturday wrapped up its Thoroughbred meet with Stars of Texas Day featuring a quartet of stakes worth more than $300,000.
Lasting Bubbles * Photo by Dustin Orona Photography
The stakes action kicked off with the $50,000 Valor Farm Stakes for Texas-bred fillies and mares, and Judy Peek’s homebred Lasting Bubbles captured the event for the second year in a row. Ridden by Chris Rosier for trainer Kevin Peek, Lasting Bubbles scored a convincing three-length victory as the 9-10 favorite. The 6-year-old daughter of Pulling Punches covered six furlongs in 1:09.98. This was the fifth career stakes win for Lasting Bubbles and improved her lifetime record to 23-9-6-1 with earnings of $295,581.
Joey Keith Davis’ Molly’s Honour, who defeated Lasting Bubbles earlier in the meet in the grassy Lane’s End Stallion Scholarship Stakes, finished a clear second with Nurse Goodnight in third for owner Danny Keene. Read more
Lone Star shows signs of life
Lone Star shows signs of life
The Texas racetrack has not been in racing’s spotlight since 2004
By Gary West | Special to ESPN.com
Horsephotos.comTen years after hosting the Breeders’ Cup, Lone Star hasn’t been able to recapture the spotlight.
GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas — Just 10 years ago, the highlight of the Lone Star Park season was the Breeders’ Cup World Thoroughbred Championships. This year, it’s Saturday’s Texas Thoroughbred Association Futurities. Much has changed. Just 10 years ago, Ouija Board, Afleet Alex, Ashado, Kitten’s Joy, Azeri, Funny Cide, Pleasantly Perfect and Ghostzapper all raced at Lone Star. This year, Vivian Da Bling, Unbridled Kid and Supermason are the headliners.
Not too long ago, the sport regarded Texas as the Promised Land. But the embarrassing actuality is that Texas horse racing is moribund, nearly dead, or at best irrelevant. Since the Breeders’ Cup camped here in 2004, bringing together such disparate forces as Willie Nelson and Lord Derby, Texas racing’s only goal has been archmediocrity. But there has been a single sliver of distinction: Promising young horses continue to emerge from Lone Star Park, horses such as Fiftyshadesofgold, who won the Eight Belles Stakes, and Promise Me Silver, who won the Debutante Stakes, and Silverhill, who ran second in the Bashford Manor. Before their stakes success in Kentucky, they all won their debut at Lone Star. Read more
Kenny McPeek Supports Historical Racing in Texas
TOP TRAINER KENNY MCPEEK TO RACE IN TEXAS, SHOWS SUPPORT FOR HISTORICAL RACING
Trainer Kenny McPeek * Photo by Susan Lustig McPeek
Texas horsemen are optimistic that the Texas Racing Commission will grant approval of the addition of Historical Racing Machines at Texas racetracks in their upcoming August meeting, and that possibility has already 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 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 stakes winners 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 (www.horseracesnow.com), an app for 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 the winner of the Maxxam Gold Cup, Unstoppable U, a 4year-old Exchange Rate colt owned by Magdalena Racing and Mojallali Stables Inc. The Kentucky-based horseman made a third trip to Houston last March with Magic City Thoroughbred Partners’ Frac Daddy, who ran a game second to Maxxam Gold Cup winner Red Rifle.
“I’ve made the decision; we are coming to Texas,” said McPeek. “The possibility of Instant Racing (Historical Racing) in Texas could change the landscape. It would be really good for the Texas economy.” Read more
News and Notes for July 11, 2014
NEWS AND NOTES FOR JULY 11, 2014
STARS OF TEXAS DAY AT LONE STAR PARK
Saturday marks the last day of the Thoroughbred season at Lone Star Park, with four stakes races on the Stars of Texas Day card.
Carded as race #3, the 17th Running of the $50,000 Valor Farm Stakes for Texas-bred fillies & mares, 3-yr-olds & up going 6 furlongs on the main track has drawn a competitive field of 8, including the winner and third-place finisher in the June 14 Lane’s End Stallion Scholarship Stakes. Coming off a strong allowance win on June 21, Molly’s Honour (Etesaal – Honour Shaker) will be seeking to add to her career earnings of $164,408 for owner Joey Keith Davis and trainer Karl Broberg. Judy Peek’s homebred Lasting Bubbles (Pulling Punches – Slim’s Secret), who has not raced since her third-place finish in the Scholarship Stakes is the morning line favorite at 8/5. With lifetime earnings of $265,581, she is trained by Kevin Peek.
Nurse Goodnight, Flashy Pearl, More Than That, Early Fantasy, Scooter’s Choice and Forever Since round out the field. Read more
Note to Users of TTA’s iPetition
For those of you who are using TTA’s ipetition – please note that you MIGHT get a prompt about making a donation.; don’t make one. This does not benefit the horse industry and is not required for your signature to be recorded and counted.
Hearing on Pari-Mutuel Wagering on Historical Racing
On July 17, there is a public comment hearing in Austin on the subject of pari-mutuel wagering on historical racing in Texas. There will be no TRC Commissioners present at this meeting. TRC staff will compile a report to present to the Commissioners for their information, prior to the regularly scheduled TRC meeting in August.
Horsemen do not need to be present at the July 17 meeting. However, we do need as many horsemen in attendance as possible at the August meeting.
If you have already sent in a letter of support, or signed one of the printed or on-line petitions, that is all you need to do for now and we thank you for your support.
If you have not sent in a letter or signed a petition, please do so today. The deadline for submission is July 27.
Please share this information with all your friends and associates, encouraging them to voice their support as well.
DRF Article on Historical Racing in Texas
GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas – Lone Star Park has been considered Texas’s flagship track since it opened in 1997 and hosted the Breeders’ Cup in 2004. But when the Dallas-area oval closes its Thoroughbred meet Saturday night, it will wrap up arguably its most challenging season in 18 years of operation.
With just three programs remaining, Lone Star is averaging $830,315 a day in handle on its live races from all sources, according to figures provided by the track. The number lags 13 percent behind last year’s final average of $958,489 and even farther behind Lone Star’s peak of $2,747,466 in 1999. Read more
Calls mount for Instant Racing at Texas tracks