News and Notes for February 8, 2019

ATB’S IN WEEKEND STAKES
Will Kari’s homebred She’s Pretty Lucky (Lookin at Lucky – Pretty Amusing) is in a field of 11 for Saturday’s $175,000 Lambholm South Endeavour S. (Gr. 3) for fillies and mares, 4-years-old and up going a mile and a sixteenth on the turf at Tampa Bay Downs.

Eddie Kenneally will saddle the stakes winner, who finished second in an allowance optional claiming race at the same distance there on January 6th. She has odds of 15-1.

DIRECT DIAL NAMED 2018 TEXAS HORSE OF THE YEAR
William S. Farish’s homebred Direct Dial has been named the 2018 Texas Horse of the Year, the Texas Thoroughbred Association announced today. The Texas-bred colt also received Texas Champion 3-Year-Old Colt/Gelding honors for a season in which he hit the board in six of his eight starts while earning two stakes wins and $113,350. The 2018 Texas champions were determined by points earned in stakes performances during the year.

A son of leading Texas sire Texas Bling, who stands at Valor Farm, Direct Dial won divisions of the Clarence Scharbauer Jr. Texas Stallion Stakes Series at Sam Houston Race Park and Lone Star Park. The colt also finished third in the $125,000 Gazebo Stakes against open company at Oaklawn and placed in two other stakes for trainer Steve Asmussen.

As the leading Texas-bred money earner for the year, Direct Dial earned his breeder the BloodHorse Breeder of the Year Award, and Farish’s Fast Find, the dam of Direct Dial, took the Texas Broodmare of the Year Award.

Among the human awards, Lee Ackerley will be honored with the T.I. “Pops” Harkins Award for lifetime achievement. Ackerley, who with his brother, Bob, formed Ackerley Brothers Farm, campaigned Valid Expectations, one of the first major stakes winners for Asmussen. Ackerley retained an interest in Valid Expectations as a stallion, and the multiple graded stakes winner went on to become the all-time leading sire in Texas history. Ackerley has also bred and owned numerous other stakes winners, both in Texas and at the national level.

Bart Lang, director of racing at Lone Star Park, will be honored with the Allen Bogan Memorial Award as TTA member of the year. Lang was instrumental in launching the Lone Star Park Racing Club, which enjoyed great success in its first year, including running Texas Champion Claimer Fred’s Lucky Boy.

Valor Farm, which stands or formerly stood stallions represented by four of the divisional champions, will be honored as the leading Accredited Texas-Bred money earner for 2018.

Following is the complete list of the 2018 champion horses:
2-Year-Old Filly: Silver Moon Rising (by Silver City) • Owner: M and M Racing (Mike Sisk) • Breeder: Caroline Dodwell
Co-2-Year-Old Colt/Gelding: Shotsoft (by Grasshopper) • Owner: M and M Racing (Mike Sisk) • Breeder: W.S. Farish and E.J. Hudson Jr. Irrevocable Trust
Co-2-Year-Old Colt/Gelding: Wakefield (by Munnings) • Owner: Jerry Namy • Breeder: Nathan Wallis
3-Year-Old Filly: Patrona Margarita (by Special Rate) • Owner/Breeder: Craig D. Upham
Older Filly/Mare: Zippit E (by My Golden Song) • Owner/Breeder: Wayne Sanders and Larry Hirsch
Older Horse: Ivan Fallunovalot (by Valid Expectations) • Owner: Lewis Mathews Jr. • Breeder: Eileen Hartis
Champion Claimer: Fred’s Lucky Boy (by Wimbledon) • Owners during 2018: End Zone Athletics Inc., Lone Star Park Racing Club, Madelon L. Bradshaw • Breeder: E. Fred Currie
Champion Broodmare: Fast Find (by Mineshaft)
Horse of the Year and 3-Year-Old Colt/Gelding: Direct Dial (by Too Much Bling) • Owner/Breeder: W.S. Farish

TRIPLE CROWN NOMINEES WITH TEXAS CONNECTIONS
A first glance at the list of 362 horses early nominated to the Triple Crown shows several nominees with Texas owner connections:

Bandit Swanson (Ghostzapper – Snooki); Wayne Sanders & Larry Hirsch
Bernin’ thru Gold (Bernardini – Lochinvar’s Gold); Lee Lewis
Code of Honor (Noble Mission – Reunited); W. S. Farish
Dorrance (Distorted Humor – Apologize); Samuel Henderson
Escaped (Liaison – La Cerca); Hank Bird
Eye Cloud (Point of Entry – Last Fever); Mike Powers
Fort Worth (City Zip – Auspicious); Bass Racing LLC
Highest Honors (Tapit – Tap Your Feet); Equestris Ltd. Inc.
Honoring Major (Sky Mesa – Julie Truly); A J Foyt Jr.
Justinian (Justin Phillip – Miss Wined Up); Roberta Williford, Ward Williford, and Charles N. Winner
Koa (Bodemeister – Victory Island); Michael Stinson
Lemniscate (Exchange Rate – Meet at Lola’s); Susan Moulton and Magdalena Racing
Manny Wah (Will Take Charge – Battlefield Angel); Susan Moulton
Ninth Street (Street Boss – Plan Nine); H. V. Farms, Ltd.
Rocktizway (Tizway – Seattle Artist); Jaylan Neatherlin and Mike Neatherlin
Shining Through (Malibu Moon – Article Rare); Michael Stinson
Synthesis (First Samurai – Trust in Hope); Big Chief Racing LLC, Madaket Stables LLC, Rocker O Ranch LLC, and J. Keith Desormeaux
Young Phillip (Gemologist – Chokonni); Agave Racing Stable, Rockin Robin Racing Stable, Snipe Racing, and Jeffry Wilke

Also, Craig Upham bred Six Shooter (Trappe Shot – Academy Road), and Ramona Bass bred Nola Contesto (Pioneerofthenile – Applauding).

NOTES: The $250 sustaining payment for horses nominated to the 2019 Texas Thoroughbred Sale Futurity at Lone Star Park is now due, with a postmark date no later than February 15th…The next Roses to Ribbons Old Fashioned Horse Fair will be at Sam Houston Race Park on Saturday, March 9th. If you have a Thoroughbred racehorse that needs to find a new home and career, this is the place to be. Contact Tracy Sheffield at 512.395.5314 for information.