NEWS AND NOTES FOR JULY 26, 2013

NEWS AND NOTES FOR JULY 26, 2013

TTA RELOCATING
Effective September 1st, our new address will be 4009 Banister Lane, Ste 230, Austin, TX 78754.  We will no longer have a post office box, so please make note of the new mailing address.  Our telephone and fax numbers will remain the same.

SOLAR CHARGE TAKES TEXAS THOROUGHBRED BREEDERS STAKES
Accredited Texas-bred Solar Charge turned in a stellar performance for trainer Danny Pish, winning the 6-furlong Texas Thoroughbred Breeders Stakes at Gillespie County Fair Grounds by 7 ½ lengths last Saturday, boosting his record to 40 – 13 – 8 – 8 with earnings over $339,000. The 6-year-old multiple stakes winning gelding was bred by Carolyn Barnett and is owned by H and H Ranch.

ATB STALLION FEE REMINDER
If you have not yet paid the annual administrative fee for your stallion for 2013, the deadline for late payment of $325 is August 1, 2013. If this is the stallion’s first year in Texas, and he came in after February 1, you can pay the early admin fee of $200. The annual administrative fee cannot be accepted for a breeding season after the August 1 deadline.

If you stood a stallion in Texas in 2013, and have not yet accredited him, you have until August 1 to accredit him for $100. Any stallion accreditations postmarked after August 1, 2013 will not be accredited for 2013, but for 2014.

The deadline to nominate stallions to the Texas Stallion Stakes for the 2013 breeding season is October 1, 2013. Only Texas accredited stallions may be nominated. The fee to nominate is the greater of $1500 or the advertised stud fee for stallions standing their first season in Texas in 2013. For stallions not new to the state there is also a $500 late fee.

REPORT: KENTUCKY’S LASIX POLICIES ARE WORKING
Kentucky officials told The Blood-Horse this week that a new policy restricting the administration of furosemide is resulting in cleaner post-race testing.

The policy requires the drug only be administered by Kentucky Horse Racing Commission-approved veterinarians. Despite some initial snafus with the wrong horses receiving or not receiving the medication, the system is now working more smoothly, and the range of furosemide levels in post-race testing is significantly smaller.

TCO2 and other substance levels impacted by the use of bleeder medications have also decreased across the board. Officials are also using their increased presence in the barns to keep an eye on horses testing positive for multiple analgesics after a race, which they refer to as “horses of interest.”

ANOTHER NEW MEXICO RACINO?
In a meeting held late last week by the New Mexico Racing Commission, horsemen’s groups and racetracks appeared to be divided in their opinions as to whether a sixth racino license should be issued in the state.

Most racetracks are against the additional license, according to an article in the Quay County Sun. Representatives of SunRay Park, Sunland Park, Ruidoso Downs and The Downs at Albuquerque voiced objections against another racino, arguing that the state didn’t have enough of a horse population to support another facility.

PENN NATIONAL GAMING REPORTS LOSS
Penn National Gaming Inc. reported a net loss of $12.2 million for the second quarter of 2013, compared with a profit of $69.6 million for the same three months in 2012.

The company, in a July 23 earnings report, attributed the results to $76 million in non-cash charges related to Argosy Casino Sioux City in Iowa; PNGI is engaged in litigation over the awarding of a gaming license to another entity.
Net revenue for the second quarter was $761.4 million, down from $793.2 million in the second quarter of 2012, according to the financial report.

PNGI chairman and chief executive officer Peter Carlino said second-quarter operating results fell short of projections due to “soft industry-wide gaming revenue trends,” poor weather, and competitive trends in some markets.

CALIFORNIA CLAIMING RULE MAY BE REVISED
According to a report in the Daily Racing Form, the California Horse Racing Board is expected to discuss a possible rule revision later this summer that will allow owners and trainers to take possession of claimed horses placed on the veterinarian’s list for unsoundness, according to a racing board spokesman.

Since May, claims have been voided in California on horses placed on a vet’s list for unsoundness.

The proposed change must be approved by the full racing board, which has its next meeting Aug. 22. If approved by the racing board, the revised rule would not be enacted for several months, following a period of public comment and legal review.

NOTES: Clarence Scharbauer’s homebred Fiftyshadesofgold is now at Saratoga to prepare for her next race, the G2 Adirondack S. on August 11th… On August 7th, Turfway Park, in cooperation with the Kentucky Council on Problem Gambling, will host one of five training sessions across the state to help health professionals and racetrack, casino, and lottery personnel recognize and assist people whose interest in gambling has become a gambling problem…There will be a meeting of the Texas Racing Commission Rules Committee on Tuesday, July 30th in Austin…The TRC Committee on Horse Race Dates will meet on Wednesday, August 7th to discuss potential horse dates for calendar year 2014 and the first eight months of 2015…The first races in the Texas Stallion Stakes Series for foals of 2011 will be run at Retama Park on December 7th at a distance of six furlongs with a guaranteed purse of $75,000 for each division.