NEWS AND NOTES FOR MAY 10, 2019
ATB’S IN WEEKEND STAKES
Ima Discreet Lady
(Discreet Cat – Ima Three Blinger) is looking for her third straight stakes win
in today’s $50,000 Goldfinch Stakes for 3-year-old fillies going 6 furlongs at
Prairie Meadows.
Bred by Larry S. “Stan” Huntsinger and owned by Duane Coker and Raymond Todd White, she won the $50,000 Bara Lass Stakes at Houston on March 23rd by 3 ¾ lengths. Her next out was a 2 ¼ length win in the $50,000 Bluebonnet Stakes on April 18th at Lone Star.
The filly was purchased by the owners for $38,000 at the 2018 Texas 2-Year-Old in Training Sale. Trained by Karl Broberg, she has odds of 9-5.
HOMELAND SECURITY TO ACCEPT PETITIONS
FOR 30,000 H-2B VISAS
The Department of
Homeland Security (DHS) announced on Monday that it will begin accepting
petitions on Wednesday, May 8 for 30,000 additional H-2B visas restricted to
returning workers for Fiscal Year (FY) 2019. Rules set to be published in
Wednesday’s Federal Register include the following language:
“Starting on
the expected date of May 8, 2019, eligible petitioners seeking additional H-2B
workers can file Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker, and must
submit a supplemental attestation on Form ETA 9142-B-CAA-3 with their
petition.”
Details on eligibility and filing requirements are available in the final rule
and at USCIS.gov.
The supplemental H-2B visas are available only to returning workers who
received an H-2B visa, or were otherwise granted H-2B status, during one of the
last three fiscal years (FY 2016, 2017, or 2018), and availability is
restricted by prioritizing only those businesses who would suffer irreparable
harm without the additional workers.
“We applaud the Department of Homeland Security and Department of Labor for this joint rule making available an additional 30,000 H-2B temporary nonagricultural worker visas for Fiscal Year 2019,” said NTRA President and CEO Alex Waldrop. “Even though these supplemental H-2B visas are available only to returning workers and there is an irreparable harm limitation, many Thoroughbred trainers will no doubt qualify for these visas because of the labor shortage that is now the norm on racetrack backstretches.”
Waldrop further added, “We urge Congress to pass legislation to permanently and significantly expand the number of H-2B visas made available on an annual basis.”
NOTES: The deadline to accredit foals of 2018 for a fee of $75 (TTA member rate) is May 31. Contact Jennifer Gibbs at 512.458.6133 or jenniferg@texasthoroughbred.com with any questions. Things will be moving quickly in the legislature over the weekend – stay tuned for updates!