News and Notes for May 20, 2016

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FAVORITES TAKE BOTH DIVISIONS OF THE TEXAS STALLION STAKES
Lone Star Park on Sunday held two divisions of the Clarence Scharbauer Jr. Texas Stallion Stakes, and the big favorites came through in both stakes with dominant performances.

In the $75,000 Got Koko division for 3-year-old fillies, Douglas Scharbauer’s More Than Most drew clear to a 7 ¼-length victory with C.J. McMahon up for trainer Bret Calhoun. More Than Most, who clocked one mile in 1:39.21 as the 7-10 favorite, was bred by the late Clarence Scharbauer Jr., Douglas’ father, and was sired by former Valor Farm stallion Indygo Mountain. This marked the second career stakes win for More Than Most, who won the $75,000 M2 Technology La Senorita Stakes last year on the Retama Park turf after breaking her maiden at Churchill Downs. She has earned $131,978 with a record of 10-3-1-3. 

Calhoun also saddled the runner-up Zippit E, a filly by Valor Farm stallion My Golden Song owned by Larry Hirsch and Wayne Sanders. Fletcher Properties Inc.’s Cosmo Cassis, by Lane’s End Texas stallion Grasshopper, took third.

In the $75,000 Stymie division for colts and geldings, Keene Thoroughbreds LLC’s Texas Chrome rolled to a 10 ½-length win with Iram Diego in the saddle for conditioner J.R. Caldwell. The colt by Grasshopper, who was bred by Craig Upham and sold by Stoneview Farm for $10,000 at the 2014 Texas Sale, stopped the timer at 1:39.64. Texas Chrome won three stakes last year—the TTA Sales Futurity at Lone Star, Gold Rush Futurity at Arapahoe Park and Governor’s Cup Stakes at Zia Park—and he finished a good third in this year’s $150,000 Bachelor Stakes at Oaklawn. All told, he has earned $242,562 with a record of 8-5-0-2.

Grasshopper also sired second-place finisher Grass Court, who runs for breeder W.S. Farish and E.J. Hudson Jr. Irrevocable Trust. Douglas Scharbauer’s Ship Rock, by Indygo Mountain, was third.

TEXAS-BRED WITT SIX NAMED CHAMPION 3-YEAR-OLD IN CANADIAN PROVINCE
Texas-bred Witt Six has spent a good portion of his career far from his home state, but the gelding has proven to be a tough competitor while racing at nine different racetracks in four states and two Canadian provinces. His greatest success has come north of the border, and he was recently honored as champion 3-year-old colt/gelding in Manitoba, Canada. 

Bred and owned by Henry Witt Jr. and sired by Witt’s Texas stallion Drums of Thunder, Witt Six earned $101,619 last year with a record of 13-4-3-1. Trained by Jerry Gourneau, Witt Six won three stakes at Assiniboia Downs in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and finished second by a neck in the $75,000 Manitoba Derby there.

Witt Six went on to run at Northlands Park in Edmonton, Alberta, where he finished second in the Grade 3, $200,000 Canadian Derby to Academic , who earlier in the year won the $500,000 Woodbine Oaks and later earned the Sovereign Award as Canada’s top 3-year-old filly.

Witt Six most recently ran third in the De Cat Stakes at Assiniboia Downs on May 13 and has banked more than $140,000 in his career. The Texas-bred broke his maiden at Retama Park in 2014 and earned an allowance win at Sam Houston Race Park last year.

ANOTHER TEXAS 2YO SALE GRAD BREAKS MAIDEN IMPRESSIVELY
Congratulations to Accredited Texas-bred Bling On the Music (Too Much Bling – Soft Music), the sales topper for this year’s Texas Two-Year-Olds In Training Sale, on winning her May 19th debut by an impressive 4 3/4 lengths.  Bred by W. S. Farish, the filly was consigned by Asmussen Horse Center and purchased by Danny Keene for $95,000. J. R. Caldwell is the trainer.

COVERAGE OF THE PREAKNESS STAKES
NBC Sports Group and Horse Racing Radio Network have set their schedules for coverage of Preakness Stakes week at Pimlico Race Course.

The Preakness, second leg of the Triple Crown, will be part of a broadcast on NBC that begins at 5 p.m. EDT May 21. NBC Sports Network will offer coverage May 20, the day the Black-Eyed Susan Stakes (gr. II) is scheduled, beginning at 3 p.m. NBCSN will return at 2:30 p.m. Saturday for pre-Preakness coverage.

Today, HRRN will provide live coverage of the Black-Eyed Susan beginning at 4 p.m. EDT. On May 21 HRRN will broadcast its “Equine Forum” show from 8-9 a.m. and return at 2 p.m. (EDT) for Preakness day coverage.

HRRN is available on Sirius 220/XM 206 and horseracingradio.net.

VOTE IN THE MAY 24 RUNOFF ELECTIONS
The following is presented by the Texas Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association Political Action Committee (PAC) as a matter of information regarding May 24 Runoff Elections for the Texas Senate and the Texas House of Representatives.

The Texas Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association PAC has endorsed Dawn Buckingham for Senate District 24 and Lynn Stucky DVM for House District 64. 

Other runoff elections of importance to Texas horsemen:

In House District 18, Ernest Bailes (endorsed by the Texas Farm Bureau AGFUND) is running against Keith Strahan, who has been endorsed by Empower Texans. In House District 73, incumbent Doug Miller is running against Kyle Biederman, who has been endorsed by Empower Texans. In House District 128, incumbent Wayne Smith is running against Briscoe Cain, who has been endorsed by Empower Texans.

To find out who represents you, go to:
http://www.fyi.legis.state.tx.us/Address.aspx
Please do your research and exercise your right to vote!

STRONACH VS. DERBYWARS LAWSUIT GETS STREAMLINED
Six tracks owned by The Stronach Group (TSG) have fine-tuned a federal civil lawsuit against DerbyWars in an effort to hammer home the argument that the online fantasy gaming site allegedly took illegal bets on TSG races without contributing anything back to the horsemen and tracks that put on the show. 

The case is likely to hinge on the proving or disproving of one key point: Are the contest selections made by pay-to-play fantasy horse racing game participants actually “bets”?

If the court rules that fantasy horse racing contest selections are bets, then DerbyWars (and by extension, other fantasy gaming portals) could be considered to be in violation of the Interstate Horseracing Act and California state laws. If the selections are deemed not to be bets, then such a ruling could fling the legal doors wide open for any entity that wants to create and implement fantasy- and tournament-styled online gaming based on horse race results.

Scott Daruty, a California-based TSG executive who is spearheading the move to clarify the role of fantasy gaming within the racing industry, said in a Tuesday phone interview that “it’s not that we are necessarily opposed to contests on horse racing. It’s the fact that these contests are being conducted outside the regulatory framework, and without any compensation being paid to the tracks and the horsemen.”

NOTES: Our condolences to the family of Samantha Broberg, who passed away last weekend…Condition book #3 for Lone Star Park is now available at www.lonestarpark.com/Horsemen/ConditionBook/ …Accredited Texas-bred Supermason set a 7 1/2-furlong turf course record of 1:26.93 on May 15 at Lone Star Park