TEXAS-BREDS IN WEEKEND STAKES
Four Accredited Texas-breds will compete in some very nice stakes on Saturday at Delta Downs, including three by Too Much Bling.
First, Bronce-Plamat Stables and MTZ Racing will team up with trainer Jr. Martinez in two stakes. Best Bling (Too Much Bling – Best Expectations) will take on a field of 5 in the $75,000 Orleans Stakes. The 3-year-old filly was bred by Jackie and Gerald Rich, and has been given odds of 12-1.
Bred by Thomas Castoldi, the 6-1 colt Nublado Bling (Too Much Bling – General Reunion) is part of a 6-horse field for the $75,000 Sams Town Stakes.
The field for the $250,000 Delta Mile Stakes includes two Texas-breds geldings, both at 20-1 odds. Trainer J. R. Caldwell will send out stakes winner Ring Necked (Too Much Bling – Wood Duck), for Penn Family Racing. Bred by W. S. Farish and Hugh Fitzsimons Jr., Ring Necked has a career record of 24-6-3-4 and earnings of $113,225.
The 2015 Texas Champion 3-year-old Colt/Gelding F J Uncle Vic (Uncle Abbie – Let Her Reign), bred by Mr. and Mrs. Frank Prifiterra, is trained by Terry Eoff, who owns him in partnership with Johnny Evans. He boasts $173,590 in earnings and a career record of 29-3-7-2.
ATB AWARDS FOR RETAMA PARK THOROUGHBRED MEET
ATB Awards checks for the recently concluded Thoroughbred meet at Retama Park were mailed this week, so be checking your mailbox!
Awards percentages for placing 1, 2 or 3 in any race in this meet are as follows:
Breeder Awards = 6.099% of purse money earned
Owner Awards = 6.179% of purse money earned
Stallion Owner Awards = 3.505% of purse money earned
Owner Bonus Award for placing 1, 2, or 3 in any open company race in this meet = 7.684% of purse money earned.
LIVE THOROUGBRED RACING RETURNS TO SHRP JANUARY 15th
Sam Houston Race Park will open its 22nd Annual Live Racing Season with the kick off of the 2016 Thoroughbred meet on Friday, January 15 featuring the richest stakes program in Texas. The Thoroughbred meet will once again be anchored by the Houston Racing Festival – the richest, single Thoroughbred race day in Texas – on Saturday, January 30, 2016. The Houston Racing Festival will feature the $400,000 Houston Ladies Classic, the $200,000 John B. Connally Turf Cup (GIII), the Frontier Utilities Turf Sprint, and the Space City Stakes.
Race fans can also expect to enjoy special promotions and entertainment during their visit to the Park. This year, a number of special events have been revamped while still including fan favorites like 50 Cent Beer Every Friday, Dollar Days, Wiener Dog Races, and Camel and Ostrich Races. In 2016, fans should expect to see even more Food Truck Fridays and Wine Tasting Events.
Tickets for the 2016 live racing season go on sale today online at www.shrp.com.
Friday and Saturday post times for the 2016 Thoroughbred meet will be 7 pm and 6 pm, respectively. The fun tradition of lunch-time racing at The Park will continue every Monday and Tuesday afternoon with a 1 pm post time. A special 5 pm post time is set for the Houston Racing Festival on January 30th. A special 1 pm post time is set for Kentucky Derby Day on May 7th and Mother’s Day on May 8th.
SPORTECH RACING NEW TOTE PROVIDER FOR REMINGTON, LONE STAR
Sportech Racing // Digital is pleased to announce that it has been selected by the Chickasaw Nation’s Global Gaming Solutions LLC to be the new provider of pari-mutuel betting technologies and services to Remington Park racetrack and associated OTBs in Oklahoma, and Lone Star Park in Texas.
Patrons of Lone Star and Remington will enjoy a significant upgrade in the betting technologies available to them, including Sportech’s new BetJet SL 2.5, the Sportech Tablet for wireless account betting, and the Digital Link™ app for convenient mobile betting while on-track. Digital Link™ offers the patented digital voucher feature, which allows the player to conveniently, anonymously, and securely store and retrieve tickets and vouchers on their own mobile device.
CBA SYMPOSIUM SCHEDULED FOR FEB. 2
The Consignors and Commercial Breeders Association has scheduled its third annual educational symposium for Feb. 2, 2016, at the Keeneland sales pavilion near Lexington.
Topics to be covered include the evolution of radiograph evaluation in yearlings, the good and the bad; and mare care, including strategies for transitioning from the track to the breeding shed, and care during the breeding season and through foaling. A panel discussion also will be held with Central Kentucky training and yearling breaking facility managers that will cover breaking techniques and challenges.
The keynote event will be a discussion with Texan John T.L. Jones Jr. and John Williams, who will both share their experiences with stallion syndication and the trend toward larger books. Jones was a founding board member of the Breeders’ Cup and owned and operated Walmac International. Williams managed Spendthrift Farm from 1976 to 1984 under the ownership of Leslie Combs II and launched the stallion career of Seattle Slew.
CBA said registration details will be available soon.
AWARD WILL RECOGNIZE NEW OWNER OF THE YEAR
OwnerView in January will present its first New Owner of the Year Award, which will honor a new Thoroughbred owner who has been successful in the sport and has had a positive impact on the industry.
The award will be presented during the second Thoroughbred Owner Conference Jan. 11-14, 2016, at Gulfstream Park. Nominees for the New Owner of the Year Award must have owned Thoroughbreds for less than three years, have had an interest in a horse at the time it won a stakes in 2015, and have had a verifiable owner’s license in 2015.
Anyone, including current owners, can nominate an individual who meets the criteria for the award. Thoroughbred performance as well as a nominee’s promotion of the sport and humanitarian activities also will be considered. A selection committee that includes industry personnel and established owners will choose the winner.
“There are awards for owners who have been in the industry for a long time, but we wanted to recognize someone who is new to the sport and is making a difference in the industry,” said Gary Falter, vice president of operations for OwnerView. “The Thoroughbred Owner Conference, which is intended for new and long-time owners and will be held during the week leading up to the 45th Annual Eclipse Awards Dinner, is the perfect venue to honor such an individual.”
The deadline to nominate an owner for New Owner of the Year is Dec. 7. To submit a nomination, contact Falter at (859) 224-2803 or gfalter@jockeyclub.com.