NEWS AND NOTES FOR JULY 24, 2020
MORE THAN 170 CATALOGED FOR TEXAS YEARLING, HORA SALE
A catalog of 175 head is now online for the Texas Summer Yearling and Horses of Racing Age Sale set for Aug. 24 at noon CT at Lone Star Park at Grand Prairie.
The sale will kick off with a horses of racing age session, including 2-year-olds in training by sires such as Too Much Bling, Texas Red, Astrology, and Twirling Candy . Among the older horses on offer are Herbs Love, a daughter of Etesaal who in her most recent start won the San Jacinto Turf Stakes at Lone Star.
The yearling session will include 151 head by leading regional sires such as Too Much Bling, Star Guitar, Flat Out, Court Vision, and My Golden Song, as well as prominent sires Tonalist, Sky Mesa, Bayern, Honor Code, and California Chrome .
Sponsored by the Texas Thoroughbred Association and Lone Star Park, the sale will have bidders on-site with enhanced safety protocols and for the first time will also offer live online bidding for those who cannot attend in person. Online bidders must be registered one week before the sale, no later than noon Aug. 17.
“We had to cancel our 2-year-old sale due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and we’ve been working since then to ensure we are able to conduct this sale because of its importance to the region,” said Mary Ruyle, the executive director of the TTA. “We normally wouldn’t have a horses of racing age session at this sale, but we are happy to offer that this year to fill the needs of consignors and buyers. The HORA section is quite impressive.”
Ruyle credited higher purses in Texas and a new consignor incentive program as two of the reasons that this year’s sale has twice the number of yearlings as last year.
“In addition to boosting purses in Texas, the passage of HB 2463 allows the horse industry to create new ways to grow, so we were able to provide consignors with a rebate of up to half the consignment fee,” she said. “We saw a great response to that incentive, which resulted in more consignors bringing their horses to sell in Texas.”
The sale will utilize a live online bidding system along with improved online video.
“We made an investment in technology to allow buyers to bid from anywhere,” sales director Tim Boyce said. “Starting in early August, we will allow online bidders to register in advance, so we encourage anyone who is interested to do that on our website.”
The online catalog and more information are available at ttasales.com. Supplemental entries will be posted next week.
UPCOMING STAKES AT LONE STAR PARK
Two $75,000 stakes for Accredited Texas-bred horses are carded for Sunday, July 26th at Lone Star Park.
Carded as race #7 is the Valor Farm Stakes for fillies and mares, 3-year-olds and up going 6 furlongs. Ima Discreet Lady (Discreet Cat – Ima Three Blinger) is the 7/5 favorite in the field of 7. Bred by the late Larry S. Huntsinger, the stakes-winning 4-year-old now runs for Raymond Todd White and Duane Coker and is trained by Karl Broberg. She won the Yellow Rose Stakes here on June 14th by a whopping 4 ½ lengths.
Seeking to repeat her victory in last year’s running of this race is 2/1 multiple stakes winner Shes Our Fastest (Oratory – Dawali) bred by Eureka Thoroughbred Farm and trained by Scott Gelner for Mark Norman and Norman Stables LLC. She finished 4th in the Lane’s End Danny Shifflett Scholarship Stakes on July 22nd.
Tina Hurley will saddle Peter Varga’s homebred Brave Daisey (Hidden Blessing – Brave Vixen). The stakes-winning 5-year-old won her last start at Louisiana Downs on July 11th and has odds of 3/1.
Completing the field are 15/1 Eurodevilwoman (Euroears – the Devil is Mine), 30/1 Storm Traffic (Traffic Circle – Karen Sue’s Cat), 20/1 Light Up the Devil (Light Up the Score – The Devil is Mine), and 10/1 Eaton’s Memory (Eaton’s Gift – Sallys Memo).
Race #8 is the Highlander Training Center Assault Stakes for 3-year-olds and up going a mile on the turf with a field of 9.
Multiple stakes winner Redatory (Oratory – My Silver Song) is the 7/5 favorite. Bred and owned by James Wessel, the 5-year-old gelding is trained by Allen Dupuy. Redatory won the Houston Turf Stakes on February 22 and the Richard King Turf Stakes here on June 14th.
Mindy Willis will send out 2/1 multiple stakes winner Sunlit Song (My Golden Song – Fly So True), bred by Carolyn Barnett, who owns him in partnership with Becky Harding. Sunlit Song finished 3rd in the Houston Turf Stakes and 2nd in the Richard King Stakes.
Stakes winning Bonjour Baby (Sing Baby Sing – Secret Sweep) was bred by Tom Durant and is trained by Larry Stroope for Alvin Wong. The 7-year-old gelding was 3rd in the Richard King Turf Stakes here on June 14th and has odds of 5/1.
Providing competition are 30/1 Mucho Dinero (Early Flyer – Won Peso), 20/1 Moojab Jr. (Moojab – Ticket), 10/1 Right Lane Lukasz (Temple City – Wrenice), 15/1 Kenai Bob (Shackleford – Blue Ivy); 20/1 Dauntless Prince (Cairo Prince – Pretty Gale), and 10/1 Gold Pilot (My Golden Song – Formal Flyer).
Best of luck to all!
HORSES HELPING HEROES – TEXAS HORSE INDUSTRY SUPPORTS EQUINE THERAPY
The Texas Thoroughbred Association (TTA) has awarded a $25,000 grant to Healing with Horses Ranch an equine-facilitated therapy center in Manor, Texas for at-risk individuals, veterans and people with disabilities. The supported programs promote increased independence and resilience through the power of the horse.
The grant funding is part of an initiative to foster the continued growth of the Texas horse industry. One important element of growing the horse industry in Texas is making sure that horses make career transitions that continue to provide tangible benefits to society.
The Texas horse industry’s positive affect goes far beyond horses on the racetrack, ranches or at shows around our state. This important work is critical to make certain that the horses are cared for throughout their lives, and that our industry is preserving the deep heritage of working horses in our state.
Mary Ruyle, Executive Director of the Texas Thoroughbred Association says, “The TTA is so proud to be supporting horse occupations and our veterans through wonderful programs like the ones at Healing with Horses Ranch.”
Healing with Horses Ranch was founded in 2011 as a Professional Association for Therapeutic Horsemanship, International (PATH, Intl) member center by Patty D’Andrea, a PATH Intl Advanced Certified Therapeutic Riding Instructor and Certified Equine Specialist. In 2018, they became a PATH Intl Premier Accredited Center. They are based just outside of Austin and serve South East Austin, Travis and Bastrop Counties, and surrounding areas.
Other grant recipients providing equine therapy for military veterans include Compadres Therapy Inc. of El Paso, Henry’s Home Horse and Human Sanctuary in The Woodlands, Ranch Hands Rescue in Denton, Victory Therapeutic Center Inc. in Roanoke, Courage Ranch in Floresville, and Rubys Home for Good in The Woodlands.
NOTES: The Texas Racing Commission met via videoconference on July 21st, voting to open a period (July 27 – August 31) for tracks to request race dates for calendar year 2021 and the first three months of 2022. The next TRC meeting is scheduled for September 15th.