CLOSING IN ON MILLIONAIRE STATUS
Graded stakes winner Ivan Fallunovalot (Valid Expectations – Flashdance Missy) is hoping to break the $1-million dollar mark in earnings this weekend. The 8-year-old bred by Eileen Hartis is in a field of 6 for Saturday’s Count Fleet Sprint Handicap (Gr. 3) at Oaklawn Park. The tenacious gelding runs for Lewis E. Mathews Jr. and is trained by Kathleen Howard, whose husband Tom recently passed away.
In his last out, he finished third in the $125,000 Hot Springs Stakes on March 10, and was second in the $125,000 King Cotton Stakes on February 3rd. He boasts a career record of 31-17-6-2 with $998,903 in earnings.
We wish him the best of racing luck!
TTA SALES FUTURITY PAYMENT DEADLINE
The final sustaining payment of $350 is due by April 16 (postmark or credit card call in date). Payments made after the deadline cannot be accepted. Reminder notices have been mailed to those who nominated early.
Buyers at the 2YO sale were handed notice of this payment.
Those horses early nominated to the Sales Futurity as graduates of the Texas Thoroughbred Two-Year-Old sale and that were ‘out’ in that sale lose eligibility for the 2018 Texas Thoroughbred Futurity.
Late nominations limited to 2018 Texas 2-Year-Old Sale Graduates will be accepted by payment of $5000 due by May 1. That payment must be fax, credit card or postmarked no later than May 1st.
Each division of the Futurity carries an estimated purse of $100,000 and will be run at Lone Star Park on July 15th.
TEXAS JUVENILE SALE POSTS INCREASED GROSS, AVERAGE NEARLY STEADY Tuesday’s Texas 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale on the grounds of Lone Star Park concluded with a sizable increase in gross sales and a slight decrease in average compared to last year’s smaller catalogue. A total of 106 horses went through the ring at the sale operated by the Texas Thoroughbred Association in partnership with Lone Star Park and 84 horses found new homes. Last year’s auction included 93 head with 70 selling.
Gross sales this year totaled $2,161,900, up 15.4% from last year’s mark of $1,873,900. This year’s average was $25,737, down 3.9% from last year’s $26,770, and the median slipped 18.2% from $16,000 to $13,100. Buybacks this year came in at 20.8% compared to 24.7% last year.
“I was really pleased that we attracted a larger catalogue this year after last year’s successful sale, and it was great to see the average almost the same with a nice increase in the gross,” said Tim Boyce, sales director. “We had four horses sell for more than $100,000 with a Texas-bred, Louisiana-bred and two Kentucky-breds, so that shows the variety of quality offerings we had.”
A Louisiana-bred filly named Charlotte G by promising young Louisiana stallion Bind topped the sale with a $140,000 bid from Gary Simms, agent for M&M Racing. The April 30 foal was one of two horses to work the fastest time of :10.2 during Sunday’s under tack show at Lone Star. She is the first foal out of the unraced Summer Bird mare Promise Me G, whose family includes Grade 3-winning Texas-bred Promise Me Silver.
Three other horses cracked six figures, including a Texas-bred colt by Texas stallion Grasshopper who sold for $120,000 from Wolf Creek Farm, agent. Another purchase by Gary Simms, agent for M&M Racing, the colt is a full brother to multiple stakes winner Supermason, an earner of $331,985. He clocked an eighth-mile in :10.4.
Also selling for $120,000 was a filly by Uncle Mo who is a half sister to Grade 1 winner Romance is Diane and Grade 2 winner Romanceishope. Consigned by Inside Move Inc., agent, and purchased by Swan Equine Co., the Kentucky-bred worked :11.2 in the under tack show.
The other six-figure horse was a Kentucky-bred colt by Twirling Candy who sold for $110,000 to Susan Moulton from Twin Oaks Training Center, agent. The March foal covered an eighth-mile in :10.3 to tie for the second-fastest time.
Full results are available at ttasales.com.
Next up on the Texas sale calendar is the summer yearling sale on August 27.
2018 THOROUGHBRED MEET AT LONE STAR PARK OPENS WITH PURSE INCREASE
Lone Star Park has announced an increase in overnight race purses for the 2018 Thoroughbred season which opens April 19. All overnight races will see an increase of $2,000 each in purse money. Some overnight race categories will see as much as a 25% gain in their purses. No race throughout the 44-day season will have less than $10,000 in purse money offered.
This is the most significant increase to Thoroughbred purses in a decade. Track officials cited handle gains in all three categories (on-track live, off-track and simulcasting) as the major source of funding for the purse increase. And with a few less race days this year the track was able to share the monies that would have been allocated to those races.
“We are proud to offer our horsemen the benefit of this increase,” said Bart Lang, Lone Star Park’s Director of Racing. “We offer the longest race meeting with the most race days and the best overnight purses in the state. Our goal this spring is to build on the gains in handle we saw last year during our Thoroughbred season.”
Lone Star Park’s 2018 Thoroughbred Season stakes schedule will offer 11 stakes totaling an estimated $1 million in total purse money.
Opening night on April 19 will feature the newly renamed $50,000 Bluebonnet Stakes, formerly run as the Premiere, for accredited Texas-bred horses.
Sunday, April 22 features the 22nd running of the $50,000 Wayne Hanks Memorial Stakes for accredited Texas-bred fillies & mares.
The Grade 3, $200,000 Steve Sexton Mile headlines the card on Sunday, May 6 and for the first time Lone Star Park will offer advance wagering on the Steve Sexton Mile and the entire Sunday card on Saturday, May 5 (Kentucky Derby Day).
The divisional Texas Stallion Stakes are to be showcased on Sunday, May 20. The Got Koko Division for fillies and the Stymie Division for colts & geldings each have $65,000 guaranteed in prize money.
Sunday, May 27 features the 22nd running of the Grade 3, $200,000 Lone Star Park Handicap.
For the month of June, it’s the 7th edition of the $50,000 Lane’s End Danny Shifflett Scholarship Stakes for accredited Texas-bred fillies & mares. It will be contested on Saturday, June 23.
Stars of Texas Day, the encore stakes event of the season, celebrates Texas-bred Thoroughbreds with four stakes featured on Sunday, July 15. The Texas Thoroughbred Futurities including the 26th edition of the filly division and the 29th edition of the colt & gelding division, each have an estimated $100,000 purse attached. Also on the Stars of Texas Day card are the 21st running of the $50,000 Assault Stakes, and the 21st running of the $50,000 Valor Farm Stakes for fillies & mares.
On Thursdays and Fridays, gates will open at 5:30p.m. with the first race at 6:35p.m. On Saturdays and Sundays, gates will open at 1:00p.m. with the first race at 2:35p.m.
NOTES: Very sad news for the Texas Thoroughbred industry that Ed Few, a longtime Texas Thoroughbred Association board member and one of the state’s leading breeders, passed away April 8 at the age of 79. The TTA sends it condolences to Ed’s family and his many friends. The complete obituary is available at http://bit.ly/2GOipyb…Remember to check out the new Lone Star Racing Club, with complete information at lonestarpark.com.