NEWS AND NOTES FOR AUGUST 1, 2014
STALLION ACCREDITATION AND ADMIN FEE DEADLINE IS TODAY
In order to receive Stallion Awards on foals conceived during the 2014 breeding season, a stallion must be accredited and his annual administrative fee for the 2014 season must be paid.
If you stood a stallion in Texas for the 2014 breeding season, but have not yet accredited him, TODAY IS THE DEADLINE to do so for $100. Any stallion accreditation applications postmarked after TODAY will not apply to the 2014 breeding season, but will apply to 2015.
If you have not yet paid your stallion’s Annual Administrative Fee for the 2014 breeding season, the deadline for late payment of $325 is TODAY. If this is the stallion’s first year in Texas and he came into the state after February 1, you may pay the normal admin fee of $200. The Annual Administrative Fee cannot be accepted for the current breeding season after TODAY.
Contact Jennifer Gibbs in the TTA office at 512.458.6133 for details.
WILL TAKE CHARGE VS. PALACE MALICE IN WHITNEY
Will Take Charge and Palace Malice meet again Saturday in the $1.5 million Whitney Handicap (gr. I), squaring off as the top two choices in a field of nine drawn for the 1 1/8-mile test.
Dogwood Stable’s Palace Malice, the Belmont Stakes winner of 2013 who has strung together four straight victories this year, is the even-money favorite for the Whitney from post 5. Hall of Fame rider John Velazquez is in the irons for trainer Todd Pletcher.
Will Take Charge, the defending male 3-year-old champion racing for Willis Horton and Three Chimneys Farm, is the 4-1 second choice from the inside post. The 4-year-old Unbridled’s Song runner will be reunited with reinsman Luis Saez, who last rode him to victory for Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas in the Oaklawn Handicap (gr. II) in April.
Will Take Charge has seven wins and six seconds from 20 starts, for $3,774,648 in earnings. Palace Malice is the lighter-raced of the two with a 7-4-1 record from 16 outings for earnings of $2,631,135.
Third choice on the Whitney morning line at 6-1 is Departing, winner of the 2013 West Virginia Derby (gr. II) and Super Derby (gr. II).
Completing the field are Moreno, Romansh, Itsmyluckyday, Last Gunfighter, Prayer for Relief and Golden Ticket.
TEST STAKES
After securing the first grade I win of her career last year at Saratoga, recent Acorn Stakes (gr. I) winner Sweet Reason will try to register a second straight top-level score August. 2 in the $500,000 Longines Test Stakes (gr. I). She is the 3-1 morning-line favorite, and will break from post 7.
Coming back from a 4th place finish in the Acorn Stakes is Accredited Texas-bred Fiftyshadesofgold (My Golden Song – Hadif Cat), listed at 8-1, under rider Robby Albarado. The 3-year-old filly is trained by Bret Calhoun for Douglas Scharbauer of Midland.
The field of 12 fillies also includes Southern Honey (4-1), who defeated older fillies and mares in the six-furlong Winning Colors Stakes (gr. III) May 26 at Churchill, Street Story (8-1), who rallied from fifth to win the Victory Ride Stakes June 29 at Belmont, Miss Behaviour; Princess Violet; Sweet Whiskey, Thank You Marylou, Little Alexis, Tea Time, Red Velvet and Bird Maker.
The Whitney and the Test Stakes will be broadcast as part of NBC’s “Summer at Saratoga: Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series” program that will air at 5pm Eastern, 4pm Central.
TEXAS CONNECTIONS IN THE $100k SUPER DERBY PRELUDE AT LaD
Five of the seven horses in the $100,000 Super Derby Prelude at Louisiana Downs on Saturday have Texas connections. Owners Terry Eoff and Johnnie Evans have two entries: Accredited Texas-bred FJ Uncle Vic (Uncle Abbie – Let Her Reign), listed at 6–1, and Kentucky-bred King Council. Both list Danny Pish as trainer.
Pish will also send out 6-1 Kentucky-bred Alamo Heights, bred and owned in partnership by Joe Straus Jr.’s SMR Investments Ltd.
With morning line odds of 8-1, Florida-bred Louies Flower will be saddled by Bret Calhoun for Wes Melcher.
Six Spot, a Pennsylvania-bred with odds of 3-1 is trained by Steve Asmussen.
Completing the field are Gold Appointment and 2-1 favorite Ide Be Cool.
NOTES: TODAY IS THE CONSIGNMENT DEADLINE for the October 13 Fasig-Tipton Texas Yearlings and Fall Mixed Sale; call 972-262-0000 for details…One year after increasing the purses of 19 stakes races, Oaklawn has planned the richest stakes schedule in track history for 2015. Chief among the changes are a $150,000 bump to the Rebel Stakes (G2), the last local prep before $1 million Arkansas Derby, which will now carry a purse of $750,000. Overall, Oaklawn will run 31 stakes worth $6,675,000 – a $300,000 increase over 2014 and more than $2 million more than it offered just seven years ago…On July 25, the TAHC received confirmation of eight new cases of VS in horses in Central Texas – 5 in Travis County and 3 in Bastrop County. To date, 35 premises in nine Texas counties have been confirmed with VS. Affected counties include Kinney, Hidalgo, San Patricio, Nueces, Jim Wells, Bastrop, Travis, Guadalupe and Val Verde counties. For more information, visit http://www.tahc.texas.gov/news/2014StateRestrictionsOnTX_VS.pdf …In November, Colorado voters will decide if Arapahoe Park will be allowed to add limited-stakes casino-type gaming at horse racetracks in Arapahoe, Mesa, and Pueblo counties. Currently, Arapahoe Park in Aurora is the only horse racetrack in operation in those counties…Keeneland officials announced July 31 that 4,181 yearlings have been cataloged for the 70th annual Keeneland September yearling sale to be held September 8-21. Catalogs will be available online beginning August 5 and print catalogs will be mailed the week of August 18…Equibase Company has launched a redesigned equibase.com website that features a multi-homepage concept with user-chosen pathways for new or casual fans, regular visitors, and seasoned players or expert handicappers. The new site is more tablet-friendly and offers several new features. Equibase.com is the industry’s official source for racing information and serves almost 1 million pageviews per day…The Association of Racing Commissioners International is considering rules to govern racehorses in training in an attempt to identify whether they are at risk for injury…Delaware Park’s casino, which is the major contributor to racing purses, is facing increased competition from casino gambling in other Mid-Atlantic states. As a result, the track has lowered the purses for its higher-level overnight races and cancelled all overnight stakes…Daily Racing Form reports that since Churchill Downs overpaid purses during its inaugural September meet in 2013, purses for the upcoming September meet will be about 20 percent lower than last year… According to Equibase, Karl Broberg is now the leading trainer in the nation by wins. Steve Asmussen is second…Our condolences go out to the family of Lukin Gilliland Sr. of San Antonio, who passed away last week at the age of 87.