NEWS AND NOTES FOR AUGUST 22, 2014
FINAL WEEKEND OF RACING AT GILLESPIE COUNTY FAIR GROUNDS
This is the final weekend of live Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing at Gillespie County Fair Grounds in Fredericksburg for 2014, with 1pm post times each day.
Carded as race 10, the $17,100 GCFA Texas-Bred Stakes is the feature race on Sunday, with a field of seven competing in the 7-furlong race for Accredited Texas-bred 3-year-olds and up.
Berry Loud (Gold Alert – Be Berry Quiet) is the morning line favorite at 5/2. The 3-year-old gelding runs for breeders Gentry Farms and is trained by Danny Pish. Stakes-placed Berry Loud has a career record of 10-4-2-1 with earnings of $46,245. He finished second in the July 19th Texas Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes to Halifax Flyer.
Halifax Flyer, a 6-year-old gelding by Early Flyer, out of Halifax Rose, was bred by Charles W. Eddy and Myra York Eddy. He is owned by Alvin Wong and trained by C. R. White. The multiple-stakes-winner has a career record of 54-8-10-8 with earnings of $204,050. The morning line lists Halifax Flyer at 3/1.
Rounding out the field are Wild Slew, Tater Red, Hakkann Cat, Witt Way and John Louis’ Blaze.
TEXAS-BRED IN EDWARD J DEBARTOLO HANDICAP
Accredited Texas-bred He Has Bling (Too Much Bling – Deeya Maria) will take on some tough competition in Saturday’s $75.000 Edward J. Debartolo Memorial Handicap at Remington Park. Listed at 20/1 in the field of 11, the 4-year-old gelding will be trying to add to his career earnings of $118,105. He races for breeders Hall’s Family Trust and will be saddled by Danele Durham. Best of luck!
TEXAS-BRED TAKES $75,825 DAVID M. VANCE SPRINT
Ivan Fallunovalot is a horse with a funny name but with serious game. The 4-year-old gelded son of Valid Expectations from the Horse Chestnut (SAF) mare Flashdance Missy moved his win streak to four consecutive races with a powerful finish in the six furlong event which served as the first stakes race of the Remington Park season last weekend.
Trainer W. T. “Tom” Howard claimed Ivan Fallunovalot for owner Lewis Matthews Jr. of Bismarck, Arkansas. at Oaklawn Park in March for $25,000. The gelding won the race in which he was claimed, and then his two subsequent optional claiming races.
Bred in Texas by Eileen Hartis, Ivan Fallunovalot now boasts a lifetime record of seven wins from 12 starts and his earnings of $45,000 for the Vance score, his debut effort at Remington Park, increased his lifetime earnings to $155,710.
Ivan Fullunovalot went to the lead turning for home and then edged clear to win by three-quarters of a length. He covered the six furlongs over a fast track in a time of 1:09.40 and paid $18 to win, $7.80 to place and $5 to show.
ATB AWARDS FOR LONE STAR PARK THOROUGHBRED MEET HAVE MAILED
Accredited Texas-bred incentive awards for the recently concluded Thoroughbred meet at Lone Star Park were mailed out yesterday. Award amounts are based on the amount of Accredited Texas-Bred award monies available for the pay period divided by the purse money earned by accredited Texas-breds finishing first, second or third in any race at this track.
Based on this formula, award totals were calculated as follows:
Breeder Awards: 8.13942% of 1st/2nd/3rd purse money earned
Owner Awards: 8.42481% of 1st/2nd/3rd purse money earned
Stallion Awards: 4.89762% of 1st/2nd/3rd purse money earned
The total amount of awards paid out for Owner, Breeder and Stallion Owner Awards for this period of racing at Lone Star Park is $531,315.30. By law, 40% ($212,526.12) is paid for Breeders Awards, 40% ($212,526.12) is paid for Owners Awards and 20% ($106,263.06) for Stallion Owner Awards.
Also, the owners of horses placing first, second or third in an open company race during this meet will receive an Owner’s Bonus award totaling 14.50359% of purse money earned. The first 25% of total ATB Awards is allocated to the Owner Bonus Fund, which equates to $193,771.78 for this meet
RCI ESTABLISHES PENALTIES FOR ‘STACKING’ PAINKILLERS
The Daily Racing Form reports that the Association of Racing Commissioners International has approved language in its model rules defining “stacking” of painkillers and providing for new penalties for the practice.
Stacking refers to the use of multiple painkillers in order to get a stronger effect than when using a single drug. Under the current model rules, painkillers such a phenylbutazone are illegal to administer within 48 hours of a race, but the RCI said it is concerned that some trainers may be using small amounts of several drugs outside the legal window “to deliberately try to circumvent the restrictions.”
The new language creates three classes of penalties for stacking of the drugs, based on the concentrations of individual drugs found in post-race samples. The penalties would require suspensions, fines, and loss of purse.
The language was approved during a meeting of the RCI at Del Mar. The model rules are recommendations to state racing commissions, and most states need to take individual action to put the rules in force.
NOTES: The Carter Sales Co.’s OKC Summer Sale set records in all areas Sunday. It was the highest grossing sale with a new record sales topper and the highest average since the sale started in 2007. With total sales of $487,450, the sale averaged $8,863, a 20% increase over last year, with a median of $5,100 and a buy back rate of 35%…The thoroughbred portion of the New Mexico-bred Sale at Ruidoso Downs continued the upward trend set the by the quarter horse session with thoroughbred yearlings showing a 12.7% increase per horse sold on Saturday night. The thoroughbred yearlings averaged $9,233 per horse sold compared to $8,194 per horse sold in 2013. A total of 10 thoroughbred yearlings sold for $30,000 or more with a sale-topper at $87,000…The Jockey Club has elected six new members, including Texan Helen Groves, an owner-breeder who is the daughter of the late Jockey Club member Robert Kleberg of King Ranch fame. A lifetime member of the Texas Thoroughbred Association, Mrs. Groves was honored with the T. I. “Pops” Harkins Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2004…Retama Park is holding a job fair at the track on Saturday, August 23, from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. For more information, go to www.retamapark.com/page25.html…Saddle Brook Jockey Club in Amarillo is now taking simulcast signals from The Red Mile, Remington Park and Golden Gate Fields.