NEWS AND NOTES FOR FEB. 15TH
TEXAS STALLION STAKES THIS WEEKEND
The Jim’s Orbit Texas Stallion Stakes for colts and geldings and the Two Altazano Texas Stallion Stakes for fillies are for 3-year-olds sired by Accredited Texas stallions participating in the TSSS Program for the breeding season of 2009. Both divisions will be contested at a distance of one mile on the main track, each with a purse of $75,000.
The Two Altazano Stakes will feature a field of six fillies, including Platinum Song, winner of the $50,000 Bara Lass Stakes on January 18th. One of three fillies in the race bred by Clarence Scharbauer, Jr., Platinum Song, a daughter of My Golden Song, is owned by Scott Brown and trained by Danny Pish. She will be ridden on Saturday evening by Gerardo Mora. During the TTA Awards Banquet, she will be honored as the 2012 Texas Champion 2-Year-Old Filly.
The field also includes Scharbauer’s Tastefullyxcessive, Tom Durant’s homebred Bearbottom, Connie Scherr’s homebred Esscalator, winner of the Texas Stallion Stakes at Retama Park on December 8, Makeshift, who will be making her stakes debut for owner/breeder Will S. Farish, and My Golden Belle, also bred by Scharbauer and owned by Kathy L. Stephens, making her first start since the Texas Stallion Stakes at Retama Park, where she finished fourth.
Seven colts and geldings will compete in the Jim’s Orbit with Wesley Melcher’s Worldventurer holding the experience edge over his rivals. Named as the Texas Champion 2-Year-Old Colt/Gelding for 2012, the son of Wimbledon won the $50,000 Groovy Stakes on opening weekend. Steve Asmussen sends out the trio of Breathethefire, who ran second in the Groovy Stakes for Littlebrother Farm LLC; Tactical Boo, owned by L.B. Jones, who broke his maiden at Sam Houston on January 26 and Pop Chart, who ran third in the Texas Stallion Stakes on December 8th at Retama for Farish. Several lightly-raced colts will try to spring the upset including Absotively, making his second start, Meme Jo, winner of a maiden special weight on January 19th and Ivan Fallunovalot, a son of leading Texas sire Valid Expectations, who won his career debut in a six-length romp on February 2nd.
The Two Altazano Stakes will run as the sixth race (8:46 p.m.) with the Jim’s Orbit scheduled as race 8 (9:40 p.m.). Post time for the Saturday evening card is 6:30 p.m. (CT).
TTA ANNUAL MEETING & AWARDS BANQUET
The TTA annual member meeting is slated for 9:30 a.m. on Saturday in the Founders Room at Sam Houston Race Park, followed by a board of directors meeting at 10:00. That evening, we will honor the 2012 divisional champion horses and their connections at the awards banquet beginning at 7:00 p.m. in the San Jacinto Suite (338). A cocktail hour will precede the banquet at 6:00.
Also during the evening, there will be a live and silent auction of items to benefit the Texas Thoroughbred Educational Fund and The Paddock Foundation. Items include books, jewelry, tack, framed artwork and sculpture, use of a suite at Lone Star Park and one-day access to a suite as Texas Rangers Stadium for up to 30 people with ballpark food and beverage.
We hope you can join us!
TEXAS STALLION NEWS
Humming, a son of Preakness Stakes (G1) winner and accomplished sire Summer Squall, has been relocated to stand at Prairie Hill Farm in Coolidge, Texas, as property of Millard Lain.
A full brother to millionaire, champion 2-year-old filly and Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) winner Storm Song out of the Fappiano mare Hum Along, Humming was unplaced in one start.
At stud, Humming has sired multiple stakes winner Queansco, an earner of $214,124, and stakes-placed six-figure earners West Albany ($180,567) and Diginandrun ($168,639).
Super Struggler, a stakes-placed son of accomplished stallion and racehorse European Group 3 winner Struggler (GB), has been retired to stand stud duty in Texas as property of Joshua Murphy at Murphy Farms in Houston.
A winner of 17 races during his career, Super Struggler proved his soundness and durability by racing until age 9 and making a total of 104 starts while hitting the board nearly half of the time. He finished a close third in the $50,000 Sam Houston Turf Sprint Cup Stakes at five furlongs and he could run equally well on turf or dirt.
Valid Expectations, the dominant stallion in Texas over the past decade, recently hit another milestone as he became the Lone Star State’s all-time leading stallion by progeny earnings. The 20-year-old son of Valid Appeal has sired the earners of $29.7 million with a total of 394 winners and 43 stakes winners from 12 crops to race.
Standing at William S. Farish’s Lane’s End Texas near Hempstead, he surpassed the late 1983 Kentucky Derby winner and former Texas stallion Sunny’s Halo, who sired the earners of $29.5 million with 20 crops to race.
LONG-SHOT MANYRIVERSTOCROSS TAKES TOMBALL STAKES
Manyriverstocross made the most of her Sam Houston Race Park debut in the $50,000 Tomball Stakes on February 9th. The 4-year-old filly defeated an accomplished field of accredited Texas-bred fillies and mares in the turf race, resulting in the first stakes win of her career.
Owned and bred by Robert Morgan Evans and trained by Bart Evans, the daughter of Minister Eric has now won three of her six career starts.
Dismissed by the betting public, Manyriverstocross returned $27.20 for the win, crossing the wire in 1:44.56.
Also, Bart Evans was recently featured in a Blood-Horse Regional Report, which can be accessed at http://cs.bloodhorse.com/files/folders/tbh_regionals/entry369259.aspx.
NOTES…During their meeting at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, February 19th, the Texas Racing Commission will consider a request by Pinnacle Retama Partners, LLC for approval of a change in the management committee and approval of a concession contract with PNK (SAZ), LLC…State Representative Senfronia Thompson has filed HB 1186 relating to the TRC’s ability to share investigatory information with other state regulatory agencies and HB 1187 relating to the power of stewards or judges to impose penalties under the Texas Racing Act…Representative Drew Darby has filed HB 1215 relating to the abolition of the equine incentive program passed in a previous session…The TTA annual member meeting will be at 9:30 a.m. this Saturday in the Founders Room at Sam Houston Race Park…The 5th race today at SHRP has been designated the Gilbert Ciavaglia Memorial…Our sympathies to the family of trainer Jerry Todd who passed away earlier this week…The TTA office will close early today for staff to travel to Houston for the TTA Annual Meeting and Awards Banquet.