News and Notes for July 1, 2016

 ttagenericACCREDITED TEXAS-BREDS IN WEEKEND STAKES
Today, graded-stakes-placed Texas Chrome (Grasshopper – Margarita Mistress) is the 2/1 favorite in a field of 8 three-year-olds entered in the $250,000 Iowa Derby at Prairie Meadows at a distance of 1 1/16 miles.  Bred by Craig Upham and owned by Danny Keene, the colt is coming off a third place finish in the $100,000 Gr. 3 Matt Winn Stakes at Churchill on June 18th.

On Saturday, two Accredited Texas-breds will compete in the $100,000 Bashford Manor Stakes (Gr. 3) for two-year-olds going 6 furlongs at Churchill Downs.  Trainer Danny Pish will saddle Danny Keene’s homebred My Golden Aura (My Golden Song – Cat Tale), who won a 4 ½ furlong maiden special weight race at Lone Star Park on May 15 by 1 3/4 lengths.

Tom Durant’s homebred gelding Raising Rumors (Sing Baby Sing – Love Ya Sister) is coming off a 4 ¾ length win on June 2 at Churchill. Both horses have been given odds of 12/1.

Durant and Keene also have Accredited Texas-bred fillies in the $100,000 Debutante Stakes going 6 furlongs.  Durant’s homebred 20/1 Grandma’s Princess (Sing Baby Sing – Secret I.D.) wired her last out in a 5-furlong maiden claiming race at Churchill on June 12, winning by 6 ¾ lengths.

Keene purchased 8/1 Country Candy (Intimidator – Trifolium) for $65,000 from the consignment of Asmussen Horse Center, Agent at the Texas 2-Year-Old Sale in April.  She won her first out in a 4 1/2 –furlong maiden special weight on May 6 at Lone Star Park, winning by an incredible  9 ½ lengths.

ROSES TO RIBBONS AT LONE STAR PARK
Please plan to attend the 2nd annual Roses to Ribbons Old Fashioned Horse Fair to be held on Saturday, July 9 in the paddock area, starting at 10:30 with a Buyer Education Seminar hosted by Lynn Reardon of LoneStar Outreach to Place Ex-Racers (LOPE).  Available horses will begin arriving in the saddling paddock for viewing at 11:00.

The Roses to Ribbons Old Fashioned Horse Fair is an event designed to promote Thoroughbred horses moving to new careers after racing. Do you have a horse nearing the end of its racing career? The Paddock Foundation is hosting this event to help you find a new home for your horse. Please note – this is not an auction! Private sales will be negotiated between buyers and sellers.

Minimal preparation is required for the Roses to Ribbons event. Horses will be presented walking in hand in the paddock. Prospective buyers will be able to view all available horses. Veterinary history and evaluation of your horse’s demeanor and personality will be helpful for buyers wanting to make an informed decision. If you would like to generate more interest in your horse before the event go to paddockfoundation.com and click on Roses to Ribbons.  There you can upload pictures and information about your horse for publicity purposes.

There will also be a variety of vendors in the paddock area selling tack, clothing, equipment, artwork and more. Representatives of various racehorse rehoming organizations will be present and concessions will be available.

Please contact the Tracy Sheffield at 512-395-5314 or the TTA office at (512)458-6133 for further details.

EL JOVEN AND LA SENORITA STAKES AT RETAMA PARK
Retama Park has announced that the $75,000 El Joven Stakes for 2-year-old colts and geldings and the $75,000 La Senorita Stakes for 2-year-old fillies will be contested at one mile on the turf on Saturday, October 15th.

Each race has a $100 nomination fee due by Friday, July 8 with a sustaining payment of $200 due Friday, August 12.  There is also a late nomination opportunity with payment of $500 due by August 12.  All nominees will pay $750 at time of entry with $1,000 due to start.  Supplementary nominations may be made by closing time of entries at a fee of $4,500.

Nomination forms and stall applications (also due by Friday, July 8) may be found at http://www.retamapark.com/horsemen.htm

LSP UPDATES EQUINE HERPESVIRUS (EVH-1) POLICY
Until further notice, no horses will be admitted into the stable area of Lone Star Park if they are coming from Ruidoso Downs, New Mexico, or if they are coming from a county or adjacent county to where a quarantine has been implemented.

Horsemen are reminded that Lone Star Park continues to require to all horses admitted to or already in the stable area to have a current (90 day) FDA approved EHV-1 vaccine or EHV-1 booster. Vaccine information must be noted on the health certificate for admittance to Lone Star Park’s stable area.

All trainers and horse haulers are urged to take extreme caution when transporting horses to properly disinfect and sanitize their trailers if there is any chance they may have transported an exposed horse. Lone Star Park also stresses the importance of everyday biosecurity methods for all horsemen to continue to follow.

HOLIDAY WEEKEND RACING
At Lone Star Park, live racing action for the Independence Day holiday weekend starts Saturday, July 2, and continues through Monday, July 4. There will be no live racing on Friday, July 1. The 20th annual Lone Stars & Stripes Fireworks Celebration is a two day event this year, starting on Sunday, July 3. Following the last live race, Lone Star Park, in conjunction with the city of Grand Prairie, will host a world-class firework display choreographed to music. Enjoy live music between races by the Vegas Stars on the Courtyard of Champions stage from 4:00 until 11:00 p.m. Kids of all ages will enjoy the expanded Family Fun Park from 3:00 to 9:00 p.m. featuring bounce houses, pony rides, petting zoo, obstacle course, zip line, face painters, tattoo artist and more. Enter for a chance to win the 2016 Ford Mustang Giveaway. Fans 21 years of age or older who enter the admission gates before 7:25 p.m. on July 3 will receive an entry form to drop in the bins for a chance to win a brand new 2016 Ford Mustang!

There will be live Quarter Horse and Thoroughbred racing this weekend at Gillespie County Fair Grounds. Gates open at 11:00 a.m. with a 1:30 post time each day.

NOTES: The Texas Thoroughbred Educational Fund (TTEF) welcomes new director Debbee Johnsen of Grapevine, TX…The first race in the Texas Stallion Stakes Series for foals of 2014 will be run at a distance of six furlongs on Saturday, November 5 at Retama Park…Catalogs for the Texas Thoroughbred Summer Yearling Sale with Mixed Session will go to print on July 13…Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC) officials released the premises quarantined for Equine Herpes Myeloencephalopathy (EHM) in Cooke County on June 22. There are no other reported EHM cases in Texas…The TTA office will be closed on Monday, July 4th in observance of the holiday.