News and Notes for May 19, 2017

LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
Both SB 1971 and 1972 have passed the Senate, and have been referred to House committees.

Many thanks to Senator Lois Kolkhorst and Senator Dawn Buckingham!

Stay tuned for information on how you can help pass those bills in the House.

TTA ANNUAL MEETING AND AWARDS BANQUET
Invitations have been mailed for the TTA Annual Meeting and Awards Banquet to be held on June 24th in the Dash for Cash Room at Lone Star Park in Grand Prairie.

During the awards ceremonies, the Texas Champion “Horse of the Year” and the owners and breeders of the champions of each racing division will be honored, along with the recipients of the Allen Bogan Memorial Award for TTA Member of the Year and the T. I. “Pops” Harkins Award for Lifetime Achievement.  Current Texas Thoroughbred Educational Fund scholarship recipients will be introduced, along with an update on the activities of The Paddock Foundation, a non-profit corporation dedicated to the lifelong welfare of the Thoroughbred horse.

Advance tickets are $65 per person.  There will be live and silent auctions of donated items to benefit the Texas Thoroughbred Educational Fund and The Paddock Foundation, and event sponsorships are available at a variety of levels.  For more information, contact the TTA office at 512.458.6133.

TEXAS HALL OF FAME ANNOUNCES INDUCTEES
The Texas Horse Racing Hall of Fame Gala is scheduled for 5:00 pm on Saturday, October 21st in the Showplace Pavilion at Retama Park. This year’s inductees include: Steve Asmussen, O.C. “Preacher” O’Quinn, Johnny Trotter, Steve Sexton and the champion Quarter Horse Ochoa.

TEXAS THOROUGHBRED YEARLING AND MIXED SALE
The Texas Thoroughbred Summer Yearling and Mixed Sale is scheduled for August 21st with a consignment deadline of June 16th. If you would like a consignment form, it can be downloaded from the website at www.ttasales.com/forms or you may request one from the TTA office.

TTA will only mail printed sale catalogs to horsemen who request them.  We have found that the majority of buyers and consignors instead prefer to access our online interactive catalog, featuring photos and videos at www.ttasales.com.

If you would like to continue receiving sale catalogs by US mail, please let us know right away which catalog(s) you wish to receive. Contact us by calling 512.458.6133, fax to 512.453.5919, email to maryr@texasthoroughbred.com, using the online request form at www.ttasales.com, or send a note to us at 4009 Banister Ln, Ste 230, Austin, TX 78704.

TRC ISSUES CHANGES TO THERAPEUTICS LIST, PENALTY GUIDELINES, AND CLASSIFICATION SCHEDULE
The Texas Racing Commission has announced changes to rules regarding permissible levels of therapeutic medications and naturally occurring substances, penalty guidelines, and classification changes that go into effect immediately.

The Commission has incorporated changes to its list of medications that are permissible if found at or below the specified concentration levels that prohibit the stacking of Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs).

The new stacking prohibitions will be enforced as of June 9 for Quarter Horses (start of the Quarter Horse meet at Retama Park) and on September 1 for Thoroughbreds (start of the Thoroughbred meet at Retama Park).

See www.txrc.texas.gov for complete information.

NOTES: Best of luck to trainer Steve Asmussen, who will send out Hence (20/1) and Lookin at Lee (10/1) in Saturday’s Preakness Stakes.