TEXAS HORSE RACING HALL OF FAME GALA
The Texas Horse Racing Hall of Fame Gala will commence at 5pm today at Retama Park.  This year’s inductees include John Adger, Keith & Marilyn Asmussen, Johnny Cox, Ted Keefer, and Bob & Janice McNair, along with Thoroughbred Alysheba and Quarter Horse Streakin Six.  Proceeds from the Gala will go to the Texas A&M Foundation, benefitting the Equine Initiative.

ATB’S IN UPCOMING STAKES
Returning after a long layoff, stakes winner Durocher (Niagara Causeway – Trench Cat) is in a field of six for the $60,000 James H. Kyle Stakes for 3-year-olds and up going a mile and a sixteenth on the turf at Gulfstream Park this evening.  The 5-year old was bred by La Bahia Stud Inc. and runs for John Herzberg, Michelle Allan and Alan Benson.  He has odds of 15-1.

A pair of $50,000 ATB turf stakes for 3-year-olds and up are on tap at Retama Park this evening – the Fiesta Mile (for fillies and mares) and the Texas Horse Racing Hall of Fame Stakes at a mile and a sixteenth.

The Fiesta Mile is carded as Race #3 with a field of 8, headed by multiple stakes winner and 2-1 favorite Shes Our Fastest (Oratory – Dawali).  Bred by Eureka Thoroughbred Farm, the 4-year-old won the $50,000 Valor Farm Stakes at Lone Star on July 14^th.  She is trained by Scott Gelner for Mark Norman and Norman Stables, LLC and has a career record of 19-6-5-3 and over $238,000 in earnings.

Tina Hurley will saddle Peter Varga’s homebred stakes winner Brave Daisey (Hidden Blessing – Brave Vixen).  She placed second to Shes Our Fastest in the Valor Farm Stakes and has odds of 3-1.

At 4-1 is Ian Yarnot’s homebred stakes winner Corluna (Unbridled’s Heart – Red Moon Cat), who won the $50,000 Lanes End Farm/Danny Shifflett Scholarship Stakes at Lone Star on June 23^rd.

Completing the field are 6-1 Discreet Smile (Discreet Cat – Smiles Golden Song); 15-1 Seven Violets (Four Sevens – Mattie M.); 8-1 Sing Prada Sing (Sing Baby Sing – Kimbell’s Prada); 20-1 T. P. Right Lane (Eaton’s Gift – Wrenice); and 10-1 Too Much Irish (Too Much Bling – Irish Emily).

Race 5 is the $50,000 Texas Horse Racing Hall of Fame Stakes with a field of 11.  At 3-1 is James Wessel’s homebred multiple stakes winner Redatory (Oratory – My Silver Song).  Trained by Allen Dupuy, he won the $50,000 Assault Stakes at Lone Star on July 14^th by 3 lengths.

Stakes winner Bonjour Baby (Sing Baby Sing – Secret Sweep) is trained by Johnny Johnston for Alvin P. Wong.  Bred by Tom Durant, he has a career record of 32-10-3-4 with $185,458 in earnings and odds of 4-1.

Robert Esqueda will send out Tom Thurman’s multiple stakes placed Right Lane Lukasz (Temple City – Wrenice).  Bred by Stewart Hamblen, he is coming off an allowance win here on August 14^th.

On Saturday, multiple stakes placed Dagny (Scrimshaw – Shezamarkedword) will take on 10 foes going a mile and a sixteenth on the turf in the $60,000 River Cities Stakes at Louisiana Downs.  Bred by Mr. and Mrs. Michael C. Danapas, she is trained by Joseph P. Smith for Danapas’ Beyond Words Racing Stable and has odds of 15-1.

Next Wednesday marks the closing day of Thoroughbred racing at Retama Park with both divisions of the $65,000 Clarence Scharbauer Jr. Texas Stallion Stakes for 2-year-olds going 6 furlongs.

The Darby’s Daughter division for fillies has a field of 5. In post position order, they are: Miss Yachty (Mr. Besilu – Sunset Sail) bred by Eureka Thoroughbred Farm and owned by Red Lane Thoroughbreds LLC – she won here on August 21 by over 17 lengths; Stillatune (Intimidator – Stillatouch), bred and owned by Keith Asmussen; Sue’s Easter Girl (Early Flyer – Silver Calling), bred by Charles W. Eddy and Myra S. Eddy and owned by Tommy Piwonski who purchased her for $16,000 from the April Texas 2YO Sale from the Benchmark Training Sale Consignment – she won by 11 ¼ lengths here on August 6; $75,000 Texas 2YO Sale graduate Tell Me U Love Me (My Golden Song – Red Thread), bred by Douglas Scharbauer and owned by HDT Allied Management LLC; and $53,000 Texas 2YO Sale graduate It’s My Money (Early Flyer – Pete’s Five), bred by Douglas Scharbauer and owned by Don Leach and Andrew Moran.

The My Dandy division for colts and geldings has a field of seven, which includes a Louisiana-bred and an Oklahoma-bred.  In post position order, they are: 2018 Texas Yearling/Mixed Sale graduate Texas Groom (Congaree – Positive Spin) bred by the late Ed Few and owned by Tom Thurman; multiple stakes placed Bubba Bling (Too Much Bling – My Silver Song), bred by James Wessel and owned by Darren Fleming – he was 2^nd in the Prairie Gold Juvenile Stakes and 3^rd in the Manzano Stakes; John A. Adams’ homebred Luckenbacher (LA)(Mr. Besilu – Cat’s Production) who was 3^rd in the Staunch Avenger division of the TSS on June 23 at Lone Star; Aces Prince (Too Much Bling – Castelli’s Ace) bred by Larry S. Huntsinger and owned by his Stanton Stables; 2018 Texas Yearling/Mixed Sale grad Wonders of Hislove (Early Flyer – Maymeister) bred by Steve Baker and owned by J. R. Caldwell; stakes winner Moro Said Ready (Moro Tap – Who Said Ready), bred by Kevin Clifton and owned in partnership with Penn Family Racing – he won the Staunch Avenger division of the $65,000 TSS at Lone Star on June 23 and the colt/gelding division of the $93,612 Texas Thoroughbred Futurity there on July 14; and Steve Martin’s homebred Woods of Congaree (OK), who is making only his second start.

NOTES: The Texas Racing Commission will meet at 10:30am on Tuesday, September 10 in Austin.  Agenda items include discussion and possible action on new rules and rule amendments relative to new funds available through HB 2463 and allocation of live race dates for the period January 1, 2020 – August 1, 2021…Best of luck to HOF trainer Steve Asmussen who will send out 10-1 Tone Broke in the $1-million Jockey Club Derby Invitational Stakes at Belmont on Saturday.