Page 182 - March_2023

NEWS BRIEFS
180 SPEEDHORSE
March 2023
Jockeys And Jeans Benefits PDJF
The Jockeys And Jeans 7th annual sale of stallion breeding seasons, which benefits the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund (PDJF), ended Jan. 25 and raised $112,050 compared to $72,400 last year. Quarter Horse breedings were up significantly and accounted for $71,500 of total proceeds. The sale began
in 2017 and has raised over $600,000 for
the PDJF, which pays a $1,000 monthly stipend to around 60 jockeys who suffered catastrophic career-ending injuries in both Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse races, and Jockeys And Jeans has raised over $2.7 million for PDJF through a variety of fundraising events. “I have to give a big shout out to Quarter Horse racing legend G.R. Carter Jr. who procured every single one of the donors from his side of the sport,” said Jockeys and Jeans President Barry Pearl.
North Dakota Receives Purse Boost
The North Dakota Racing Commission approved purse boost for the state racetracks. North Dakota Horse Park in Fargo is scheduled to run 6 days of racing from July 14-30
after the state approved funding, including $180,000 in operational and promotional funds, $168,000 in purse funds, $15,000 for track resurfacing, and $10,000 for electricity hookups for horsemen to camp on location. Last year, the track received $108,000 in
purse funding. Chippewa Downs in Belcourt will also receive $180,000 in operational and promotional funds and $168,000 in purse funds. Chippewa Downs will host 8 days of racing from June 3-July 2.
Oklahoma Bred Recipient Mare Rule
The Nov. 1 deadline for recipient mares has been suspended indefinitely by a directive of the Oklahoma Horse Racing Commission (OHRC), which will begin the permanent rule making process to change the rule and make it include a hardship. The rule will
be retro-active. If all other requirements are met, a foal should be eligible for Oklahoma Bred accreditation by sending in recipient mare forms. Over 100 two year olds were denied based on the recipient mare form not being submitted on time. The OHRC will contact those individuals to inform them
that their horse is now eligible, so if the correct paperwork is completed those two- year-olds can be eligible for Oklahoma Bred money at the start of the 2023 season. More information will be released by the Oklahoma Quarter Horse Racing Association as it becomes available. For more information, call OQHRA (405) 216-0440 or OHRC
(405) 943-6472.
Heritage Place Mid-Winter Online Sale Results
The Heritage Place Mid-Winter Online Sale was held Feb. 14-16. The preliminary results show 12 horses sold for an unofficial average sale price of $41,860. The high seller was Hip #13 Ultimo Alex (Inseperable- Cindys First CD, Corona Cartel), a 2019
bay colt consigned by Haddad Ranch and purchased by Red Sea Racing Stables for $110,100. Ultimo Alex is currently in training and has earned $140,501 with three wins. He was fourth in the LQHBA Louisiana Million Futurity-G1 and in the LQHBA Breeders Derby-G3, and was a finalist in
the Lee Berwick Futurity-G1, Mardi Gras Futurity-G2, Firecracker Derby-G3 and TQHA Sires’ Cup Derby. He out of a stakes winner and is a sibling to 10 blacktype runners. The second high-seller was Hip
#2 Miss Racy Jess (Mr Jess Perry-Miss Racy Vike, Racin Free), a 2008 mare consigned by Granada Farms, Agent for Trotter & Blodgett who sold for $80,300 to Racin Free. Miss Racy Jess is a Champion with earnings of $485,113, and is the dam of 9 winners/ROM earners, including 2-time stakes winner She Looks Racy ($139,983).
Had To Be Ivory Ajax Downs Horse of the Year
Had To Be Ivory (Ivory James-Had To Be Fandango, Hadtobenuts) is the Ajax Downs Horse of the Year. Bred and owned by Carol and Jaime Robertson and trained by Bryn Robertson, the seven-year-old gelding was also named the Quarter Racing Owners of Ontario Horse of the Year, Champion Aged Male and Distance Series Champion. Had To Be Ivory made six starts in 2022 with six wins, including in the Alex Picov Memorial Championship, Picov Maturity, Ontario Bred Maturity, and in two QROOI Distance Series Stakes, as well as in an allowance – all at Ajax Downs. This was Had To Be Ivory’s second Horse of the Year title with his first coming in 2019. Overall, Had To Be Ivory has earned $279,789 with
28 starts, 22 wins, 3 seconds, 2 thirds, and 1 fourth place finish.
Court Denies HISA Request To Vacate
The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals on Jan. 31 denied a request by the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), which oversees HISA, to vacate the appellate court’s ruling that HISA is facially unconstitutional. The ruling rejects
a HISA motion asking the court to reconsider its previous ruling on the basis of an amendment to HISA’s 2020 legislation that passed last
year. The court remanded the case
to the Northern District of Texas, which had earlier dismissed the constitutional challenges to the suit. That court will now consider the case again in light of the amendment that was passed late last year. The FTC posted the rules for HISA’s anti- doping and medication programs
on its website, which triggers a 14-day public comment period and a 60-day approval period for the rules. “We view this as additional strong evidence as to the valid concerns
we have been raising all along and this should remind everyone that constitutionality isn’t optional,” said Eric Hamelback, chief executive of the National HBPA. “We have made it very clear that the one-sentence so-called fix tucked into Congress’ must-pass year-end spending bill did not address all the legal questions created in the HISA corporation’s enabling legislation.”
Sam Houston Resumes Simulcasting After HISA Ruling
Sam Houston Race Park resumed domestic simulcasting on Feb. 3, after being without out-of-state simulcast export of its signal since last summer amid opposition of the Horse Racing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) by the Texas Racing Commission (TRC). The announcement came
after a Jan. 31 ruling by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals that denied a request by HISA and the Federal Trade Commission to vacate the appellate court’s ruling that HISA is facially unconstitutional. “I’m grateful to have some legal backing to say it doesn’t apply in Texas now, and we can allow our horsemen and tracks to export the signal,” TRC executive director Amy Cook said Feb. 1.
Clive Cohen, New Image Media