Page 274 - September 2022

NEWS BRIEFS
Los Alamitos Statement On TB Rapacious
Los Alamitos released a statement and
is conducting a full review on the unraced Thoroughbred colt Rapacious (Into Mischief- Princess La Quinta, Quality Road), who was humanely euthanized following a post-training accident that occurred on his way back to the barn area on July 27. The colt had completed his morning exercise and was exiting the track when he reared up twice and fell over on his back. He was immediately attended to by veterinarians at the track, and medical examinations determined that Rapacious had injured his back and could not be saved. Exercise rider Enrique Garcia was uninjured. The colt was purchased at the 2021 Keeneland September Sale by SF Bloodstock, Starlight Racing and Madaket Stable and was trained by Bob Baffert.
HISA Halted in Louisiana and West Virginia
Louisiana and West Virginia won a preliminary injunction in federal court on July 26 to keep
the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) Authority’s rules from being implemented
in the states until a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of HISA is decided in full. “This Court is only ruling on the adoption of the rules by HISA, not the constitutionality of the Act,” wrote Judge Terry Doughty of the U.S. District Court, Western District of Louisiana. “The geographic scope of the injunction shall
be limited to the states of Louisiana and West Virginia, and as to all Plaintiffs in this proceeding.” Chief executive officer of the HISA Authority
Lisa Lazaras said that the ruling from the Western District of Louisiana, “relates only to the FTC rules, is limited in geographic scope to Louisiana and West Virginia...and does not question HISA’s constitutionality or validity.”
Jockeys And Jeans Fundraiser Sets Record
The 8th annual Jockeys and Jeans fundraiser at Churchill Downs on July 2 raised a record $342,609, surpassing the $341,000 earned in 2021 at Monmouth Park. The Churchill Downs fundraiser included $25,000 donations from Caesars Entertainment and from the Indiana HPBA and featured 13 Hall of Fame jockeys
as well as a speech by 2022 Person of the Year Randy Sampson, the CEO and Chairman of Canterbury Park. Jockeys and Jeans consists of nine volunteer members. All funds raised go directly to the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund to provide a monthly stipend to over 60 disabled jockeys.
LAD Resignations, Missing Money
According the The Paulick Report, Mitch Dennison has resigned as general manager after 3 months and Kato Moy has resigned as general manager of the casino at Louisiana Downs. Also in an unrelated matter, nearly $2 million
is missing from the horsemen’s purse account generated from slot machines and pari-mutuel wagering, which has been turned over to the state’s Attorney General and the Louisiana Racing Commission.
Texas Files New HISA Lawsuit
According to an article by Dan Ross posted on the Thoroughbred Daily News website TDN.com, a group of racing-related entities
on July 29 filed a new lawsuit against the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA). The suit focuses on the power of the HISA to implement the program and requests declaratory and injunctive relief along with a request for
a preliminary injunction. The Texas Racing Commission (TRC) has refused to comply with HISA, which went into effect July 1, arguing that only the commission has the authority to oversee horse racing in the state under current Texas law. HISA covers Thoroughbred racing
in the state and as a result, Texas Thoroughbred meets cannot send their race signals out of state and advance deposit wagering companies cannot take bets on Texas Thoroughbred races. The plaintiffs include Global Gaming LSP (owner
of Lone Star Park), Gulf Coast Racing LLC (which owns a greyhound racetrack in the state), LRP Group Ltd (a partnership working toward opening a horseracing track in the southern part of the state), and Valle De Los Tesoros (another partnership looking to operate a horseracing track in South Texas). This filing is in a different division of the same court that threw out a case filed by the National Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association in 2021, in which an appeal has been filed.
Everardo Rodriguez Returns To Riding
Everardo Rodriguez, the 2021 leading rider by wins, was in a devastating spill at Delta Downs on June 3 of this year and suffered a compression fracture in his back and a brain bruise in the accident. Doctors cleared him to return to riding on Aug. 1 and the 33-year-old is back riding at the track, exercising horses on his first day back. “The plan is for him to begin the process of raising his fitness back up to where it was to be ready to ride races,” said his agent Gerald Thomas to StallioneSearch.com. “Once he feels ready to race ride, we will start accepting mounts and get back to full swing here in Louisiana. We are hopeful to be ready to give calls on horses going into the LQHBA Sale Futurity in the middle of August. It could be sooner than that, but I am confident Everardo will tell me when he is ready.”
Trainer Martin Orona Jr. Summarily Suspended
According to the Paulick Report, trainer Martin Orona Jr. has been summarily suspended by the New Mexico Racing Commission (NMRC) after one of his horses tested positive for Nikethamide, a stimulant classified by the ARCI as the highest-level Class 1, penalty A drug which was originally intended to treat overdoses of sedatives but that has been replaced with safer treatments. According to the Racing Medication and Texting Consortium, Nikethamide is considered very dangerous
in horses and can cause complications that could result in death. The Orona Jr. trainee Mi Gentee won his July 16 trial to the Zia Derby prior to testing positive for the drug. A hearing is scheduled for Aug. 6. NMRC
SPEEDHORSE PHOTO ARCHIVES
272 SPEEDHORSE September 2022
Can you identify the horse in this photo? Here’s a hint: He won the second running of the Lee Berwick Memorial Futurity, previously the Delta Downs Louisiana Breeders’ Futurity, back in 1982. The answer is on page 274.
Speedhorse Archives