Page 196 - May 2022

NEWS BRIEFS
Sunland Park End Of Meet Leaders
Sunland Park ended their 55-day
meet, which began Dec. 31, 2021
and ran through April 3, 2022, with a 7% increase in on-track handle. Eric Valenzuela was named the leading Quarter Horse Trainer with 18 wins, including in the Sunburst Stakes and Shue Fly Stakes. Rider Noe Garcia Jr. was the leading Quarter Horse Jockey with 29 wins and over $805,000 in earnings, including a victory in the West Texas Derby. “We were happy to be up both on and off track and we were up substantially on a per race basis. It was great to run a live meet after being closed last year due to COVID and we are looking at making next year even better,” said Sunland Park Director of Racing Dustin Dix.
HISA CEO Lisa Lazarus Cook stated that the Texas Racing Commission will not pay a demand payment of $371,377 nor expected monthly payments to the self-funded federal Authority, and that the Texas Racing Act contains no statutory provision enabling Texas Racing Commission to become an agent of the federal government to collect and remit fees to create uniform nationwide standards for horses only in “covered horse races.” The Texas Commission is also part of a legal case debating the constitutionality of HISA.
an unelected body of private citizens, called HISA. “The Horsemen are correct that HISA creates a novel structure that nationalizes regulation of the horseracing industry.... Although the Horsemen make compelling arguments that HISA goes too
far, only appellate courts may expand or constrict precedent. This Court cannot,” wrote Judge Hendrix. National HBPA CEO Eric Hamelback said, “We are considering our options to appeal
the decision and remain committed to doing due diligence to ensure a legal solution that protects the health and welfare of our equine and human athletes is adopted.” HISA faces another federal lawsuit challenging its constitutionality. “Having many concerns about HISA, AQHA is disappointed at the outcome of the complaint. We will continue to offer our support of the NHBPA’s efforts, and stay involved in this endeavor moving forward,” said AQHA Chief Racing Officer Janet VanBebber.
Royal Vista Ranches Sold
Cole Morehead of XCEL Farms LLC has purchased Royal Vista Ranches in Oklahoma. “After 17 years of owning and operating Royal Vista Ranches with our business partner Laura Erickson, we are selling the ranch and allowing new enthusiasm and ideas to be pursued,” said Jill Cook. Erickson will stay on as general manager, and Marty Powers will join the team as Ranch Director of Operations. “’Business as Usual’
is going to be the Royal Vista Ranches motto moving into the second half of 2022. Although we plan on merging the current operation with resources from the XCEL Farms Team, there will be no disruptions to the way business has been handled in the past at Royal Vista Ranches,” said Morehead, who will continue the tradition of breeding top stallions, raising foals, sales prep, providing reproductive services to the industry, and keeping client needs a top priority.
Louisiana Downs Declares Meet Leaders
Louisiana Downs ended their 46-day 2022 Quarter Horse meet, which ran from Jan. 10 through April 6, and declared their leading owner, trainer and jockey winners. Jose O. Barron was awarded his second leading owner title with 12 wins from 36 starts. Barron previously won the leading owner award in 2019. Conditioner Jose Carrizales, 25, won his third consecutive leading trainer title, winning 23 races including his top performer SS Classyjess with three consecutive wins at the track. Rider Ubaldo Luna, 34, was awarded his first leading jockey title with 36 wins, 22 seconds and 34 third place finishes.
Texas Will Not Collect HISA Fees
The Texas Racing Commission at its April 13 meeting formalized opposition to the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA), which goes
into effect on July 1. HISA would usurp the commission’s role of making sure horses on a racetrack are not doped. Commission chair Robert Pate stated Texas state law does not allow the commission to pay a federal agency to do its job, and that doing so could force the commission to disallow wagering on those races. “Any race or meet subject to HISA regulation—without state staffing to adequately implement state law—will not be a race or meet that meets Texas racing statute, and the Commission cannot allow parimutuel wager
or simulcast wagering in those circumstances,” said Pate. In a letter dated April 14 from Texas Racing Commission Executive Director Amy Cook to
HISA Ruling
U.S. District Court Judge James Wesley Hendrix on March 31 issued a ruling in National Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association (HBPA) v. Black. Hendrix said the Horse Racing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) is constitutional under current precedent and that there is a need to clarify the matters at issue in the lawsuit. HBPA and affiliates argued that Congress could not delegate the regulation of the horseracing industry in America to
Igotyourtac
2009 stallion Igotyourtac (Tac
It Like A Man-Budderfly Effect,
Strawflyin Buds) will stand the 2022
season at Ward Animal Hospital in
Nacogdoches, Texas. Igotyourtac
won four of eight starts and earned
$577,067, going wire-to-wire in the
Golden State Million Futurity-G1
at Los Alamitos. He also was a finalist in the Los Alamitos Two Million Futurity-G1 and in the Heritage Place Juvenile Invitational. From very limited starters, Igotyourtac is the sire of 10 winners including top earner A Canadian Chill who finished second in the Par-A-Dice Stakes. The stallion is owned by Zach Stevenson and was bred by Double Bar S Ranch LLC in California.
Power Jam TB
2012 stallion Power Jam
TB (Concord Point-Musical
Rhythm, Smart Strike) will
stand the 2022 season at Delta
Equine Center in Vinton,
Louisiana. Power Jam, who is
owned by Ken O’Brien and was
bred by Kaleem Shah Inc., hit
the board in all five of his starts,
winning three races including the Pirate’s Bounty Stakes, with earnings of $130,240. The stallion is also a multiple New Track Record holder at Del Mar and Santa Anita. From just five starters, Power Jam is the sire of 100% money earners and four winners.
194 SPEEDHORSE May 2022
Southwood
Mark Herron, TRACK Magazine