Page 12 - December2022

TRACK CHATTER
THE MONTH IN REVIEW
by Jennifer K. Hancock
KJ Desparado winning the All American Futurity-G1.
KJ DESPARADO NAMED SUPREME RACE HORSE
The American Quarter Horse Association recognized KJ Desparado as the newest AQHA Supreme Race Horse, a title given to a racing American Quarter Horse that earns $500,000 or more in its career, wins two or more open Grade 1 stakes races and at least 10 races.
Bred by John and Kathy Lee’s L &
L Land & Cattle of Chandler, Arizona,
KJ Desparado is by Apollitical Jess and
out of the Tres Seis mare Tres Veses. The Lees partner on the horse with friend and neighbor Ruben Mares, and they have been rewarded by the horse’s $2,706,103
in earnings.
The three-year-old gelding has won 12 of 17 career starts to date, including his biggest career win in the sport’s richest race, the All American Futurity-G1, and then Texas’ richest race, the Texas Classic Futurity-G1. This year, he won the Ruidoso Derby-G1 and most recently the Texas Classic Derby-G1. He currently sits second behind Ochoa on the list of all-time leading money earners.
WYOMING RACE DATES SET
At its November 16 meeting in Casper, the Wyoming Gaming Commission approved a 52-date live racing calendar for 2023.
Energy Downs in Gillette (307 Horse Racing LLC) will kick off the state’s racing calendar
with a 16-day meet May 20-June 25. Wyoming Downs in Evanston will run a 20-day season from June 3 to Aug. 6, followed by a 16-day meet at Sweetwater Downs in Rock Springs (Wyoming Horse Racing LLC) Aug. 19-Oct. 1.
Fifty-two race dates were also run in Wyoming in 2022, marking the state’s longest season in decades. A total of 464 races – including 104 restricted to state-breds – were run with 3,388 starters, including 1,573 state-bred starters. More than $3.6 million in purses were paid.
“The Wyoming Gaming Commissioners and staff are pleased with the positive
impacts of the horse racing in the Cowboy State; it promotes a diverse economy and creates hundreds of Wyoming jobs,” said Brande Koltiska of the Wyoming Gaming Commission. “The growth of live horse racing has had a vast economic effect, not only for Wyoming breeders and horsemen but for the state of Wyoming and its local municipalities.”
Learn more about Wyoming racing at h t t p s : //g a m i n g .w y o . g o v /.
HISA RULED FACIALLY UNCONSTITUTIONAL
On Nov. 18, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit ruled that the Horseracing Integrity & Safety Act of 2021 (HISA) is facially unconstitutional under the private non- delegation doctrine.
In June, Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry led a lawsuit challenging
HISA, and in July, Judge Terry Doughty of U.S. District Court in the Western District of Louisiana granted a preliminary injunction preventing the rules from being enforced in Louisiana and West Virginia before this final ruling. The order also remands the case back to U.S. District court for further proceedings consistent with the ruling.
The ruling from the Fifth Circuit was unanimous.
“It is the duty of the National Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association to protect horsemen across the country and that is not a responsibility I take lightly,” said Eric Hamelback, CEO of the NHBPA. “From HISA’s onset, we have thoroughly and fairly examined the HISA corporation’s impact
on our industry and its constitutionality. We operated in good faith and did our due diligence to appropriately weigh the pros and cons. We have been saying for years this law and the defined Authority itself are unconstitutional and we are pleased the court has unanimously sided with our position, an outcome many in our industry thought was impossible.
“Today’s unanimous ruling clearly states
the entity constructed under HISA is an unconstitutional body and should not hold governing power over our industry, a position we have long supported. On behalf of the NHBPA,
I can assure you that we will be following this development closely and support the power reverting back into the hands of the State Racing Commissions. I will keep our members updated as we continue exploring the ruling further as more details come to the surface. We are very appreciative of the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals for the thorough analysis and opinion. We also thank the many industry stakeholders who supported us in our effort to ensure that horsemen are not subject to an unconstitutional law.”
Find additional information at https://nationalhbpa.com/.
10 SPEEDHORSE December 2022
Linda Earley, Speedhorse