From Santa Anita Publicity ARCADIA, Calif. (June 18, 2016) –The 2016 Breeders’ Cup World Championships return to Los Angeles, CA and Santa Anita Park this fall on November 4 & 5 and volunteers are needed! The Breeders’ Cup is an annual year-end affair for those at the absolute pinnacle of the Thoroughbred horse racing industry. This Olympic-esque event held at premier North American racetracks is where participants from all over the world converge to compete for $28 million in purse money. Operated by Breeders’ Cup Limited, the World Championships were first held in 1984 at Hollywood Park in Inglewood, CA. A one-day event until 2006, the Breeders’ Cup is now spread over two highly anticipated days of racing that produce some of the most exciting moments of the year. Santa Anita, or “The Great Race Place,” as it is commonly referred to, opened in 1934 and sits atop 320 acres of land at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains in Arcadia, CA. The Art Deco designs throughout remind even... ...

From NTRA WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 16, 2016) The U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations today passed the Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Bill for fiscal year 2017.  This bill makes appropriations for the United States Treasury, Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and certain other government agencies and, similar to a companion bill passed out of committee in the U.S. House of Representatives last week, includes language that encourages the IRS to modernize regulations for withholding and reporting of pari-mutuel winnings. Recent actions by the Senate and House are the latest in a concerted, industry-wide effort to modernize regulations relating to pari-mutuel winnings. Updates proposed by the NTRA would clarify regulations by redefining the “amount of the wager” to include all of a bettor’s investment into a single pari-mutuel pool, and not simply the base amount of the winning combination. The effort has received support from Members of Congress as well as all segments of the horse racing industry, including customers, who last year submitted nearly 12,000 comments to the Treasury and... ...

COALINGA, Calif. (June 16, 2016) — Mark your calendar now for Friday, October 7, as the California Thoroughbred Breeders Association will sponsor a seminar on current breeding issues at the Harris Ranch Inn in Coalinga. The CTBA is reinstituting this annual seminar, which will consist of a full day of valuable information and has been popular for members and people in the California breeding and racing industry. Details for the event will be available soon. ...

By Bloodhorse.com ARCADIA, Calif. (June 15, 2016) — Greg Avioli, who has served as a senior adviser to the Thoroughbred Owners of California board of directors, has been named to the new post of chief executive officer of the organization effective July 16. Avioli, according to a June 15 release, has assisted the TOC with gaming legislation, advance deposit wagering issues, and strategic planning. He has held other racing industry positions, including CEO for The Stronach Group, president and CEO of Breeders’ Cup, chief operating officer of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, and president of Horse PAC. “Given the many opportunities and challenges now facing the organization, we felt it was important to bring in additional executive experience on the management team,” TOC board chairman Mike Pegram said. “Greg has decades of experience at the highest levels of our industry and proven leadership in legislative and regulatory affairs.” Avioli said he will work to “improve the overall racing experience for owners in California.” ...

By Bloodhorse.com ARCADIA, Calif. (June 6, 2016) –Tickets for this year’s two-day Breeders’ Cup World Championships at Santa Anita Park are now on sale to the general public, officials said June 6. The event will be held Nov. 4-5. It will be the record ninth time Santa Anita will host the Breeders’ Cup, which offers 13 races and purses totaling $26 million. Ticket prices range from $25-$750 for Friday’s program and from $50-$850 for Saturday. General admission prices are $10 per pass on Friday and $25 per pass on Saturday when purchased in advance. General admission passes will be available at the gate on event days for $15 per pass Friday and $40 per pass Saturday. The passes don’t include a reserved seat. All fans that attend the World Championships will receive free track programs Friday and Saturday upon entering Santa Anita. Tickets can be purchased online at www.breederscup.com/tickets or by calling toll-free at 877-849-4287. In related business, Breeders’ Cup and Santa Anita have again enlisted QuintEvents as the official... ...

By DRF.com ARCADIA, Calif. (June 5, 2016) — Santa Anita is adjusting its first post to 1:30 p.m. Pacific, beginning Thursday for the remainder of the spring-summer meeting through July 10. The only exception will be Saturday, when first post time is noon to coincide with the simulcast of the Belmont Stakes program in New York. Track officials are hoping an earlier post time will boost handle. Santa Anita marketing director Nate Newby said the previous first post time of 2 p.m. produced situations when handle on late races did not live up to expectations on occasions. Through the Memorial Day program on May 30, the 17th day of the 40-day meeting, on-track handle was down 3 percent from a comparable period in 2015, Newby said. All-sources handle was down 2 percent, while on-track attendance was up 6 percent. ...

By Bloodhorse.com ARCADIA, Calif. (June 2, 2016) — The California Horse Racing Board will again consider adopting a third-party Lasix administration policy at its regular meeting June 16. The rule on third-party Lasix administration on race day is on the agenda for the June 16 CHRB meeting, confirms spokesman Mike Marten. The rule would meet the standards of the Association of Racing Commissioners International model rule and the National Uniform Medication Program in that independent veterinarians, rather than track veterinarians, would administer race-day Lasix. It would be similar to New York in that veterinarians employed by the racing association would conduct the race-day administrations. In California, like all other U.S. racing states, Lasix (furosemide and formally called Salix) is allowed to be administered on race day as a way to prevent or reduce the severity of exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage. Many states have had third-party Lasix administration policies in place for several years now, as the trend has been to shift away from track veterinarians to independent vets administering race-day Lasix (furosemide, officially... ...

From CHRB SACRAMENTO, Calif. (May 30, 2016) — The California Horse Racing Board would like to clear up any confusion over the vote at last Thursday’s Board meeting to amend Rule 1688, the riding crop rule. The vote did not change the current three-strike rule that was adopted at the November 2014 meeting of the CHRB. The vote merely authorizes a 45-day period for the public to comment on the proposed change. Following the 45-day public comment period, after considering input from all who wish to submit opinions, the Board will once again vote on whether or not to amend the current three-strike rule. The CHRB has set the standard by adopting several rules designed to protect horses, such as the establishment of safety requirements for the construction of the riding crop and the adoption of  Rule 1688, which prohibits using the crop more than three times in succession without giving the horse a chance to respond. The proposed amendment would further state “except in the last 16th of a... ...

WASHINGTON, D.C. (May 10, 2016) — Legislators who chair the United States Senate and House of Representatives Agricultural Committees are expected to speak at the American Horse Council National Issues Forum June 14 in Washington, D.C. Republican Sen. Pat Roberts of Kansas, chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee, is confirmed as the leadoff speaker. U.S. Rep. Mike Conaway of Texas, who chairs the House Agriculture Committee, has also been invited. “We would be very fortunate to have the chairmen of both the Senate and House Agriculture Committees address us,” AHC president Jay Hickey said May 9. “The $102 billion equine industry is an important sector of the agriculture community, not only when horses are in their breeding life, but also when they move into their racing, showing, work, or recreation careers. “The equine world is still regulated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in terms of disease control, import/export, interstate movement, and research. The congressional agriculture committees are important to the horse industry.” The National Issues Forum will also feature... ...

By Bloodhorse.com ARCADIA, Calif. (Apr. 29, 2016) — Former trainer and Santa Anita Park stall manager Donn Luby died in his sleep April 26 from complications of cancer at the Life Care Center in Bridgeton, Mo. He was 71. An avid golfer, Luby, who frequently had a tobacco pipe in-hand, was a well-respected horseman and friend to many in Southern California’s large racing community. “He was a good guy,” trainer Jerry Fanning said. “He was a good stall man. He trained—did everything.” An assistant to Gary Jones in the late 1970s, Luby took over the training of Eleven Stitches in the spring of 1981 and sent him out to victory with Sandy Hawley aboard in the Hollywood Gold Cup (gr. I) that summer. Seven years later, he would go on to train Flying Julia, who won the Santa Margarita Handicap (gr. I) under Frank Olivares in 1988. “He was one wonderful person and a fair stall man,” said Santa Anita assistant starter Huey Barnes. “In that job, you have to... ...

By Bloodhorse.com CYPRESS, Calif. (Apr. 29, 2016) — California stallion Empire Way   got his first winner April 29 when his son Dutt Bart, out of Applaud Dubai, by Essence of Dubai, won a  4 1/2-furlong maiden special weight at Los Alamitos Race Course in his first start by 2 1/4 lengths. The final time was :52.07. A grade II-placed full brother to three-time champion Royal Delta, Empire Way stands at Lovacres Ranch in California for $5,000. Dutt Bart was bred by Lovacres Ranch owner Terry Lovingier and is co-owned by Lovingier and Albert Chou. The colt had been offered by Lovacres at the 2015 Barretts October yearling and horses of racing age sale where he was sold for $50,000 to agent Mike Harrington, who is Dutt Bart’s trainer. The colt is the first foal bred by Lovingier out of winner Applaud Dubai and is the mare’s second winner out of three foals of racing age. Applaud Dubai was a winner at 2 but found only modest success at the track. Her dam, Miss... ...

From CHRB ALBANY, Calif. (Apr. 25, 2016) — The California Horse Racing Board conducted its regular meeting Thursday, April 21, at Golden Gate Fields. Chairman Chuck Winner presided. Vice Chair Richard Rosenberg and Commissioners Madeline Auerbach, Steve Beneto, and Jesse Choper also were in attendance. The audio of this entire Board meeting is available on the CHRB Website (www.chrb.ca.gov) under the Webcast link. In brief: ·        The Board approved a joint request by the California Authority of Racing Fairs (CARF) and San Joaquin County Fair to reallocate two weeks of race dates (September 21 through October 4, 2016) to the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton after San Joaquin officials indicated they did not wish to run those dates in Stockton as previously allocated. ·        The Board approved for public notice various regulations and amendments requiring that all horses be microchipped by January 1, 2018, in order to race in California. ·        The Board approved a request by management and horsemen at Los Alamitos to immediately suspend authorization for the use... ...

From OwnerView ARCADIA, Calif. (Apr. 21, 2016) –Today OwnerView officially opened registration for the third edition of the Thoroughbred Owner Conference being held at Santa Anita Park, October 31 – November 3, 2016, the same week as the Breeders’ Cup World Championships. The upcoming conference promises to entertain attendees, to inform them about important issues related to Thoroughbred ownership, and to provide multiple opportunities for guests to network and socialize with industry leaders, speakers and other owners. The business panels, topics and speakers have been finalized, and this next conference is shaping up to be another great event for owners on every level. Some of the speakers invited are top industry trainers, jockeys and owners, including Bob Baffert, Richard Mandella, Art Sherman, Gary Stevens, Mike Smith, Laffit Pincay, Dean Reeves, Barbara Banke, and John Amerman. As an added bonus, on behalf of the Breeders’ Cup, you will receive one Grandstand Reserved seating ticket as part of your Thoroughbred Owner Conference registration for both Breeders’ Cup World Championships racing days on November... ...

LOS ANGELES, Calif. (Mar. 31, 2016) — Marjorie (Margie) Lambert owner of Ren-Mar Thoroughbreds, Inc., died March 23 at her home in Los Angeles. A Celebration of the Life of Lambert will be held on Monday April 4, at 2:30 p.m., at Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills. Reception to follow. In lieu of flowers, the family has asked that donations in memory of Marjorie D. Lambert be sent to United Pegasus Foundation in Tehachapi or The Sweet Water Ranch in Chatsworth. ...

From DMTC Publicity DEL MAR, Calif. (Mar. 30, 2016) — Del Mar will present 43 stakes events during its 39-day season worth a total of $7.55 million, highlighted by the seaside course’s ‘piece de resistance’ – the $1-million TVG Pacific Classic, scheduled for Saturday, August 20. The track’s 77th summer gathering alongside the blue Pacific will take place from Friday, July 15 through Labor Day Monday, September 5. The shore oval’s 33 major, or “advertised,” stakes again will carry purses ranging from $100,000 to $1,000,000, while its 10 “overnight” stakes each will be worth $75,000. Further, the racing headquarters “where the turf meets the surf” will provide its horsemen with projected purses of more than $525,000 a day, the richest incentives of their kind in California and among the most lucrative of any race meet in America. Del Mar will present 21 graded stakes in all – six of them (including the TVG Pacific Classic) Grade I, 11 valued at Grade II and four at Grade III. The Classic, run at... ...

From NTRA WASHINGTON, D.C. (Mar. 30, 2016) — Click here to view the 2015 NTRA Legislative Action Campaign Annual Report Features of the report include: ·        Federal legislative summary ·        List of 2015 contributors to the Legislative Action Campaign ·        Videos explaining NTRA legislative fundraising and advocacy ·        Membership benefit information for contributors The NTRA thanks all individuals, farms, racing stables/partnerships, bloodstock services, sales companies and industry organizations who contributed to one or more of the NTRA’s legislative fundraising programs.  This support allows the NTRA’s federal legislative team to represent the horse racing and breeding industry in Washington, D.C. and is crucial to the team’s success there. ...

By Bloodhorse.com DEL MAR, Calif. (Mar. 30, 2016) — A son of first-crop sire The Factor   who previewed with a furlong work in :09 4/5, brought $460,000 to top the Barretts select 2-year-old sale at Del Mar March 30. A daughter of Smart Strike was the highest-priced filly at $450,000. The sale topper is headed to Japan, while the Smart Strike filly will remain in California. Dr. Riki Takahashi, who has been successful buying future stakes winners out of the Barretts March sale, purchased the colt by The Factor, while trainer Bob Baffert bought the Smart Strike filly. The sale averaged $124,558 for 43 sold, down 8.8% over 2015, when 45 averaged $136,622. This year Barretts held the sale at Del Mar in late March, whereas the corresponding sale last year was held at Fairplex in Pomona in late February. With 62 withdrawals, the sale grossed $5,356,000 in 2016, compared to $6,148,000 in 2015. “We were a little stronger on the top this year, and the higher-end horses did well,”... ...

From CHRB SACRAMENTO, CA – The California Horse Racing Board conducted its regular meeting Thursday, March 24, at Cal Expo. Vice Chairman Richard Rosenberg presided. Commissioners Madeline Auerbach, Steve Beneto, and Jesse Choper also were in attendance. The audio of this entire Board meeting is available on the CHRB Website (www.chrb.ca.gov) under the Webcast link. In brief: The Board approved the Sahara Dunes Casino (Lake Elsinore Hotel) to accept wagers on horse racing. Ten other minisatellites already are operating within California private businesses, such as card cards, sports bars, and restaurants, so this will be the 11th. Wagering also is offered at 29 other racetracks and simulcast facilities throughout the state. The Board approved for public notice a proposed regulatory amendment to both encourage the proper use of the whip and reduce its use in harness racing by, for example, prohibiting drivers from using the whip more than three times in succession without giving the horse a chance to respond. A similar rule governing use of the riding crop already... ...

From TOC             ARCADIA, Calif. (Mar. 25, 2016) — The Thoroughbred Owners of California (TOC) has announced the winners of its 2015 statistical awards for leading California owners. Reddam Racing LLC was leading owner in purse money won in California as well as leading owner by number of wins; Watson, Pegram and Weitman led all owners by number of California stakes wins; and Kings River Ranch was leading owner by number of California starts. David and Mark Greco, Patrick Grohl and Brent Malmstrom were selected as Rookies of the Year.   Reddam Racing runners earned a total of $2,922,316 in California last year, with 49 wins from 251 starts. Top earners were Nyquist, winner of the Del Mar Futurity and the FrontRunner and Best Pal stakes, Mrazek, winner of the Graduation Stakes, and Found Money, winner of the King Glorious and Santa Anita Juvenile Stakes.   The partnership of Karl Watson, Michael Pegram and Paul Weitman won a total of 10 California stakes races in California last year. Their leading... ...

By Bloodhorse.com CYPRESS, Calif. (Mar. 24, 2016) — Los Alamitos Race Course intends on running the next edition of the Los Alamitos Derby (gr. II) during its September meet, a track official said during a California Horse Racing Board meeting March 24 at the California Exposition and State Fair in Sacramento. Los Alamitos for 2016 lost its July meet—which featured the Los Alamitos Derby the last two years—but gained spring dates through negotiations with Santa Anita Park and Del Mar, so the Orange County track had to move one of its signature races either to its upcoming April-May meet, or meets later in the year, in September or December. BALAN: CHRB Approves 2016 California Race Dates With the Santa Anita Derby (gr. I) running April 9, Brad McKinzie, Los Alamitos general manager of Thoroughbred racing, said September would be the best fit. “In cooperation with the Thoroughbred Owners of California, they have requested that we continue to run the Los Alamitos Derby,” McKinzie said. “Obviously, the Los Alamitos Derby doesn’t... ...

By Bloodhorse.com ARCADIA, Calif. (Mar. 24, 2016) — Golden Gate Fields announcer Michael Wrona has won the contest to take Trevor Denman’s position as Santa Anita Park‘s permanent race caller. The 49-year-old native of Australia was handed the job after a worldwide search in which three others—Frank Mirahmadi and international announcers Craig Evans and David Fitzgerald—auditioned for the job at Santa Anita. The announcement was made March 24. “It was an exceptionally close decision, but Michael just raised his game here at Santa Anita,” said Joe Morris, senior vice president of West Coast Operations for The Stronach Group. “We are honored to welcome him to the historic fabric of ‘The Great Race Place.’ He has earned the right to make that booth his own.” Wrona will continue calling Santa Anita’s races through the end of the winter/spring season April 10. He begins his full-time position May 5 when Santa Anita opens its spring/summer meet. Wrona’s replacement at Golden Gate will be named in the next few weeks. ...

By Bloodhorse.com ATOKA, Okla. (Mar. 24, 2016) — Tough, dedicated, and determined are how friends remember Jeff Lukas, who died this week at age 58. Also being remembered is the brilliant training career cut short by the aftermath of severe brain injuries Lukas suffered in December 1993, when he collided with Tabasco Cat, loose and in full stride through the Santa Anita Park barn area. “I started off with Jeff as an exercise rider, at the bottom, and I mean he was tough,” said trainer Dallas Stewart, who rose through the Lukas Racing Stable organization to become an assistant under Hall of Famer D. Wayne Lukas, Jeff’s father. “He was focused and a really great horseman.” When Stewart started with the Lukas stable, he worked with Winning Colors, the 1988 Kentucky Derby (gr. I) winner Jeff Lukas is credited with developing. “To be the kind of trainer he was, you just have to have it in you—it can’t be taught. He had it,” Stewart said. “And after the accident, he... ...

From Barretts DEL MAR, Calif. (Mar. 22, 2016) — Ten quality two-year-olds have been supplemented to the 2016 Barretts March Select Sale of Two-Year-Olds in Training to be held on the grounds of the Del Mar racetrack.   These supplemental horses will be sold directly after the end of the main catalog on Wednesday, March 30.  A complete list of the catalog supplement is shown at the bottom of this e-mail.  The entire supplement in PDF can be found at http://www.barretts.com/sales/Catalogs/catmar2016/documents/B116_Supplements.pdf   Hard copies of the supplemental catalog will be found both in the Santa Anita racing office in Arcadia and on the sales grounds located on the Del Mar racetrack in Del Mar, California later this week.  They will show up in the Ipad version by tomorrow.   The entire sale catalog can be viewed at http://www.barretts.com/sales/Catalogs/catmar2016/catalogTABLE.asp   The official training preview is scheduled to be held on next Monday, March 28 on the Del Mar racetrack beginning at 10:00 a.m.   The preview will be streamed live at http://www.barretts.com/sales/ViewSale/index.aspVideo clips for... ...

From CHRB SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Mar. 21, 2016) — The California Horse Racing Board will conduct its regular monthly meeting Thursday, March 24, at the California Exposition and State Fair in Sacramento beginning at 10:00 a.m. The public is encouraged to attend. An audio-only webcast of the Board meeting can be heard through a link on the CHRB website (webcast). The meeting agenda and supporting package of materials also are available on the CHRB website. ...

HEMET, Calif. (Mar. 17, 2016) — California stallion Daddy Nose Best has sired his first foals, both colts. BG Stables is the breeder of the colts, one out of the mare Rachel Jones, delivered Feb. 7, the other out of the mare Huera Bonita, delivered Feb. 16. Daddy Nose Best stands at BG Thoroughbred Farm. ...