Month: December 2021

PDJF Benefit: Jockeys And Jeans Great American Stallion Season Sale Set For Jan. 21-24

Dates have been set for the sixth annual Jockeys and Jeans Great American Stallion Season Sale to benefit the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund. The auction begins on Friday, Jan. 21 at 9:00 a.m. and ends Monday, Jan. 24 at 5 p.m. on Starquine.com. A preview of the seasons will be available on Thursday, Jan. 20.

This is the only Stallion Season Auction that brings together Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse Stallions in one sale, and one in which all proceeds go to help former jockeys who suffered catastrophic, career ending injuries.

“This is a true opportunity to show the world that those in the Thoroughbreds and Quarter Horse industry will stand up for those who can no longer stand for themselves,” said Jockeys and Jeans President Barry Pearl. “The racing community has proved to all in or outside racing that they care not only for the horses they race, but the humans who ride them.”

Since its founding in late 2014 by a group of former jockeys, Jockeys and Jeans has raised $1.9 million for jockeys who suffered career ending racing injuries, including $340,000 in 2021. The group needs to procure and sell $100,000 in stallion seasons to pass $2 million in funds raised.

Those wishing to donate a season or seasons and sell them privately are welcome. All seasons are non-guaranteed and donors have the option of including a breed-back the following year if the buyer's mare does not get in foal on first cover.

Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund provides a monthly stipend of $1,000 to some 60 former jockeys who suffered catastrophic career ending injuries. At least 40 are either quadra- or paraplegics.

For the first time last year, the group secured Quarter Horses seasons. Chiefly though the help of legendary Quarter Horse Jockey, G.R. Carter, breeders bought seasons (semen) totaling over $35,000. The tally from Thoroughbred breeders was slightly higher.

“We thank each and every season donor and season buyer, said Pearl. “We believe, as they say in horse racing, 'What goes around comes around,' and all here hope, pray and believe their investment will pay dividends. We are tickled to see that the racing industry is on the rebound from the pandemic years and the sport we all know and love is regaining its health. Yes, there are challenges and yes there are changes, but the needs of our fallen brothers and sisters go on.”

Pearl noted that nearly all the disabled riders live on a fixed income and that dealing with the increased cost of living means hard choices and sacrifices.

“Our season sale not only offers solid stallions at a reasonable cost, but more importantly, the opportunity to make a difference in those who gave a big part of their lives to horse racing.”

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Bahrain Turf Series Begins on Friday

Fields have been confirmed for the first two races of the £550,000 Bahrain Turf Series on Friday. One of 16 in the seven-furlong £50,000 Al Manama Cup is Natural Path (Ire) (Toronado {Ire}), one of two from Michael Bell for the opening card. His stablemate Ace Rothstein  (More Than Ready) is bound for the £50,000 1 1/4-mile Al Muharraq Cup later on the card, which features 15 horses. Bell's son Nick is on hand to oversee the five-time winner and dual scorer, respectively.

Nick Bell said of Natural Path, “He had a productive summer over six furlongs and showed all the right credentials to be a horse who might be suited to Bahrain in the sense that he has good gate speed and travels strongly. Kieran Shoemark is going to take the ride and we're hopeful of a big run from him.”

Bell added of Ace Rothstein, who gains local jockey Lee Newman, “He is a horse that stays well, likes fast ground and we're happy with the condition he's come in. After he won a couple of races he was raised quite a bit in the handicap so then we started to look at international races for him and we think he is a suitable candidate as they have a good programme for 10-furlong horses over here.”

The post Bahrain Turf Series Begins on Friday appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Foreign Gains, Average Field Size Of 9 Starters Push Woodbine To Third-Highest Season Handle

Woodbine Entertainment today announced the 2021 Thoroughbred season produced an all-sources handle of $505,348,339, the third highest season total in Woodbine Thoroughbred history.

For the second consecutive season, the COVID-19 pandemic caused a shortened season, as the 2021 Woodbine Thoroughbred meet did not begin until June 12. Originally scheduled for 133 race dates, the 2021 season included 99 race days, three more than last year, and 946 races contested.

Despite the delayed start, the 2021 season topped $500 million in all-sources handle, propelled mightily by Woodbine's highest single-season foreign wagering handle ever of $420,666,755.

The strong foreign numbers can be attributed to enticing and consistent field sizes, as Woodbine averaged 9.0 starters per-race to rank as one of North America's leading racetracks in the category.

“Growing and strengthening the Woodbine brand across North America has been a focal point of our day-to-day activities over the past several years,” said Jim Lawson, CEO of Woodbine Entertainment. “We're proud of our success in this area, as it's evident these efforts continue to raise the profile of our world-class racing product at Woodbine.

“Although our gains in the US are considerable, we're intently focused on revitalizing wagering in our home market area for 2022. Through evolving restrictions, we now have our racetracks and off-track locations operating, while also sporting our largest number of HPIbet users ever. Our task now is to leverage all options available in 2022 to push this area towards sustainability.”

The impressive average field size of 9.0 helped push a 4.8 per cent increase in average per-race handle, which came in at $534,194 for 2021.

“Our racing team did a great job in creating appealing and competitive races throughout the entire season,” said Lawson. “The support of the owners and trainers through these hard times deserves recognition and our commitment to providing the best overall experience to those racing at Woodbine will only heighten in 2022.”

Key Highlights of 2021:

The 2022 Woodbine Thoroughbred season is tentatively scheduled to begin on Saturday, April 16. A total of 133 race-dates are on the schedule, headlined by the 163rd running of The Queen's Plate on Sunday, August 21.

The post Foreign Gains, Average Field Size Of 9 Starters Push Woodbine To Third-Highest Season Handle appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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2021 Thoroughbred Owner Conference Series Concludes With Aftercare Panel

The 2021 Thoroughbred Owner Conference series held its final session Tuesday, Dec. 7, with a panel focused on the importance of Thoroughbred aftercare. Held virtually this year in lieu of an in-person conference, the series was hosted by The Jockey Club and the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association and presented by Bessemer Trust, Dean Dorton Equine, Stoll Keenon Ogden, and Stonestreet Farm.

The free conference series, which consisted of 10 virtual panels on a range of topics, attracted nearly 1,200 registrants from seven countries. All sessions were recorded and are available to registered guests.

“The 2021 virtual Thoroughbred Owner Conference series has been a remarkable success by just about every measure,” said Gary Falter, project manager for OwnerView. “There have been over 5,500 views of the live and recorded panels, and the feedback from attendees has been incredibly positive.”

Following the success of the 2021 online series, OwnerView plans to continue with another series of ownership panels in 2022. More information on the dates and topics will be released in January.

Tuesday's session was sponsored by Canterbury Park and Gainesway Farm and moderated by Kristin Werner, senior counsel for The Jockey Club and administrator of the Thoroughbred Incentive Program. Panelists were Michael Blowen, founder of Old Friends; Stacie Clark, operations consultant for the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (TAA); and Erin Crady, executive director of the Thoroughbred Charities of America (TCA).

Clark spoke on the work of the TAA, which accredits aftercare organizations and provides funding to support those organizations. She said that she has been heartened by the publicity from positive stories of horses being retrained and rehomed in recent years, giving owners confidence that their horses can thrive off the racetrack.

“What has really been amazing is an owner can come into the sport and know that there is an option for their horses and there is a safety net,” she said.

Blowen agreed, noting that “there's a new awareness not just when these horses are racing and breeding but also when their racing and breeding days are over.”

Old Friends is a sanctuary facility that is home to more than 200 stallions, mares, and geldings that experienced varying levels of success on the racetrack and in the breeding shed. These horses serve as equine ambassadors during public tours of the property, which raise money for the farm's operations.

The TCA provides grants to approved non-profit organizations that work toward improving the lives of Thoroughbred racehorses and the people who care for them. Crady emphasized that racehorse owners should be including aftercare in their business plans from the onset and that it is critical for horses to be retired while they are still sound to maximize their career potential beyond the racetrack.

“Start thinking about your exit strategy before you even have a horse,” she said. “Aftercare should not be an afterthought.

“A sound Thoroughbred is so incredibly versatile. Don't push for that one last race.”

The session started with the presentation of the 2021 New Owner of the Year, sponsored by The Stronach Group and 1/ST RACING, to Boat Racing. Boat Racing owns a handful of horses via yearling sales, 2-year-old in training sales, and pinhooking, but their primary claim to fame came from their significant minority share of Hot Rod Charlie, who won the grade 1 Pennsylvania Derby and grade 2 Twinspires.com Louisiana Derby in 2021. He also placed in this year's Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve and Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets (both grade 1).

“We've fallen in love with this sport and fallen in love with these majestic animals,” said Patrick O'Neill of Boat Racing. “We're hopeful that we'll be a part of this industry for many years to come.”

OwnerView is a joint effort spearheaded by The Jockey Club and the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association to encourage ownership of Thoroughbreds and provide accurate information on aspects of ownership such as trainers, public racing syndicates, the process of purchasing and owning a Thoroughbred, racehorse retirement, and owner licensing.

The need for a central resource to encourage Thoroughbred ownership was identified in the comprehensive economic study of the sport that was commissioned by The Jockey Club and conducted by McKinsey & Company in 2011. The OwnerView site was launched in May 2012.

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