August, 2022 | Horse Racing Free Tips

Letter To The Editor: Wait For HISA To Get Everything In Place Before Picking It Apart

I don't know if the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) will succeed or not. But it seems unfair and sort of strange to pick it apart and pass judgment after only a month and nine days, especially by someone who played a valuable role in helping get the HISA legislation passed.

Starting anything from scratch is tough. I don't know why Joe Gorajec (a smart, respected and good guy who has been a member of the Humane Society's National Horseracing Advisory Council) is picking things apart when all the pieces are not yet in place.

HISA is a federally legislated start-up that was born out of a need to prioritize horse safety above all else. HISA also addressed a fear that industry haters were gaining too much political and public clout. Remember Santa Anita in the winter of 2019? Powerful people were whispering that it was time for horse racing to go the way of the circus. Those racing and training deaths led directly to the legislation that created HISA.

Joe makes worthwhile points. But why so soon? Can we give HISA six months or a year to create a functioning office, then take a close look at what they have or haven't accomplished?

(Full disclosure: I am also a member of the HSUS National Horseracing Advisory Council.)

– Allen Gutterman, Los Angeles, Calif.

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Far Hills Steeplechase Meet To Honor Late Horseman John Forbes

The Far Hills steeplechase race meeting will honor the late John Forbes, a fixture at Monmouth Park for 40 years as a trainer and a past president of the New Jersey Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association, with the first John Forbes Memorial Race during its six-race program on Saturday, Oct. 15.

The 101st Far Hills Race Meeting will offer $575,000 in purses for the six races at Moorland Farm in Far Hills, N.J., highlighted by the $250,000 Grade 1 Grand National at two miles and five furlongs over National Fences for its one-day meeting.

The John Forbes Memorial, the only flat race on the program, will be contested at two miles on the turf. It will go as the final race on the six-race card and has a purse of $100,000.

Forbes passed away at the age of 73 on Jan. 31, 2021.

“John Forbes was synonymous with Monmouth Park for 40 years in a variety of roles. He was a tireless advocate for racing, for the industry and for Monmouth Park,” said Dennis Drazin, Chairman and CEO of Darby Development LLC, the operator of Monmouth Park. “It's only fitting that he has a race named in his honor.”

Forbes won 2,174 races over a 40-year training career that started in 1972. He stopped training in 2012 to focus on horsemen's issues, becoming the president of the New Jersey Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association when the group took over the lease for Monmouth Park from The New Jersey Sports & Exposition Authority. He was the leading trainer at Monmouth Park five times and won seven training titles at the Meadowlands.

Forbes' best horse, Tale of the Cat, finished fourth in the 1997 TVG.com Haskell Stakes.

He helped launch the career of jockey Julie Krone in the 1980s and 1990s, with Krone serving as Forbes' regular rider then on the way to a Hall of Fame career.

The Far Hills Race Meeting has a 1 p.m. first post and will be simulcast nationally.

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Successful Ship & Win Program To Continue At Santa Anita Autumn Meet

Santa Anita Park would like to remind horsemen that its highly successful “Ship & Win” program, which has attracted significant numbers of out-of-state horses to Southern California over the past two years, will again be offered at the track's 18-day Autumn Meet, which opens on Friday, Sept. 30.

A total of 26 stakes, 15 of them graded, will be offered during the meet.

-With a $5,000 bonus in place for any eligible horse making his or her first start and a 35 percent bonus, excluding stakes races also available, the Ship & Win program, in conjunction with the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club, has proven highly popular.

-“Ship & Win has proven to be a very effective catalyst in attracting new equine talent and we're very hopeful that many horsemen will opt to stay in Southern California following Del Mar and to participate in this lucrative program here at our Autumn Meet,” said Chris Merz, Santa Anita director of racing and racing secretary. “We are getting a number of inquiries about the program and we'd like to reiterate that it will again be in place this fall.”

Horses that currently qualify for Del Mar's Summer Ship & Win program will retain eligibility for one start at Santa Anita, providing they do not start at any other track between the conclusion of Del Mar's Summer Meet Sept. 11 and the beginning of Santa Anita's Autumn Meet.

In order for a specific horse to be eligible for program bonuses, they must have made their most recent start outside of California and not have started in the Golden State within the past 12 months.

For additional information, regarding Santa Anita's 2022 Autumn Meet, please contact Chris Merz or Jason Egan in the Santa Anita Racing Office at (626) 574-6352.

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Louis Cella Elected To The Jockey Club Board of Stewards; Janney Reelected

Louis A. Cella has been elected to the board of stewards of The Jockey Club, filling the expired position of C. Steven Duncker. Stuart S. Janney III, the chairman of The Jockey Club, was reelected to the board.

Cella has been a member of The Jockey Club since 2017. That same year, he was named president of the Oaklawn Jockey Club, succeeding his late father, Charles J. Cella, and became the third generation of his family to serve on the board of directors of the Thoroughbred Racing Associations of North America.

He serves as a director of the Thoroughbred Racing Protective Bureau and is on the board of trustees for the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame. He is also on the Equibase Management Committee.

In addition to Cella and Janney, the board of stewards consists of Barbara Banke, Dr. Larry Bramlage, William S. Farish Jr., Ian D. Highet, William M. Lear Jr., R. Alex Rankin, and Vinnie Viola.

The Jockey Club, founded in 1894 and dedicated to the improvement of Thoroughbred breeding and racing, is the breed registry for North American Thoroughbreds. In fulfillment of its mission, The Jockey Club, directly or through subsidiaries, provides support and leadership on a wide range of important industry initiatives, and it serves the information and technology needs of owners, breeders, media, fans and farms. It founded America's Best Racing (americasbestracing.net), the broad-based fan development initiative for Thoroughbred racing, and in partnership with the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association, operates OwnerView (ownerview.com), the ownership resource. Additional information is available at jockeyclub.com.

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