Month: February 2023

Registration Available For TOBA’s March Pedigree, Conformation Clinic In Ocala

The Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association is hosting a Pedigree and Conformation Clinic on Sunday and Monday, March 19-20 in Ocala, Fla.

The clinic will be held at the Ocala Breeders' Sales Co. and Ocala Stud and held in conjunction with the OBS March Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training.

Speakers include: representatives from the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders' and Owners' Association, including Tammy Gantt and George Isaacs; Dr. Johnny Mac Smith, DVM; Marette Farrell (bloodstock agent); Tod Wojciechowski, director of sales for Ocala Breeders' Sales Company; David O'Farrell from Ocala Stud; and more. Attendees will learn insights on pedigree and conformation evaluation from industry professionals and observe conformation evaluations.

The TOBA Pedigree and Conformation Clinic is aimed towards all levels of education – from beginners to knowledgeable owners and breeders looking to continue their education. The clinic is open to the general public, with a special discount for TOBA and FTBOA members. Meals, educational materials, and a TOBA gift bag are included in registration. Registration is available online at: toba.memberclicks.net/seminars-clinics.

Other upcoming TOBA seminars and clinics for 2023 are listed below:

– June 23-24: Ownership Seminar in Toronto, Ontario, Canada
– July 28-29: Ownership Seminar in Del Mar, Calif.
– Aug. 10-11: Ownership Seminar in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.
– October 23: Pedigree and Conformation Clinic in Lexington, Ky.

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The Color Of Silk: KEEP Recognizes Historic Contribution Of African American Horsemen

In honor of Black History Month the Kentucky Equine Education Project (KEEP) Foundation is proud to offer this limited edition “The Color of Silk” print.

This print commemorates the Jockey Silks Art Project featuring the racing silks worn by African American jockeys who won sixteen Kentucky Derby races held from 1875 to 1902. Nine of the jockeys were born in Kentucky. Seven of the Thoroughbreds they rode were trained by African Americans.

Thoroughbred racing in Kentucky is rich in history with African American horsemen. From grooms to trainers to the most successful jockeys of the 19th century African Americans are part of our story.

On Feb. 23, at KEEP Day at the Capitol in Frankfort, the KEEP Foundation will recognize the contribution of African American horsemen to our industry and honor their legacy by presenting our African American legislators with a 'The Color of Silk' print.

“The Color of Silk” is a product of a living and learning community at UK, LEXengaged, that brought together William Wells Brown students and UK undergraduates to learn, via art, about the contributions African Americans have made to our state's premier industry. The poster is inscribed with the rich history and the moving process that created it.

“William Wells Brown students would cheer with delight when we arrived at their school saying together, 'UK, UK,'” said Rosie Moosnick, former LEXengaged Program Director, at the University of Kentucky. “Some of my UK students saw themselves in their young mentees, including a first generation UK student who would run to William Wells Brown, on her own time, to dispense tough love to her mentee so that he would end up in college like her.”

Artist Julie Struck, worked with students from the University of Kentucky and William Wells Brown Elementary, the latter, which stands on the land that was formerly the Kentucky Association Racetrack and many of the jockeys featured in this project lived and worked in that area.

The print is available for $50.00 (postage included) with all net proceeds going to William Wells Brown Elementary.

To learn more about The Jockey Silks Project, click HERE.

To learn more about the African American jockeys that have won the Kentucky Derby, click HERE.

To order a limited edition, “The Color of Silks” print; email, brittany@horseswork.com

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‘He Didn’t Look Like A Bug’: Apprentice Luis Rivera, Jr. Registers First Domestic Victory

Apprentice Luis R. Rivera Jr. celebrated his 19th birthday in style on Monday's Presidents Day holiday program at Laurel Park, guiding Leonard Mattingly's multiple stakes-placed 4-year-old filly Beneath the Stars to a front-running two-length victory in the co-featured eighth race.

It was the second of three wins on the nine-race card for Anthony Farrior, who leads all North American trainers in victories in 2023 with 45 from 154 starters (29 percent). Sent off at 14-1 Beneath the Stars ($31.60) ran six furlongs in 1:11.68 over a fast main track in the second-level optional claiming allowance for fillies and mares 4 and up.

A native of Puerto Rico, where he attended the famed Escuela Vocacional Hipica jockey school, Rivera is the son of Luis Rivera Sr., a winner of 2,341 career races since 1997 currently riding at Mahoning Valley in Youngstown, Ohio. Interestingly, the elder Rivera rode Beneath the Stars to a fourth-place finish in the 2022 Cheryl S. White Memorial last spring.

“We put in some hard work and thank God Farrior gave me the opportunity to ride that filly, and she did a wonderful job,” Rivera said. “My dad used to ride that filly and now I had the opportunity to ride, and I'm so happy to win.”

Rivera began riding professionally Jan. 1 in Puerto Rico, where he won six of 55 races before arriving in the U.S. Feb. 15. He rode four races on Sunday, his first day at Laurel, finishing sixth in his domestic debut aboard Hope He's Fast. Beneath the Stars was his sixth mount.

“He's been the first jockey at the track every single morning so far. He's getting there early and really working hard, and it's nice to see something pay off,” Rivera's agent, Marty Leonard, said. “All these horses that he's on right now he was named on without anyone seeing him ride over here, so that's a credit to a lot of these trainers that trust him.”

Leonard also represents journeymen Sheldon Russell and Jevian Toledo, Maryland's two-time defending champion jockey who also hails from Puerto Rico and was one of the first people to mention Rivera's name.

“The first one that told me about him was Anthony Farrior. He used to ride Luis' father a lot when he was out at Mountaineer, so they had a little connection through there. It was in the back of my mind,” Leonard said. “Then on Jan. 1, when all the bugs start riding their first races in Puerto Rico, Jevian called and told me to watch this kid. He said he didn't look like a bug and he was pretty talented and a good rider. That piqued my interest a little more. Then I got a call from Steve Rushing about taking the kid. Three people that are pretty good at their jobs all suggested the kid and I decided to take the shot with him.

“He's been good so far, hard worker in the morning, positive attitude – just everything you want to see in a kid,” he added. “He's here to learn. It's nice that he speaks English, too, because he can talk to people. He's a heck of a kid. He's happy to be over here and happy to be riding.”

Also on Monday, Rivera finished second on Wild Behavior for trainer Lacey Gaudet in Race 3 and eighth on Bosstonian for trainer Brittany Russell in the Race 9 finale. He is named on horses for Claudio Gonzalez and Charles Frock when live racing returns to Laurel Park Friday, Feb. 24.

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