April, 2023 | Horse Racing Free Tips

KQHA President Removed From Position, Racing Licenses Suspended With Criminal Charges Pending

Richard L. Connelley, former president and board member for the Kentucky Quarter Horse Racing Association, was removed from his post with the organization March 27 after he was hit with multiple criminal charges unrelated to the horse industry.

Connelley, who is a dentist with offices in Paintsville and Salyersville in eastern Kentucky, was arrested in Johnson County, Ky., on March 17 and charged with operating a motor vehicle under the influence, impersonating a peace officer, possession of marijuana, excessive windshield or window tinting and failure to provide an insurance card.

According to the citation filed in Johnson District Court, Connelley was approached by officers in a shopping center parking lot after they received a call that a man was trying to convince a young female to smoke “Hawaiian Pineapple Express marijuana” with him. Officers found Connelley in a vehicle matching the caller's description. He showed them a badge, told them he was a deputy sheriff in Magoffin County and said had been with the department for 12 years.

According to the Salyersville Independent newspaper, Connelley was a deputy under a previous sheriff in Magoffin County, but it's not clear when that was. The arrest citation indicated that officers made contact with the current Magoffin County sheriff, who told them “Connelley was not a deputy and he had no idea how he even got the badge because he didn't give the badge to Mr. Connelley.”

Officers noted a strong smell of marijuana coming from Connelley and discovered a marijuana roach in his vehicle. Connelley was described in the arrest citation as having “glossy red eye[s], dry mouth, and coordination was very off.”

The citation also described a conversation officers had with a young woman who had received a Facebook message from Connelley, who she said was her dentist. She said Connelley first asked if she was brushing her teeth, and then sent her a photo of a large amount of marijuana and then indicated that he didn't mean to send her the image. The woman expressed concern that Connelley had access to her and other women's personal information through his dental practice.

On March 27, the Kentucky Quarter Horse Racing Association released the following statement on its Facebook page and disabled comments on the post:

The board of directors of the Kentucky Quarter Horse Association have removed Richard Connelley as president and from the board of directors. Longtime KyQHRA vice president Graham Martin will assume those duties on an interim basis and together with executive director Adam Koenig, will ensure our organization remains focused on supporting Kentucky Quarter Horse racing.”

Kentucky saw its first Quarter Horse meet in years just a few days later, running Sandy Ridge dates at The Red Mile from April 1 to April 6.

On April 4, stewards in Kentucky suspended the owner and trainer licenses for Connelley pending an appearance before the board of stewards “regarding the disposition of his current pending criminal charges.” During that suspension, the ruling noted he would be denied access to all facilities under the commission's jurisdiction.

Connelley has owned and trained both Thoroughbreds and Quarter Horses through the years, but has not saddled a horse since 2004 and made his most recent start as an owner at Belterra Park in October 2022.

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Rood & Riddle Podiatry: Quality Of Life Improved For Percheron With Coffin Bone Disease

The Rood & Riddle Equine Podiatry unit posts a unique case each month on its social media pages in order to highlight how the combination of science with art can be used in the all-consuming effort to improve equine welfare. Reprinted with permission.

An approximately 10-year-old Percheron gelding presented with chronic right hind lameness stemming from recurrent abscesses and hoof instability. The owners had acquired this horse with hoof pathology already present in the hopes of improving his condition. He has since become a cherished member of their family.

The medial aspect of the hoof capsule was dystrophic with poorly organized and diseased horn complicated by significant attrition of the dorso-medial coffin bone. There was evidence of chronic abscessing along a dorsal vertical crack of the medial toe. The sheer size of the hoof capsule was a challenge for therapeutic shoeing choices. Initially, a hand made shoe with a welded heart bar plate was chosen to stabilize the hoof capsule and bolster central loading. Comfort was immediately well improved and the horse became much more active and bright at home.

An x-ray shows the extent of the bone disease; (right) the hand made shoe with a welded heart bar plate

Unfortunately, the shoe was pulled in his paddock at approximately three weeks. The compromised medial wall prevented the ability of resetting the steel shoe. The decision was made to place the hoof in a wall cast with a handmade aluminum shoe applied to the bottom for improved mechanics and wear protection. Again, the size of the hoof prevented a standard approach to this method. A fully encompassing wall cast that covers the bottom of the hoof requires many layers of fiberglass to prevent unwanted flexion and degradation. This layer along with orthopedic felt was made initially on a bench and allowed to cure before the perimeter of the cast was formed and glued onto the hoof. Comfort was restored and access was made on the dorsal crack for treatment of a mild abscess. The horse was placed into this set up for two cycles and the hoof wall integrity was improving nicely above the poor quality wall.

The decision was made to place the hoof in a wall cast with a handmade aluminum shoe applied to the bottom for improved mechanics and wear protection.

Just prior to the last shoeing, a worsening lameness was noted and found to be from an abscess formation of the lateral heel bulb. The hoof had collected-up in size enough to allow a heavily modified Sigafoos Series II shoe to be applied with a treatment plate over the lateral bar in case future access is needed.

The hoof had collected-up in size enough to allow a heavily modified Sigafoos Series II shoe to be applied with a treatment plate over the lateral bar in case future access is needed

Although prognosis remains guarded with the degree of bone disease present, currently, this horse's quality of life has been greatly improved. We are hopeful that once the old, poor quality hoof wall is grown out, being barefoot may once again be possible or at a minimum, allow a steel shoe for protection and stability.

The Rood & Riddle Equine Podiatry is a group of specialized veterinarians and farriers dedicated to proper hoof care of the horse. We specialize in therapeutic shoeing and management of all disease processes of the equine hoof in addition to maintaining the high demands of the athletic horse. You can follow the RREH Podiatry page on Facebook for more content like this.

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NSA: Three Different Winning Combinations Score At Old Dominion Point To Point

With substantial purse money on the line for the first time, Saturday's Old Dominion Hounds Point to Point in Washington, Va., attracted some star National Steeplechase Association talent. And by day's end Hall of Fame conditioner Jack Fisher had his first winner of the young season, while leading 2022 trainer Leslie Young registered her fifth to remain atop the standings.

The day began with a thriller in which Fisher ran one-two. In the first of three sanctioned races, Riverdee Stable's Fits the Jill, making her third NSA start following seven on the flat, took the $25,000 maiden hurdle for fillies and mares, following a spirited rally to catch the pacesetter, Northwoods Stable's Dream North, who was making her jump-racing debut. Dream North, under Jamie Bargary, assumed the lead from the break, but never headed the nine-horse field by more than a few lengths during the entire 2-mile contest.

Meanwhile, Fits the Jill maintained a stalking positiion, sitting in third or fourth throughout, and made her move under Graham Watters with one fence to go. Dream North, however, wasn't ready to give up without a fight. Through the stretch, Fits the Jill opened up by about two lengths, but Dream North dug in and narrowed the gap, with only a half length separating the pair at the wire. Ashwell Stable's Right Tempo came from off the pace to get up for third under David England, two lengths behind the runner up.

In the second race, an open $25,000 maiden special weights hurdle, a field of nine faced the starter and only five finished. Breaking alertly and setting the pace for the 2-mile journey, Michael Smith's Hoffman earned his first U.S. victory following three solid starts last season. As soon as the flag dropped, Hoffman, under Mikey Hamill, spurted to the lead and was quickly shadowed by Riverdee Stable's Keys Discount and Barry Foley. By the third fence, the duo had already separated themselves from the spread-out field, and by the fourth, Hoffman had taken command by about two lengths. That lead extended to five or so lengths with one lap to go, and grew to double digits by the third fence from home. Despite the wide margin, Hamill kept working on Hoffman, who was 4 ½ lengths clear of Del Rio Racing's Riendo, with Bernie Dalton, at the wire.

Hoffman has been a horse to watch ever since Leslie Young imported the three-year-old Irish-bred from England. He finished third in his maiden debut at Shawan Downs last fall, followed by two seconds, in the Gladstone stakes at Far Hills and in the Alston Cup stakes at Charleston.

Only four horses started in the finale, a $15,000 allowance over timber, but one of them was Storm Team, a multiple stakes winner of nearly $300,000, making his nine-year-old debut for owners Sheila Williams and Northwoods Stable and trainer Jack Fisher. With Graham Watters riding, Storm Team put on quite a show, dictating the pace – as is his custom – for most of the three miles. With two fences remaining, Irv Naylor's Stooshie, a 10-year-old veteran of 34 starts who broke his maiden over timber only last fall, made his move from the back of the pack under Barry Foley, seizing the lead and holding off Storm Team in a driving finish by a head. Cyril Murphy trained the winner. Four Virginia Gents' Nathanielhawthorne put in a furious rally of his own, finishing a neck behind Storm Team under Parker Hendriks.

You can view a replay of the races at www.nationalsteeplechase.com.

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Tired Of ‘Just Breaking Even’: Trainer Ron Faucheux Wins Fair Grounds Title Before Launching Jockey Agent Career

With 42 winners to his name at the recently-concluded Fair Grounds meet in New Orleans, La., Ron Faucheux took home the leading trainer title for a third straight year in 2023. According to the Thoroughbred Daily News, Faucheux now plans to step away from training and launch a career as a jockey's agent for Jose Luis Rodriguez.

“Basically, the last couple of years, I was just breaking even doing what I was doing,” Faucheux told TDN. “I love training horses, but I wasn't getting the kind of day rate trainers in places like New York and Kentucky get and our expenses are pretty comparable to theirs. This was a lot of work and, in all honesty, over the last several years, I wasn't making any money doing it.”

With a day rate set at $75, Faucheux said he was unable to keep pace with the rising cost of doing business as a trainer. Other considerations included have more time for his family, as well as less stress.

“My kids are getting a little bit older and I can spend a little bit more time with them being a jock's agent,” Faucheux told TDN. “There is quite a bit of work that goes into it, but not nearly the amount of work that I was used to as a trainer. [Rodriguez is] a good rider and he finished sixth at the Fair Grounds, his first full meet ever in the U.S. This is a good opportunity to spend more time with my family, have a little more free time and a little less stress and try this out. I'll see how it works.”

Faucheux will represent Rodriguez at the upcoming Evangeline Downs meet.

Read more at the Thoroughbred Daily News.

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