The upcoming weekend is the first of two in a row featuring an abundance of Breeders’ Cup “Win and You’re In” races both in the U.S. and overseas, and the majority of them will be shown live on television.
Month: September 2023
Louisiana Congressman Introduces Legislation To Replace HISA
A press release from the office of Congressman Clay Higgins (R-LA) has indicated that he will introduce the Racehorse Health and Safety Act of 2023 (RHSA), which would protect the health and welfare of racing horses and improve the integrity and safety of horse racing.
“It takes into account horsemen's input (and) veterinary science,” Eric Hamelback, CEO of the National Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association, told the Associated Press. “It allows for horses to be given proper care in the best interest of equine health and welfare. And it's constitutional.”
In December 2020, through an omnibus bill, Congress passed the Horseracing Safety and Integrity Act (HISA), which was later signed into law by President Trump. HISA was passed with the intention of bringing uniformity to the horse racing industry by establishing a wide set of rules that would be implemented and enforced by the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority.
Since its passage, which Congressman Higgins opposed, HISA has been riddled with legal setbacks.
The Racehorse Health and Safety Act would:
- Repeal the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA).
- Grant states the right to enter into the interstate compact, which is a contract between multiple states to develop nationwide rules governing scientific control and racetrack safety for horse racing.
- Establish the Racehorse Health and Safety Organization (RHSO) which will regulate the horse racing industry.
- Establish three Scientific Medication Control Committees (SMCCs) to draft recommended rules for each breed.
“Government should be a partner to Americans, not a predator,” said Congressman Higgins. “This legislation brings Constitutional liberties and rights to the forefront, protecting the horse racing industry and the beautiful animals that we love.”
This legislation is endorsed by the National Horsemen's Benevolent & Protective Association (HBPA), the United Trotting Association (USTA), the North American Association of Racetrack Veterinarians (NAARV), and others.
“I firmly believe that there are members of Congress who were instrumental in bringing HISA about, who are seeing all the trouble that HISA is causing, and they're looking for a good way out,” Russell Williams, president of the board of the U.S. Trotting Association, told AP. “And if we can convince them that RHSA is a better way — and that's our whole mission — then I think it gets passed.”
Read the legislation here.
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Breeders’ Cup Unveils Official 2023 World Championships Artwork
Breeders' Cup Limited today unveiled the official artwork of the 2023 Breeders' Cup World Championships, by world-renowned artist Quang Ho. The 2023 World Championships will be held Nov. 3-4 at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif., giving Ho a magnificent landscape from which to draw inspiration.
Ho's work will be featured on the cover of both the Friday and Saturday official track programs and on tickets. In Friday's image, a striking gray wearing a purple saddle towel strides out in the paddock just before the call for riders up. In Saturday's scene, a compact field races into the first turn with the San Gabriel Mountain Range forming a striking backdrop to the thrilling action unfolding on the racetrack.
“I went out for some racing last spring and got to walk about the racetrack, with the facility's beautiful turquoise color and the mountain range behind it,” Ho recalled. “I spent a couple of days there walking around and seeing the horses up close, which is how the paddock inspiration came about. Where the racing scene was concerned, I could have taken it from so many different angles, but that iconic look of the mountain range behind the racetrack was looming in every race I watched.”
A native of Hue, Vietnam, Ho immigrated to the United States in 1975 at age 12 and pursued a passion for art formed at a young age, graduating from the Colorado Institute of Art at the top of his class in 1985. His long and illustrious career has resulted in many solo shows in London, Houston, Denver, Vail, and Taos, New Mexico. He is a much sought-after teacher and lecturer on art and has won numerous prestigious awards, from the Artists of America to the Oil Painters of America exhibits. He has held retrospective exhibits at the Steamboat Springs Museum of Art and the Woolaroc Museum in Oklahoma, as well as the Booth Museum of Western Art in Atlanta. His many interests in life, from music to science, food to philosophy, show up in his works as varied themes and explorative approaches to painting.
“We are honored to feature Quang Ho as this year's official Breeders' Cup artist,” said Justin McDonald, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer for Breeders' Cup Limited. “Quang's vivid images of one of the world's most renowned racetracks will give our fans treasured mementos of two days of world-class racing as we celebrate our 40th running.”
Cross Gate Gallery's annual Sporting Art Auction, which will include both pieces of Ho's Breeders' Cup art, will be held on Nov. 18 at 12:00 p.m. ET. For more information, please visit http://www.
The 40th running of the Breeders' Cup World Championships Nov. 3-4 will be televised live by NBC Sports. Admission is still available at BreedersCup.com/tickets.
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Big Rock ‘Fresh’ For QEII Next Month
Big Rock (Fr) (Rock Of Gibraltar {Ire}) has exited the G1 Prix du Moulin in good order and will aim for the G1 Queen Elizabeth II S. on QIPCO British Champions Day, according to trainer Christopher Head.
Successful in a listed race in March, the Yeguada Centurion homebred added the G3 Prix la Force and G3 Prix de Guiche in successive months. He has finished second in his last three races, all at Group 1 level–the Prix du Jockey Club, the Prix Jacques le Marois, and the Prix du Moulin, the latter most recently in September.
“He's doing fine, he came out of the Prix du Moulin very well and he's aiming for the Queen Elizabeth II S.,” Head said.
“He has done some very nice work and everything's all right. He's a horse that has needed a bit of time between races and I'm very happy to have had that kind of break between the Moulin at Longchamp and the Queen Elizabeth S.
“We have him back fresh and everything, so I think he will be more than interesting for his next race. Heavy ground is not a problem, whatever the ground does, it is not a problem for him.”
Head also revealed plans for Infinity Nine Horses' 'TDN Rising Star' Ramatuelle (Justify), who is a multiple group winner and ran second in the G1 Prix Morny last month.
“The owners have decided that she has had a very nice 2-year-old season and they want to have a 100% chance with her at three,” Head explained of the G3 Prix du Bois and G2 Prix Robert Papin heroine.
“They have decided not to run her again this season, she will be back next year in spring.”
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