aqha | Horse Racing Free Tips

When Can A Mare Go Back To Work After Foaling?

A mare needs some time to rest and recover post-foaling, but just how long does she need before she can go back into work? Though each mare is different, if the mare was in good physical shape before foaling, she will most likely be able to return to work sooner than a horse who wasn't fit prior to having her baby, according to a report from the American Quarter Horse Association. Ensuring that the mare isn't overweight when she's bred – and when she foals – can speed her return to work.

Dr. Ben Espy says most mares can begin working again six to eight weeks after a complication-free foaling. However, some mares may experience pregnancy-related circulatory side effects, like edema in the legs and belly. This generally resolves in a few weeks after the foal is born. The ability for a mare to move around after foaling is often helpful in alleviating excess fluid.

Even after a normal birth, most mares have some minor vaginal tears, bruising, and abrasions. These issues normally heal within a week and don't hinder a mare's return to work. More serious complications like a breech birth or intense bleeding will require longer recovery time.

Any pre-foaling issues should be reassessed before the mare is asked to go back into work, including prior lameness issues. Asking a veterinarian to evaluate the mare's physical condition and soundness before going back to work is prudent.

When bringing a mare back into work, it's imperative that the owner or rider pay attention to her hydration. A lactating mare can drink as much as 10 more gallons of water per day than other horses. If the temperatures in which she is asked to work are hot and humid as well, she could require as many as 20 to 30 gallons of water per day to stay hydrated.

Matt Vance Named Executive VP Of Racing At Remington, Lone Star

Officials with Global Gaming Solutions recently announced Matt Vance has been named executive vice president of racing for Remington Park in Oklahoma City and Lone Star Park in Grand Prairie, Texas.

Skip Seeley, Global Gaming Solutions CEO, said Vance's thorough knowledge of the horse industry and his passion for working collaboratively with horsemen, jockeys, racing fans and employees played an instrumental role in this decision.

“For several years, Matt has overseen racing operations at Remington Park and over the past couple years he has served in an advisory role at Lone Star Park. His leadership and commitment to horse racing helped us navigate a very trying time during the pandemic at both tracks. He led the 2020 Quarter Horse Season through uncharted territory that enabled racing to continue throughout the pandemic. He then used that experience to guide health and safety protocols and operations in Grand Prairie when its season opened.”

Seeley noted that Vance also received the 2020 Gordon Crone Special Achievement Award from the American Quarter Horse Association for his work during the pandemic.

As executive vice president for both tracks, he will oversee all mutuels/simulcasting, operations, track maintenance and racing operations.

“It is an honor to be able to live my passion for horse racing every day and to do that alongside some of the best horsemen, jockeys and fans in the sport,” said Vance. “As we build on our current successes, which include purse increases at both tracks, I look forward to working with our committed employees in both states to enhance our horsemen and patron experience.”

Vance has served as vice president of racing operations at Remington Park since 2015. He has worked in the racing industry for over 35 years, starting with Louisiana Downs in 1986 then to Remington Park from 1988-1997. He moved to other tracks for six years and eventually returned to Remington Park in 2003 for the construction of the casino, and the transition to new ownership in Global Gaming Solutions in 2010. During his tenure, Vance has played a key role on the leadership team that has helped the track soar in quality and popularity in recent years.

For more information about Remington Park, visit https://www.remingtonpark.com/. To learn more about Lone Star Park, go to https://www.lonestarpark.com/.

The post Matt Vance Named Executive VP Of Racing At Remington, Lone Star appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Indiana Grand To Host AQHA’s Bank Of America Challenge Championships In 2022

For the first time, the elite racing American Quarter Horses from around the world that gather for the Bank of America Challenge Championships will step onto that stage in the state of Indiana, as Indiana Grand Racing & Casino in Shelbyville, Indiana, welcomes the event in 2022.

“We are thrilled to partner with Indiana Grand to host this championship event,” said AQHA Chief Racing Officer Janet VanBebber. “This racetrack and its leadership have welcomed horsemen and promoted American Quarter Horse racing, and we look forward to the opportunity to host the 2022 Bank of America Challenge Championships at a new and growing venue.”

Indiana Grand will become one of only 10 racetracks in history to host the Bank of America Challenge Championships. The program, operated by the American Quarter Horse Association, provides greater opportunity to all racing American Quarter Horses. It offers stakes races held in the United States, Canada, Mexico and Brazil, and the horses that qualify through these races are invited to the season-ending Challenge Championships. There are races offered for older horses, fillies and mares, derby and futurity horses, as well as distance specialists. The program pours almost $3 million in purses into the industry every year.

In the past two years, five of the AQHA racing champions earned their championship titles with significant help from the horses' efforts in the Challenge program, with these collective horses earning more than 20 percent of their career earnings from Challenge races.

Indiana Grand has seen its product grow year-over-year, with a 5.3 percent increase in purses and a 35 percent jump in handle in the past five years. The track had the fifth-highest average handle per race for all Quarter Horse tracks in the country at $110,819.

In 2021, the racetrack will add two regional Bank of America Challenge stakes races to its program, including the $30,000-added John Deere Indiana Juvenile Challenge and the $20,000-added Merial Indiana Distaff Challenge.

“Being able to expand our American Quarter Horse program to include the Bank of America Challenge elevates our entire racing operations in Indiana,” said Eric Halstrom, Indiana Grand vice president and general manager of racing. “This challenge will shine a spotlight on our ever-growing American Quarter Horse industry and grant many of our local horsemen the opportunity to participate on a national level. We are excited to partner with AQHA on this endeavor and look forward to welcoming new American Quarter Horse participants and fans into Indiana for the first time in the history of the Challenge.”

To learn more about the Bank of America Racing Challenge, visit www.aqha.com/bank-of-america-racing-challenge.

The post Indiana Grand To Host AQHA’s Bank Of America Challenge Championships In 2022 appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Kentucky Groups Hope HHR Legislation Allows For ‘Long-Overdue Restoration’ Of Quarter Horse Racing

Two statewide breed organizations, the Kentucky Quarter Horse Association (KyQHA) and the Kentucky Quarter Horse Racing Association (KyQHRA), are united in withholding a position regarding proposed legislation to maintain the status quo for operators of Historical Horse Racing (HHR) facilities.

While there are over 10,000 owners of more than 30,000 Quarter Horses confirmed across all 120 counties, and while Quarter Horses have long been a wholly legal pari-mutuel racing breed in the Commonwealth, no licensed track offers so-called “sprint racing.” As a result, no portion of earnings from HHR terminals is of benefit to Kentucky owners and breeders of Quarter Horses.

The KyQHA is the official state affiliate of the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA), the world's largest equine registry, while the KyQHRA is designated by statute as the horsemen's organization for Quarter Horse racing. Yet, in spite of the enormous popularity of
Quarter Horse racing at two Kentucky racetracks in the 1980s, there have been no Quarter Horse racing opportunities of consequence in over 30 years – when a political battle over the right to simulcast (BOPTROT) enabled other breeds to crowd out sprint racing. Given that the Legislature granted Quarter Horses legal status as a racing breed similar to others, this history of a lack of access to racing days for three decades suggests discrimination.

“The Quarter Horse industry has not been afforded an opportunity to review proposed legislation relating to future changes in law pertaining to the legality of HHR terminals,” said Keith Kleine, KyQHA president. “Until such time as the proposed legislation is seen by our industry, and it includes some kind of stake and engagement in the process for our breeders and owners, the KyQHA will not be taking a formal position on HHR.”

Richard Connelley, DMD, the Kentucky Quarter Horse Racing Association president, commented: “At such time as details of the proposed legislation are known by KyQHRA and KyQHA, the determination of our industry to support it will likely be based upon whether the legislation contains any features or language that indicate some clear path to the long-overdue restoration of pari-mutuel Quarter Horse racing to Kentucky.”

The post Kentucky Groups Hope HHR Legislation Allows For ‘Long-Overdue Restoration’ Of Quarter Horse Racing appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post