Grants Pass | Horse Racing Free Tips

Miss Important Remains Unbeaten At Grants Pass Downs

Miss Important caught Jaded Tiger in the final strides for a half-length victory in Monday's $14,600 Siskiyou Stakes for older fillies and mares on opening night of the 18-day fall season at Grants Pass Downs.

Under a perfectly timed ride by David Martin, Miss Important ran 5 ½ furlongs in 1:06.92 and paid $6.80 as the betting favorite. Billy Christian is the trainer for winning owner Bern Kent of Yakima, Wash.

A 4-year-old Graydar filly, Miss Important is now four for four at Grants Pass Downs including stakes scores in the Shady Cove Handicap, Jo Durham Memorial and Siskiyou Stakes. Kent claimed the bay filly for $10,000 out of her Grants Pass debut on May 24.

In seventh place early, Miss Important began passing horses on the backstretch, reached contention on the turn and reeled in Xtrafine Xtina and Jaded Tiger late for the victory.

Martin, now three for three on Miss Important, had the filly farther behind than normal Monday.

“She got bumped at the break, but she relaxed well and there was some speed in the race,” Martin said. “I was quiet on her early but when I asked her, she responded. (Miss Important) is a nice filly.”

Miss Important has demonstrated excellent versatility in her career, recording wins sprinting and routing, as well as on dirt, synthetic and wet racing surfaces. Her overall record is 6-1-2 in 16 starts with earnings of $92,388, including $8,030 for Monday's triumph.

Jaded Tiger nearly bagged her eighth victory of 2021. Ridden by Joree Scriver, the 4-year-old Smiling Tiger filly overhauled Xtrafine Xtina into the stretch run and just failed to last for the victory.

Xtrafine Xtina, ridden by James Wooten Jr., dueled with Hold That Smile through fractions of :21.61 and :46.46, gained a short lead on the turn, but weakened slightly in the stretch and finished third. Mean Sharon, Hold That Smile, Barbello, Chase the Music and Madigan Squeeze completed the order of finish.

On-track attendance was 475 and the total handle was $309,400.

NOTES: David Martin swept the late daily double on Miss Important ($6.80) and Shesaidshesperfect ($17.40). . .Alex Anaya also rode two winners—one Quarter Horse and one Thoroughbred. . .Anaya currently ranks sixth with 23 wins at Emerald Downs. . . Monday's first and third races were $8,000 allowances for older quarter horses at 300 yards. In race one, Warhock ($18.20) upset 2 to 5 favorite Cm Boom Shakalaka while running 300 yards in 15.23 seconds. Anaya rode the winner for trainer Benito Curiel and owner Malon Cowgill. In race three, Arizona Favorite ($4.40) and jockey Martin Osuna prevailed in 15.31 seconds for trainer Hector Magallanes and owners Kevin and Robin Allred. . .2020 Grants Pass Mile champion Pulpits Power ($4.80) held off Shockazulu for a hard-fought victory in race five, with two-time defending riding champion Joree Scriver scoring her first win of the meet. . .Two-time defending training champ Quinn Howey went one for one opening night as Gray Gem ($5) rolled to an easy victory under Mckenzie King in race six. . .The 2021 spring/summer meet continues Tuesday with an eight-race program at 5:15 p.m. , including El Alto Hombre attempting to win his seventh straight race this year in the $14,600 Applegate Stakes for 3-year-olds and up.

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Optimism High As Oregon’s Grants Pass Downs Begins 2021 Season

CEO Travis Boersma has plenty of reasons to be excited as Grants Pass Downs begins its spring/summer meet with eight-race cards Monday and Tuesday.

Entries for the first two days of racing are very healthy—128 total horses, an average of 8.0 per race. Both stakes races—Monday's $12,000 Caveman Stakes and Tuesday's $11,400 Daily Courier Stakes—drew deep and talented fields.

Moreover, the weather forecast is perfect, and last but certainly not least, fans will be allowed on-track for the races; advance tickets are available at gpdowns.com or at the gate.

“We've got up to 1,200 fans coming and that's a big step for us,” Boersma said. “We're ecstatic. It means energy around the grandstand. As far as an intimate track experience goes, I don't think anybody has something like we have.”

When Portland Meadows shuttered for good in 2019, it could have been ruinous to racing in Oregon. But Boersma, born and raised in the Rogue Valley, had a life-long enjoyment of racing in Grants Pass, stepped up big time. He secured a long-term lease for a commercial meet at the Josephine County Fairgrounds, and in the past two years has made numerous improvements to the facility.

“Here's the thing; I've gone to this track at Grants Pass since I was brought into this life, and so I've got these memories and experiences I'll take with me the rest of my life,” Boersma said. “To think that horse racing could go away in the state of Oregon seemed tragic to me.”

“And I really started to look at how we could save it, that was the first step. And then the second step: could horse racing live without having to be propped up, and the short answer was yes.”

The Flying Lark restaurant and entertainment venue is due to open later this year on the southwest corner of the facility. The state-of-the-art venue will help finance horse racing purses, which currently average over $60,000 daily. As for wagering, the 2020 fall meet averaged a record $377,789 including a blockbuster $868,632 on closing day.

“We are a fun-loving mind-blowing company here to build legacies one race at a time, those principles and values and philosophy of business carry over to (horse racing) for me,” Boersma said. “When we can make an impact in a community in a positive way, when we can take the Josephine County Fairgrounds and start to inject life into it and take care of deferred maintenance and figure out ways to bring jobs to our community and make a difference in agriculture, make a difference in equestrian, and be a draw for horsemen and horsewomen from all over the state, that's where my juices get flowing because that's what it's all about for me, quality of life and how we can live it.”

“We're well on our way to stabilizing horse racing in Oregon, “Boersma said. “Our goal is to have the fair meets rock solid and funded, and our commercial race meet in Grants Pass dialed in and drawing people from all over the western United States.”

Boersma also participates in the races at Grants Pass. He owns a stable of horses with trainers Emilio Guerrero and Quinn Howey including five runners entered opening week, and a band of five broodmares whose progeny begin racing next year.

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Operator Of Oregon’s Grants Pass To Seek Approval For Historical Horse Racing Machines

Travis Boersma, who brought racing back to Oregon at Grants Pass after the closure of the state's main racetrack, Portland Meadows, has plans to install 250 historical horse racing terminals in an adjoining restaurant and entertainment center at the Josephine County Fairgrounds in the southern Oregon town of about 35,000.

Boersma's plans were detailed in a recent article covering the state's gambling industry in the Oregonian's website, www.oregonelive.com.

The entertainment center, currently under construction, is named The Flying Lark in honor of one of the state's most famous Thoroughbred who raced in the late 1960s. Grants Pass announced plans for the entertainment center last year but did not indicate it would include historical horse racing.

A spokesperson for Oregon Gov. Kate Brown told oregonlive.com the governor will defer to the Oregon Racing Commission to determine whether or not the machines fit the definition of pari-mutuel wagering and, thus, are legal. Native American tribes, whose gaming revenue has flatelined over the last decade as the state lottery has grown, is opposed to the installation of HHR machines as are problem gambling organizations.

Grants Pass Downs Announces New Gaming, Entertainment Venue

Gaming, entertainment and dining venue The Flying Lark is coming to Grants Pass in fall 2021. Founded by entrepreneur and Grants Pass native Travis Boersma as part of a larger effort to revitalize the horse racing industry in Oregon, The Flying Lark is a significant, long-term investment in the city of Grants Pass. It will create a meaningful number of jobs, bolster the local economy, and provide vital funding and stability to the equine industry throughout the region, including horse owners, trainers, veterinarians, jockeys, and a wide range of vendors and suppliers.

Located next to Grants Pass Downs at the southwest corner of the Josephine County Fairgrounds, The Flying Lark will boast a full-service family restaurant, a grab-and-go restaurant, a sports bar, a gaming bar, a state-of-the-art gaming floor, banquet facilities and art pieces by regional artists that celebrate the magic, power and beauty of horses. Its grab-and-go offering will include coffee drinks, sweets and small bites, and two of the dining areas will offer both indoor and outdoor seating to take advantage of Grants Pass' famous climate.

The establishment is named after local racing icon Don Jackson's legendary Oregon thoroughbred who led the nation in wins for two years in the 1980s. A well-respected member of the Grants Pass community, Jackson was a long-time supporter of Grants Pass Downs. His passion for horse racing and dedication to developing interest in the sport significantly bolstered the horse racing industry in the state.

The Flying Lark – along with recent upgrades to Grants Pass Downs – is part of a transformation of the Josephine County Fairgrounds into a year-round destination for Southern Oregon and Northern California.

“We're really looking forward to the impact The Flying Lark will make both economically and culturally to our local community and the state of Oregon,” said Boersma, CEO and founder of Grants Pass Downs and The Flying Lark.

Horses have played a vital role in Oregon's history and were present throughout the region before the arrival of the Lewis and Clark Expedition in the early 1800s. The Flying Lark will feature art installations, murals, sculptures and other storytelling elements that celebrate horses and their positive impact on the State of Oregon and its rich history.

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