Practical Joke Colt Tops Texas Yearling Sale

GRAND PRAIRIE, TX – A colt by Practical Joke brought $110,000 to top Monday's single-session Texas Thoroughbred Association (TTA) Summer Yearling Sale at Lone Star Park.

By the numbers, a total of 175 yearlings sold for $3,240,000. The figures represented a decrease from 2022 when 161 sold for a record $3,416,000 in gross receipts. This term, the average was $18,542, while the median was $11,000 and 77 horses reported not sold.

Foster Bridewell, Director of Horse Sales for the TTA, said of the auction, “Three of our top five offerings were Texas-breds, so that was good to see,” he said. “This was one of our largest catalogs in the history of this sale and we had buyers from several key quadrants–Kentucky, Ocala, California and across the Lone Star State.”

A Practical Topper For Al Pike

Offered as hip 122, the dark bay was purchased by Al Pike, acting as agent. The Apr. 30 foal is out of SW Jan's Perfect Star (Imperialism), dam of UAE Jebel Ali Sprint hero Road Bloc (Street Sense). The native Texan from Palestine, and his wife Salley, relocated this past summer to Highlander Training Center, outside of Dallas. A regular on the pinhooking scene, Pike frequents a bevy of juvenile sales, including OBS March, Fasig-Tipton Midlantic and the Texas 2-Year-Old In-Training Sale.

Practical Joke colt (hip 122) | Olivia Friesen/TTA Sale

Pike said he saw this yearling as an opportunity.

“This one is for me and partners,” said Pike. “I thought he was a stunning Practical Joke, beautiful horse, and I think he's going to grow to be really special. It's just the Practical Joke that sold it and he had some pedigree too. I just thought he was a beautiful colt. This will be one to pinhook for the spring and we'll probably look to go to OBS March.”

Bred by Michael and Linda Mazoch of Texas, the colt was consigned by Scott Mallory, agent.

“He came from Buena Madera and they always do an excellent job in preparing the horses for the sale,” Mallory said. “And it makes it a whole lot easier when you get to the sale because they are well presented. With the recent success of Practical Joke, we kind of thought he'd be fairly popular with the sale. He vetted good, handled himself well up there. And with Texas coming up with the $40,000 maiden special weights, we knew that would add an extra bid or two. I didn't quite think he'd bring $110,000, but I'm happy about it. We thought he'd sell well–I thought he'd sell for $70,000 or $80,000, but $110,000 is excellent.”

Vekoma Colt Takes Home Silver

Late in the session, hip 260, a chestnut colt by Vekoma, brought $90,000 from pinhooker David Scanlon. Out of Winning Saga (Tale of the Cat), the May 12 foal was raised and prepped at Elm Tree Farm in Kentucky and consigned by agent Scott Mallory, who also consigned the topper.

“This colt just showed well the whole time, he had a great disposition, he just looks like he is going to turn into a really beautiful 2-year-old and he was bred by Dr. Fred Willis from Louisiana,” said Mallory.

Competitive Edge Colt Reminds Asmussen of Ryvit

The third highest-priced yearling of the session was taken home by Steve Asmussen's KDE Equine for $85,000. Hip 24, consigned by Highlander Training, was bred by Valor Farm in Pilot Point, Texas.

Ryvit schooling at Saratoga with Erik Asmussen up | Sarah Andrew

The Feb. 16 foal is the first foal out of unraced Better Than Mo (Uncle Mo), who counts MSW More Than Most (Indygo Mountain), MSW Worldventurer (Wimbledon) and GIII Miss Preakness S. scorer Red Ghost (Ghostzapper) as half-siblings. His third dam MGISP Alysbelle (Alydar) is a full-sister to Horse of the Year Alysheba.

Asmussen indicated Monday's purchase was prompted by another Texas sale graduate, GIII Chick Lang S. victor Ryvit (Competitive Edge).

“A couple of years ago, I got Ryvit out of this sale,” explained the Hall of Famer. “I think that there are blue collar horses and they have to earn their keep. And it had everything to do that he reminded me of Ryvit. Just a very sturdy and athletic-looking horse and, hopefully, we can create a similar circumstance.”

On behalf of his client Whispering Oaks, Asmussen also purchased hip 110, a Louisiana-bred colt by Spun to Run out of SP Hilarious Brown (Big Brown) for $80,000, in addition to a dark bay filly by Competitive Edge out of Conquest Bebop (Scat Daddy) (hip 51), who also brought $80,000.

Complete sales results can be found here.

The post Practical Joke Colt Tops Texas Yearling Sale appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Texas Track Group Files Latest HISA Lawsuit

A group of entities associated with various racing-related industries in Texas, including the owners of Lone Star Park, has filed a new lawsuit against the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) in which declaratory and injunctive relief is sought along with a request for a preliminary injunction, according to court filing dated July 29.

Submitted to the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas, Amarillo Division, the suit focuses on the relative power of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority–the umbrella non-profit established by the Act–to implement the program.

This latest filing is in the same district court–but different division–as a separate lawsuit filed by the National Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association (NHBPA) in 2021.

Earlier this year, a federal judge threw out that case. The NHBPA subsequently filed an appeal with the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, which is pending.

“The 'Authority' is empowered by law to, among other things, subpoena documents and compel testimony, search businesses and private databases and seize documents, conduct adjudicatory proceedings, and prosecute actions in federal court like other federal prosecutors,” the latest filing states.

“No private individuals have such powers. No private individual can show up at one's door and demand documents and testimony under sanction of law. No private individual can conduct a private search and seizure. And no private individual has the power to hale another private citizen into court to enforce offenses against the public. But the “Authority” does,” the filing adds.

So far, the Texas Racing Commission (TRC) has refused to comply with Act, which went into effect at the start of July, arguing that under Texas law only the commission has the authority to oversee horse racing in the state. HISA's current remit covers only Thoroughbred racing.

As a result, the signal from the state's Thoroughbred tracks cannot be sent out of state and advance deposit wagering companies are prevented from taking betting on Texas Thoroughbred races. There are no Thoroughbred meets scheduled in Texas between now and the end of the year.

According to a spokesperson for the Authority, HISA will mount a legal defence “while the Authority's focus remains on implementing the Racetrack Safety program and finalizing Anti-Doping and Medication Control rules.” Implementation for the latter is scheduled for Jan. 2023.

“The majority of racing participants support HISA's mission to protect those who play by the rules and hold those who fail to do so accountable in order to keep our equine and human athletes safe and the competition fair,” wrote the HISA spokesperson.

“The immense collaboration with state racing commissions, stewards, veterinarians, racetracks, trainers, and other horsemen that has taken place to date is evidence of this support, and we intend to continue to fulfill our mandate and work to make the industry safer,” the spokesperson added.

The plaintiffs include Global Gaming LSP, a limited liability company which owns Lone Star Park, and Gulf Coast Racing LLC, which owns a greyhound racetrack located in Nueces County, Texas. Gulf Coast Racing is allegedly seeking to redesignate the track as a Class 2 horseracing track, according to the filing.

The other two plaintiffs consist of LRP Group Ltd. a limited partnership working towards “operating an active horseracing track” in the south of the state, the filing states, and Valle De Los Tesoros, a limited partnership similarly looking to operate a horseracing track in South Texas, one currently designated inactive by the TRC.

It's unclear whether the planned racetracks listed in the suit are intended for Thoroughbred racing.

Among the arguments the plaintiffs make is that the legal jurisdiction given the Authority is of government power “in general” and of executive power “in particular,” but that the current design of the Authority renders it unconstitutional, meaning it is exercising “nothing other than naked legislative power.”

The plaintiffs write: “The 'Board' of the 'Authority,' comprising private individuals appointed through a Nominating Committee whose membership is established by the Authority's own incorporation documents, has not been appointed through the constitutionally required mechanisms for the exercise of executive power.”

To argue their position, the plaintiffs reference such historic texts as The Federalist papers of U.S. founding father, Alexander Hamilton, and “Commentaries on the Laws of England,” by William Blackstone, an English jurist from the 18th century who long suffered terrible gout.

This latest lawsuit constitutes the fourth legal challenge to HISA. Aside from the NHBPA filing, a case filed by the state of Oklahoma in the United States District Court, Eastern Division of Kentucky, is similarly ongoing.

Late last month, Louisiana and West Virginia won a preliminary injunction in federal court aimed at keeping HISA from being implemented in those two states until the Act's constitutionality gets decided in full.

HISA has since filed motions for stay pending appeal with the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.

The post Texas Track Group Files Latest HISA Lawsuit appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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