Louisiana Thoroughbred Breeders Association To Hold New Board Election, Rescind Broodmare Rules Following Lawsuit

The Louisiana Thoroughbred Breeders Association will hold a new election for its board of directors by a judge's order, following a pending lawsuit alleging the voting in last year's original race might have been fixed, NOLA.com reports.

Judge Danyelle Taylor of Jefferson Parish's 24th Judicial District Court also ordered on Thursday that the LTBA pay $90,000 in legal costs to plaintiff Lora Pitre. Perhaps most importantly, the decision dissolves all decisions the board has made since it was elected last summer, including a major change to the state's breeding rules regarding broodmare residency.

Pitre is the owner of Peach Lane Farms in Opelousas, La., a former three-term member of the LTBA board, and a vocal opponent of the new broodmare rules. In her January filing, she claimed the board tried to hide a review of pending membership applications and sent ballots to non-members in an attempt to swing the voting toward candidates in favor of implementing the new rules.

Among the changes the new bylaws brought about was allowing breeders to send their mares to stallions outside the state in consecutive seasons, with the ensuing foals still eligible to be registered as Louisiana-breds. Opponents of the rule argued it would harm the business of Louisiana's stallions without the requirement to breed back in-state to maintain state-bred eligibility, while unfairly benefitting larger breeders who could afford to ship their mares out of state.

Judge Taylor agreed with the notion that the LTBA board had not properly shown that the election had adhered to its own bylaws, and ordered an arbitration panel to supervise a new board election. In the meantime, the previous board was reinstated to run the day-to-day operations.

The LTBA board will also submit additional documents and sit for depositions as a result of Thursday's hearing.

Read more at NOLA.Com.

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Louisiana Downs Bumps Overnight Purses, Cup Day Scheduled For Sept. 19

Harrah's Louisiana Downs is pleased to announce that overnight purses will be increased by $1,500 for the remainder of the 2020 Thoroughbred meet. The adjustment will go into effect on Saturday, Aug. 8 and will continue through the conclusion of the racing season on Wednesday, Sept. 23.

“We thank our local horsemen for their support since the live racing season began on June 6,” said David Heitzmann, Director of Racing at Harrah's Louisiana Downs. “This has been a very challenging year due to COVID-19, so we are pleased to reward these hard working men and women with a purse increase of $1,500 across the board.”

Further good news is that Louisiana Cup Day will be held at Harrah's Louisiana Downs on Saturday, Sept. 19. The annual day of racing, which traditionally takes place in August, showcases accredited Louisiana-bred Thoroughbreds. Due to the uncertainty caused by the pandemic, the event was put on hold, but Roger Heitzmann, Executive Director of the Louisiana Thoroughbred Breeders Association (LTBA); Ed Fenasci, Executive Director of the HBPA and David Heitzmann, director of Racing at Harrah's Louisiana Downs, have worked diligently to put the annual stakes day back on the calendar. On June 16, the LTBA Board of Directors voted to earmark $100,000 for Louisiana Cup Day.

“We are grateful to LTBA for allocating the funds so we can run Louisiana Cup Day once again this year,” added Heitzmann. “This is a very important day for our breeders, horsemen, and of course, the fans at Harrah's Louisiana Downs.”

Louisiana Cup Day Featured Stakes

$40,000 Louisiana Cup Juvenile 2 YO LA-Bred Six furlongs

$40,000 Louisiana Cup Juvenile Fillies 2 YO Fillies LA-Bred Six furlongs

$40,000 Louisiana Cup Filly & Mare Sprint 3 YO & Up F&M, LA-Bred Six furlongs

$40,000 Louisiana Cup Sprint 3 YO & Up LA-Bred Six furlongs

$40,000 Louisiana Cup Turf Classic 3 YO & Up LA-Bred 1 1/16 miles (T)

$40,000 Louisiana Distaff 3 YO & Up F & M LA-Bred 1 1/16 miles (T)

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