“The increase in entries points to the success our sales have had,” TTA Sales Director Foster Bridewell said. “We've continued to push to grow our sales as a healthy marketplace to buy and sell for not only our regional buyers and sellers, but also attracting interested folks from all over the country.”

Sires include Bolt d'Oro, Connect, Classic Empire, Liam's Map, Malibu Moon, and Practical Joke as well as freshman stallions Echo Town, Global Campaign, Honor A. P., Improbable, Instagrand, McKinzie, Mr Money, Spun to Run, and Vekoma.

Regional stallions represented include American Freedom, Bobby's Wicked One, Bradester, Competitive Edge, El Deal, King Zachary, My Golden Song, Star Guitar, and Too Much Bling.

“We're proud and grateful of the offerings our breeders, owners, and consignors have brought forward for our 2023 Texas Summer Yearling sale,” Bridewell said. “We have a diverse book in terms of stallions and pedigrees and we think this could be one of our best sales yet.”

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The horse is a fabric of historical Texas. The horse represents how we all arrived here, and how we survived in the earliest days. Some horses are bred to run–that's their job. All animals need a job and thrive when working. The thoroughbred's instinct is to run as fast and as far as it can. As long as there are horses, there will be horse races, and men and women will admire the sheer determination, stamina, strength, and speed of the majestic horse.

The tragedy at Churchill Downs this past May, in which twelve horses broke down on the racetrack, fractured their lower legs and needed to be euthanized, should never be repeated. The cause of this rash of sudden breakdowns is uncertain: the current American thoroughbred may be bred too strong up top across the chest with lower legs that are relatively too thin and fragile, or changes in the surface of the track due to humidity and weather variations may increase the risk of a ligamentous injuries which can then predispose to falls and catastrophic fractures. Most horses can survive the surgery, but few can survive the confinement and partial weightbearing needed to allow these fractures to heal.

The Jockey Club, in recognizing this problem, sought relief from Congress and in one of the few truly bipartisan pieces of legislation in the past 10 years, the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) was passed. This lifesaving legislation allows the government to designate a corporate entity to unite the horse industry, to find ways in which horse tragedies can be eliminated, and drug abuse can be regulated at the Federal level.

The model is not a new one. A Federally sponsored corporate entity serves to regulate the Securities and Exchange Commission. The needs are similar. Regulation among multiple states with multiple interests are consolidated under a single governing body with superior resources and a single purpose-driven goal.

In response to the HISA act, most states have supported and endorsed this model, but a few outliers, including the State of Texas represented by the Texas Racing Commission, have sought to preserve the status quo.

The Commission's stated rationale is that only the Texas Racing Commission may regulate parimutuel racing and simulcast wagering in Texas. Although National regulation affects all aspects of our life living in Texas, the Texas Racing Commission, due to this perceived legal technicality, has been unable to find a compromise solution. As a result, the Texas racing industry suffers, the Texas patrons who enjoy horseracing suffer, and our thoroughbred gladiators suffer the most.

A second consequence of this stalemate is that racetracks in Texas can no longer simulcast Texas races to other communities and states and receive wagers allotted for their racing program.  Without the ability to simulcast, the betting handle at Sam Houston Racetrack during the winter meet fell 90% and the handle at the current Lone Star spring and summer racing meet is not significantly better. Tracks survive by taking approximately 15% of the betting handle to support their operations and purses. The current situation is unsustainable.

Having served on the Texas Racing Commission for 10 years, including four years as Chairman, I can attest that the Commission staff, stewards, and the working regulators are superb and unmatched in their quality and dedication. The political appointees of the Commission, however, have lost sight of their designated purpose.

In this one rare instance, Congress has actually provided us–and our horses–a solution. Ultimately, HISA has the resources, the regulatory power, and sophisticated lab testing that can root out illegal drug use, research track surfaces, and analyze breeding patterns. HISA has the potential to improve the sport and create a safe horseracing animal that can thrive in a newer environment.

The Texas Racing Commission needs to recognize its responsibilities and protect our animals in an ever-changing world. The consequences of the Texas Racing Commissioners' opposition to these efforts simultaneously leaves our horses at risk and our tracks on the path to ruin.

Texas deserves better.

Robert Schmidt, MD is a Fort Worth based orthopedic surgeon specializing in joint replacement surgery of the hip and knee. He and his wife had bred and raced thoroughbreds under the colors of Oak Meadow Farm. He was appointed by Govenor Perry to the Texas Racing Commission and served for 10 years, including 4 years as chairman. He currently serves as Mayor of Annetta North, Texas.

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In issuing his order, United States District Court Judge James Wesley Hendrix of the Northern District of Texas (Lubbock Division) pointed out that it is the second time in two weeks that he has informed the plaintiffs in a court order that they have not established a likelihood of success on the merits of their case.

The judge also stated in the May 17 order that the horsemen “misunderstand” the legal standards that apply to the granting of an injunction in this particular instance.

“The Court denies the motion for an injunction pending appeal,” Hendrix wrote. “As detailed in its 55-page Memorandum Opinion and Order [issued May 4], the plaintiffs have not established a likelihood of success on the merits. And even if their proposed standard applied, they have not made a substantial case on the merits given the congressional amendment in response to the Fifth Circuit's opinion…

“Because the plaintiffs have not established a right to an injunction pending appeal under either the correct standard or their preferred standard, the Court denies the motion,” Hendrix wrote.

“The plaintiffs misunderstand the correct standard for a district court considering a motion for injunction pending appeal,” Hendrix continued, adding at a later point, “The 'substantial case on the merits' standard does not apply to injunctions pending appeal.”

The planned appeal to the Fifth Circuit is the latest wrinkle in a lawsuit that has lingered in the courts for over two years.

On Mar. 15, 2021, the NHBPA and 12 of its affiliates sued personnel from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the HISA Authority, seeking to keep HISA from being implemented. Judge Hendrix dismissed that suit on Mar. 31, 2022.

The NHBPA plaintiffs appealed, leading to a Fifth Circuit Court reversal on Nov. 18, 2022 that remanded the case back to Hendrix's court. In the interim, an amended version of HISA got signed into law on Dec. 29, 2022. That fix was designed to make HISA compliant with the constitutional defects the Fifth Circuit had identified.

On May 4, 2023, Hendrix validated the newer version of HISA as constitutional. One day later, the NHBPA informed him it is planning another appeal back to the Fifth Circuit, and it wanted the ADMC's rollout stopped while that process played out.

On May 8, Hendrix wrote that, “The Court previously denied injunctive relief, but the plaintiffs again request an injunction, arguing that they will be injured by the ADMC rule during the pendency of an expected appeal.”

Nine days later, on May 17, Hendrix handed down his decision denying that motion, noting that “the Court is not persuaded by these passing references to [cases that the NHBPA cited as precedents], especially when the plaintiffs have not identified any case in which a district court granted an injunction pending appeal after denying a motion for preliminary injunction (much less following a consolidated bench trial).”

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The Apr. 6 order by U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk (Northern District of Texas, Amarillo Division) comes more than eight months after the litigation was initiated on July 29, 2022, and just one day after the plaintiffs in the Amarillo case asked for a temporary restraining order and motion for preliminary injunction to halt the enforcement of HISA.

The plaintiffs in the case are Global Gaming LSP, a limited liability company that owns Lone Star Park; Gulf Coast Racing LLC, the owner of a greyhound track that no longer conducts live racing in Nueces County, and both LRP Group Ltd. and Valle De Los Tesoros, which are two limited partnerships separately looking to operate new horse tracks in south Texas.

The defendants are the HISA Authority and the Federal Trade Commission.

“Here, Plaintiffs have asked for extraordinary relief in asking for a TRO and a preliminary injunction,” the judge wrote. “Aside from the merits, at issue in the TRO is whether [the] NHBPA [case's 30-day injunction out of the Lubbock Division] remains binding on Defendants.”

The judge outlined the chronology of the two cases that led to his decision.

“In November 2022 the Fifth Circuit held that HISA violated the private nondelegation doctrine [in the NHBPA appeal]. On Dec. 23, 2022, Congress enacted legislation amending the operative language of HISA to purportedly cure the constitutional defect. The amendment was signed into law by President Biden on Dec. 29. Defendants then filed a motion to vacate the Fifth Circuit panel opinion and a petition for panel rehearing. On Jan. 31, 2023, the Fifth Circuit denied Defendants' motions and remanded the case to the Lubbock Division.”

The judge continued: “Because the Fifth Circuit remanded that case back to Lubbock, the Lubbock Division is in the best position to answer these questions. The issues raised by this case and the Lubbock Action substantially overlap. Both cases involve plaintiffs representing the horseracing industry. Both cases involve the same defendants. Both challenge the constitutionality of HISA. The proof adduced to resolve these claims will likely be identical. And the plaintiffs in both cases share the same ultimate objective.

“The Lubbock Action was filed more than a year before this case was filed and the Lubbock Division is much more familiar with the applicable law,” the judge's order continued. “Thus, the principles that underlie the first-to-file rule justify transferring this case to the Lubbock Division.

Quoting from precedents, the judge stated the legal basis for transferring the case.

“Under the first-to-file rule, when related cases are pending before two federal courts, the court in which the case was last filed may refuse to hear it if the issues raised by the cases substantially overlap. The rule rests on principles of comity and sound judicial administration. The concern manifestly is to avoid the waste of duplication, to avoid rulings which may trench upon the authority of sister courts, and to avoid piecemeal resolution of issues that call for a uniform result.”

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“No Good Cause Exists to Stay This Action,” wrote U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk (Northern District of Texas, Amarillo Division) in his Dec. 12 order. “This is not one of the 'rare' circumstances in which Plaintiffs should be compelled to stand aside while Defendants litigate another case. Defendants make no showing of 'hardship or inequity' in complying with the briefing schedule they previously agreed to. Defendants were already aware of the then-pending appeal in [the Fifth Circuit] when they agreed to the schedule.

“The Court recognizes that the Fifth Circuit's decision [declaring HISA unconstitutional] could moot this challenge or clarify some of the issues,” the judge continued. “But Plaintiffs advance seven distinct constitutional challenges to HISA-including the nondelegation doctrine. Plaintiffs argue HISA violates the doctrine on three alternate bases. [The Fifth Circuit decision] considered only one of those bases. Thus, the Court does not anticipate that the final resolution of [the Fifth Circuit decision] will necessarily clarify the issues in this case by much.

“Additionally, Defendants are considering whether they will petition for a writ of certiorari before the Supreme Court. Hence, it could be months or even years before [the Fifth Circuit decision] reaches finality. Until then, a stay could unfairly harm Plaintiffs because [that order] only binds the parties in that case,” the judge wrote.

The judge did, however, give the HISA Authority 60 days of extra time by mandating a revised briefing schedule that now calls for the HISA and FTC defendants to file their combined responses to the plaintiffs' motion for summary judgment on or before Mar. 6, 2023, which in effect grants the defendants' motion in part.

The plaintiffs in the case are Global Gaming LSP, a limited liability company that owns Lone Star Park; Gulf Coast Racing LLC, the owner of a greyhound track in Nueces County, and both LRP Group Ltd. and Valle De Los Tesoros, which are two limited partnerships separately looking to operate new horse tracks in south Texas. They collectively filed their suit July 29, seeking declaratory and injunctive relief and a preliminary injunction against HISA.

The Fifth Circuit suit was initiated by the National Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association (NHPBA) back in 2021. That case was dismissed by a federal judge Mar. 31, 2022, but the Fifth Circuit reversed that decision Nov. 18.

That NHBPA lawsuit is separate from a similar 2021 anti-HISA complaint, again over alleged constitutional issues, headed by racing commissions and attorneys general in Oklahoma and West Virginia. That case, too, was dismissed by a federal judge on June 3, 2022, but the plaintiffs appealed the decision to the Sixth Circuit, which heard arguments on reversing that decision Dec. 7.

A fourth lawsuit, in which both HISA and the FTC are defendants in a complaint initiated by the states of Louisiana and West Virginia, plus the Jockeys' Guild, alleges unconstitutionality and federal rulemaking procedure violations regarding HISA's initial framework of regulations that went into effect July 1. According to the electronic court docket, there has been no filing activity in that case since Sept. 7.

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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.

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It's precisely because some individual states, obdurately or cynically indifferent to the bigger picture, can prove so undeserving of their precious autonomy that we need to find a better way. As it is, one that has produced many great horsemen and women, not to mention a Triple Crown winner in Assault, is now menaced by strangulation as regulation. It feels like the political equivalent of some reckless sadomasochistic excess that turns into a tragic accident.

Anyway, to more cheerful subjects. Or maybe not, because while it's gratifying that the original, at 22, is still recycling his genetic prowess at Hill 'N Dale, the idea that we might have not one new Ghostzapper, but two, feels too far-fetched a coincidence given how rarely we are favored by so freakish a talent.

It's pretty clear what both Flightline (Tapit) and Jack Christopher (Munnings) have to do, if they are to sustain comparisons so far stimulated by the sheer exhilaration with which they've been dominating all comers. And that's eventually to stretch out the way Ghostzapper did, that day at Lone Star.

As things stand, there does at least appear to be a tantalizing possibility that they could end up doing so together, and in the same race as their great template. Until they do, however, it feels a little premature for that contentious adjective, “great”, to have been applied as liberally as it already has to Flightline, in particular.

There's no denying his extraordinary natural ability, and it's exciting that he's bred to be at least as good round a second turn. Thankfully we may be able to test that hope pretty soon, or as soon as will be allowed by a career schedule that promises to make him a poster boy for the notorious diffidence of modern horsemen, compared with their predecessors. You would think that a son of Tapit, with a second dam by Dynaformer, might be equal to more old-fashioned campaigning, but at least those influences will be squarely behind him once his stamina is examined.

From a European perspective, the rise of Flightline attests to a different way of measuring things over here. After clocking those monster Beyers in maiden and optional allowance sprints, no American horseplayer was surprised to see him separate himself from Grade I rivals with equal contempt—and he's now averaging 112 through four starts.

In a racing environment less beholden to the stopwatch, however, you might still hear one or two caveats that in the GI Met Mile he beat one horse that really needs 10 furlongs; another that put in a conspicuous backward step; and a pure sprinter. Nor would such a trifling loss of rhythm, in some light early traffic, be taken terribly seriously. On the other hand, nobody could fail to be dazzled that he could do this off a long lay-off, shipping for the first time, and at a new trip.

What should really sharpen European antennae, however, is the other “F”-word in the room. When it comes to greatness, no modern horse on the other side of the water has achieved more consensus than Frankel (GB) (Galileo {Ire}). So much so, that at the time it took some nerve to dare question the conservatism with which he was campaigned, beating up the same guys in the same discipline until his penultimate start, and never leaving his stall for a single night. While there were admittedly tragically extenuating circumstances, the fact is there had never been a time when his late trainer Sir Henry Cecil would have been comfortable about risking his champion's immaculate record in, say, the Breeders' Cup Classic or Arc.

An unbeaten record does tend to become a burden that stays the hand of adventure. Frankel was always being measured against specters of the past, but never went looking for trouble even against his contemporaries. It's wonderful that connections of Flightline are disposed to explore the range of his brilliance. But having relaunched him on the same day that the Kentucky Derby winner bombed out in the third leg of the Triple Crown, after spurning the second, let's hope they remember our collective mission—already mentioned, in a different context—of public engagement.

Flightline is proving one of those paragons that the bloodstock business needs to work out, just every so often, as a seven-figure yearling from a noble maternal line who is going to repay those stakes, big time, as a stallion. But potentially exposing his wares across no more than half a dozen starts wouldn't just short-change breeders of the future, who need evidence that he's a reliable vessel of the kind of toughness latent in his page. It also gives him little chance of reaching the kind of public so much more accessible in the era, for instance, of his 10-for-47 ancestress Lady Pitt (Sword Dancer).

As for Jack Christopher, while we naturally respect Chad Brown's direct experience of Ghostzapper, you would think that Munnings is going to need quite a bit of help from the mare, if he is to get their son home in the Breeders' Cup Classic. Jack Christopher's dam is by Half Ours, hardly a stamina brand, and is also a half-sister to Street Boss, an unusually fast horse for a son of Street Cry (Ire).

Their mother, incidentally, was by Ogygian—and so contributes to the redemption of Damascus, as a distaff influence, after failing to establish a sire-line. Daughters of Damascus himself produced Red Ransom, Boundary and Coronado's Quest, plus the granddam of Maclean's Music. Among his “failed” sons, meanwhile, Bailjumper is damsire of Medaglia d'Oro; Accipiter gave us the second dam of Cairo Prince; and Ogygian, above all, has secured a lasting foothold as damsire of Johannesburg.
Johannesburg's son Scat Daddy, of course, managed to come up with a Triple Crown winner from a mare by none other than Ghostzapper. So we do know that the most brilliant horses can carry their speed farther on dirt than on paper.

Certainly Jack Christopher for now looks the most charismatic member of a crop that remains a long way short of resolving its hierarchy. Actually all it may take is for one barn to establish its own pecking order, and the rest may follow, with Jack Christopher on nodding terms with Zandon (Upstart) and Early Voting (Gun Runner).

Between Early Voting and Mo Donegal (Uncle Mo), the GII Wood Memorial has now furnished two Classic winners. If Mo Donegal could win the GI Travers, too, he would emulate Damascus as one of five horses to have won an “Empire State” Triple Crown of Wood, Belmont and Travers.

Damascus, to be fair, raced 16 times at three. He lost out by half a length in the Gotham in a tooth-and-nail duel with Dr. Fager, and came out six days later to win the Wood by half a dozen lengths. Okay, maybe we have to accept that most horsemen nowadays consider it unreasonable to campaign a modern racehorse the way Frank Whiteley Jr. did Damascus, who won from six furlongs to two miles. But if we cede that point, however reluctantly, then let's hope that some others in our industry can recognize the need for a more obviously wholesome form of modernization.

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Yearlings and weanlings romp in undulating pastures. Two-year-olds learning the fundamentals and older horses coming off layoffs gallop and work over a traditional training track as well as lope up a 1 3/8-mile turf gallop.

The spacious barns have vaulted ceilings featuring skylights that can open and close via remote control but are programmed to automatically shut when rain starts. The 12′ X 12′ stalls with springy flooring underneath the bedding provide horses maximum comfort. Think of it as box springs for equines.

A therapy center opened a year ago in the facility owner's quest to make long racing careers the norm and to keep small problems from becoming big problems. Depending on horses' needs, they could head to the above-ground cold saltwater spa where 35 degree water churns around their legs, in-ground and above-ground aqua treadmills or two stalls with full vibration-plate floors. They might be treated with a regenerative laser or wear an electro-magnetic blanket. Or any combination of the above.

“You'd think you just drove into Lexington, not Sulphur Springs, Texas,” said trainer Lon Wiggins. “It's a hidden gem right now, but it's not going to be for long.”

No, it's not Central Kentucky; rather, Highlander Training Center an hour east of Dallas. Sulphur Springs, population 16,000, is home to the Southwest Dairy Museum and Education Center, which chronicles the town's roots as Texas's one-time dairy capital. The region is populated with cattle farms interspersed with horses of various breeds.

“I know of only one other facility similar to this, which would be WinStar,” said Dr. Ali Broyles, the veterinarian and equine surgeon who oversees Highlander's equine medical care.

“For this kind of weanling-throughout-racing timeline, in addition to these therapy modalities, there are not very many facilities of this scope in the country,” said Broyles, whose post-vet school training was at Lexington's world-famous Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital. “It's a relatively new facility, but I know they have already seen a lot of growth and acceptance from the Thoroughbred community on a national level.”

For years, horse owner Larry Hirsch trusted his yearlings, 2-year-olds and layups to the father-son team of Ed and Scooter Dodwell at their Diamond D Ranch in Lone Oak, Texas. After Ed died and the ranch was put up for sale, Hirsch opted to establish his own training center rather than relocating to an existing facility. He told Scooter Dodwell, who headed Diamond D for 13 years after his dad's retirement, to “find us” a property.

After looking statewide, Dodwell, now Highlander's president in addition to head trainer, found the ideal property a mere 12 miles away from the location of the Diamond D. But it was hardly turn-key. The old Rafter L Ranch had been vacant for years, its main barn in disrepair, the training track overgrown. Trees had taken over the fields.

“But you could see it had 'good bones,'” Hirsch said of the land. “It's beautiful property, great topography–as opposed to flat ground in Texas. It had rolling grounds that came down, which means that water and rain–which we have a lot of in east Texas– would roll off the property. It was treed, which meant we have shade for our horses. It had a wonderful track that hadn't been used for 20 or 25 years. But the soils, everybody we showed them to said they're extraordinarily good for preserving the health and training of horses. It wasn't hard to come to the conclusion that this was the right place to be.”

Since he couldn't have his horses at Diamond D, Hirsch brought the ranch to the new venue, with much of the Diamond D crew relocating with Dodwell. That included Jon Newbold, the assistant trainer and general manager tasked with getting the Sulphur Springs land to where building could begin and be ready for horses to return.

Newbold estimates that he and his crew cleared out 300 trees. He personally trimmed up those remaining. Almost all of the fencing was replaced and an area where broken and rusty machinery had been stashed was cleared and cleaned up. The existing barn went through an extensive makeover and new barns were constructed.
“The front pasture by the main road, we took out 70 trees to make it usable. I mean, it was wilderness,” Newbold said. “It was really beautiful, but it was a challenge to get it fenced to where we could make it functional. To see all of the progress and the transformation, there has been so much done every single day to get it to where it is now.”

Trainer Bret Calhoun–whose main divisions are in Kentucky, Louisiana and Texas and whose clients include Hirsch–calls Highlander “just a great facility anywhere it would be in the country. But for the Midwest and South, the facility is badly needed: a complete facility, a breaking and training operation with a great rehab facility as well. They have spared no expenses and made it top notch.”

Hirsch named Highlander Training Center after his Dallas-based global private equity firm Highlander Partners.

It is clear that Hirsch has used the same principles that have worked so well with his firm at the training center. Highlander Partners invests only their own money, are big on flexibility and loathe to bureaucracy. Strategies emphasize having no limits, restrictions or artificial deadlines while playing the long game and investing in a broad range of industries and entrepreneurial endeavors. While an involved boss, Hirsch's management style is to get the right people in the right spots and let them do their job, giving them the tools they need for success.

When he bought the property in 2017, Texas racing and breeding industries had been pummeled, the heady days when Lone Star Park hosted the 2004 Breeders' Cup long gone. The reality was bleak.

Texas tracks could not compete with the slots-enriched purses offered in neighboring Louisiana, Oklahoma and Arkansas. Texas purses in 2017 totaled $14.5 million–less than half the $32 million paid out to horse owners 15 years earlier. The foal crop of Texas-born horses plunged from more than 2,000 to 407 five years ago and was destined to shrink more.

Gee, what better time to invest in a training center?

But Hirsch saw the investment as sending a powerful message to the Texas legislature and the state's elected leadership. Highlander Training Center showed the promise of Texas racing, which produced legendary horses such as Triple Crown winner Assault, Kentucky Derby and Belmont winner Middleground and champion Stymie–all while pari-mutuel horse racing was banned in the state.

“We definitely had a vision for creating something special for the state of Texas,” Hirsch said last month. “While we didn't know for sure the legislation would be passed to help our industry, we knew that the industry, the people, the owners, the trainers, etc., would come back to Texas if we could create something unique, at least for our area of the country. That was the vision, the thesis behind the training center. I think if you look at it today, it's been fully realized, and we're not done yet.”

In 2019, Texas passed legislation directing half of the funds from the sales tax on horse feed, tack and other equine products into the money horsemen race for at the state's tracks. The returns were almost immediate, with dramatically enhanced purses totaling $26.5 million last year, a resurgence at the Texas Thoroughbred auctions and an atmosphere of optimism.

However, Hirsch doesn't see Highlander as serving only Texas and the Southwest.

“We think the quality of care, the quality of what we're doing, the therapy center we've created, the commitment to excellence is attracting owners already from Kentucky, from Minnesota, Louisiana,” he said. “So it is a national operation in Texas, as opposed to a Texas-only operation.”

Hirsch brought aboard Highlander CEO Jeff Hooper in 2019. Hooper is one of Texas's most respected executives, having worked on both the racetrack (Lone Star Park) and horsemen's (Texas Thoroughbred Association) side. Jose “Cuco” Mendez, assistant trainer and co-general manager, was hired to work alongside Dodwell and Newbold after 28 years working as an exercise rider, assistant and trainer. Office manager Dee O'Brien, from a horse-racing family and with extensive experience on the equine auction side, heads up administrative functions, including client relations and new project initiatives.

“We think horsemanship is the key and foundation of what we do here,” Hooper said. “We want to bring each horse to the best of their abilities, whatever that may be. We're fortunate to have experienced and highly professional people in all of our leadership roles here. But we always want to learn from others, too, and blend old-school horsemanship with the cutting edge technologies available. Racing can be a game of inches. So, anything we can do to help these horses achieve what they're capable of, we want to have those tools at our disposal.”

That included last year's opening of 11,000-square foot Highlander Fitness and Therapy Center, the on-sight operation overseen by former jockey, trainer and highly respected horsewoman Shannon Ritter, who held a similar position at WinStar Farm. Soft-tissue injuries that once would have forced a horse's retirement are treated with such tools as the ground-breaking RLT Vet Regenerative Laser Therapy. Diagnostic equipment on hand include a portable digital X-ray machine, ultrasound and dynamic endoscopy (examining the upper airway to detect abnormalities that may only be found during high-speed exercise).

“Everything is state of the art,” Ritter said. “It's a facility that could be in Lexington, with everything it has. But Larry Hirsch has built it here, a beautiful facility in Texas.”

The therapy center was a critical part of Hirsch's game plan.

“What is going to make you different from competition from Ocala, Kentucky, Louisiana etc.?” Hirsch said. “Those of us who believe we want to have horses that run at four and five years old, and retain them in a healthy manner throughout their lives, know the importance of having some place to lay up horses, some place to improve them, some place to get over injuries. That was the concept: Differentiation with quality, with creating something special here.

“High-level owners, premium owners, people who are creating the stakes-winners of the future know quality. They've bought quality, and they want quality to prepare, train and care for them.”

The Highlander crew, which includes six full-time riders and 14 full-time grooms, works as a team on all facets of training, handling yearlings, 2-year-olds and older horses alike. An integral part of the Highlander philosophy is to keep young horses outside as much as possible to romp and play.

“We raise them outside, so they build more bone,” Dodwell said. “We feel we can raise good, sound, horses here with high-quality feed, hay and management, while still letting the horses be horses.”

Many of Dodwell's Diamond D clients are also strong believers in this approach, and have followed him to Highlander.

“They do an outstanding job with the horses,” said owner Fred Walden. “The horses get everything they need. If I do it myself, I might say, 'Well, I'm going to skimp on worming' or something, or I might not get the farrier at home to trim them when I should. But at Highlander they don't miss a beat.

“After the babies come off the mares at six months, I just leave them right there (at Highlander) and let them grow up with their buddies. I was down there the other day, was going to pick up a colt–thought I'd save some money. My yearling was out there with his buddies, running around and they're just building themselves up, growing into maturity and doing really well. I said, 'Well, I might save some money if I take him home, but I might have to pay more in the long run if he's not out there with his buddies growing up like he is now.'

“Now you've got a place where you can take them when they're six months old and let them grow up and Highlander take care of them and put them on the track,” Walden said. “You can go and enjoy them at the track, or you can visit them any time at Highlander. I have two broodmares and 15 acres. I rely on them really heavy at Highlander to take care of what I do and don't know.”

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Born in Red Rock, Texas, Hickman at various times trained racehorses and worked in the racing office at Sam Houston Race Park for over two decades. As stall superintendent, jockey room coordinator and most recently, stakes coordinator, Hickman had lasting relationships with horsemen in both Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing. He also did an excellent job as jockey agent to rider Alfonso Lujan. One of the most successful Quarter Horse jockeys in the region for 11 years, Lujan won over 2,100 races prior to his retirement in 2018.

“Willie was a valued member of the Sam Houston racing office and was well-respected by our horsemen,” said racing secretary James Leatherman. “We appreciate his many years of service and extend our deepest condolences to his family.”

Hickman is survived by his daughter, Cheyenne Hickman; brother, Jimbo Hickman; niece and nephew, Chelsea and Justin; aunt, Betty Davis; and numerous cousins and friends. He was preceded in death by his parents, William Earl and Mattie Ruth Hickman; and his daughter, Savannah Hickman.

Services for Willie will be held on Monday, March 21, 2022, at 2 p.m. at Johnson and Robison Funeral Home, 107 W. Napoleon St., Sulphur, LA. Burial will follow at Mimosa Pines Cemetery in Carlyss. The family will receive friends on Monday at the funeral home from 10 a.m. until the time of service.

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