Tag: The Biz

In partnership with the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame and the Oak Spring Garden Foundation, Tampa Bay Downs will present a screening of the documentary film Mill Reef: A Legacy of Heart on Saturday, Feb. 18 at 6:30 p.m. at the racetrack in Tampa, Fla. 

The event is free to attend and open to the public, but advance registration will be required. Beverages and light fare will be available. Register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/tampa-bay-downs-to-present-mill-reef-documentary-film-tickets-516858215837 for the event. 

Mill Reef: A Legacy of Heart chronicles the legendary racehorse Mill Reef, who was named English and European Horse of the Year in 1971 when he won the Epsom Derby Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, Eclipse Stakes, and King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes, among others. Mill Reef was bred in Virginia by Hall of Fame Pillar of the Turf Paul Mellon and campaigned by Mellon's Rokeby Stables in Europe from 1970 through 1972. Overall, Mill Reef won 12 of 14 starts. He was trained by Ian Balding. 

“Tampa Bay Downs is honored to showcase this film featuring Mill Reef, a spectacular horse bred in the United States and a formidable classic winner in Europe, and to pay tribute to his breeder and owner, Paul Mellon, who was preeminent in thoroughbred racing in America and Europe,” said Stella Thayer, president of Tampa Bay Downs. “His generous support elevated the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in its formative years and continues to this day.”

In 2020, the Oak Spring Garden Foundation, which is located in Upperville, Va., and was founded by Mellon's late wife, Rachel “Bunny” Mellon, set out to create a film to chronicle the remarkable achievements of Mill Reef and tell the bigger story of Mellon's passion and dedication to thoroughbred racing and breeding. The 33-minute documentary, directed by Virginia native Cassidy Glascock, has previously been screened in Middleburg, Va., and at the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., where Mellon was inducted as one of the institution's inaugural Pillars of the Turf in 2013. 

“This film was a true labor of love and teamwork, combining years of footage and photographs with the help of Brough Scott, Emma Balding, Oak Spring Garden Foundation staff, and collaboration with many museums and galleries,” said filmmaker Cassidy Glascock. “While I never met Mill Reef or Mr. Mellon, I hope that we have captured their essence and retold this story in a way that would make them proud.”

Cate Masterson, director of the National Museum of Racing added: “Paul Mellon left behind a legacy that has been instrumental to the success of the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame and to thoroughbred racing. He was inducted as part of the first group of Pillars of the Turf into the Hall of Fame in 2013. Stella Thayer served as the Museum's president from 2005 through 2014 and continues to be influential in the success of the Museum. We are pleased to see their love for the thoroughbred and dedication to the industry being shared with the community at Tampa Bay Downs. This film will warm the hearts of any trainer, owner, breeder, or racing enthusiast.”

For more information about the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, including upcoming events, please visit www.racingmuseum.org or call (518) 584-0400. 

The post Tampa Bay Downs Will Show Film ‘Mill Reef: A Legacy Of Heart’ On Feb. 18 appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) has announced two new bonus programs for juvenile horses competing at the 2023 spring/summer meet at Belmont Park, which will run from Thursday, May 4, through Sunday, July 9.

The newly-launched starter bonus will apply to scheduled juvenile dirt races and awards $2,000 [$1,000 to the owner, $1,000 to the trainer] to each official starter in the race. The starter bonus program, available to open-company and state-bred company, also applies to a pair of 5 1/2-furlong juvenile stakes on Sunday, June 11, in the Listed $150,000 Tremont and its filly counterpart, the $150,000 Astoria.

Additionally, trainers who start a horse in any 2-year-old race [dirt or turf] at the spring/summer meet that are not stabled at a NYRA racetrack, a shipping bonus of $1,000 will be credited to their owner's account.

Requirements for both bonuses include that the horse must be declared an official starter. Horses that are placed on a poor performance and/or veterinarian list will not be eligible for the bonus.

The 40-day Belmont spring/summer meet will include 54 stakes worth $15.57 million in total purses, highlighted by the three-day Belmont Stakes Racing Festival from Thursday, June 8 to Saturday, June 10. For the full Belmont spring/summer meet schedule, visit https://www.nyra.com/belmont/racing/stakes-schedule/.

The post Belmont To Offer Starter, Shipping Bonuses For 2-Year-Olds Competing At Spring/Summer Meet appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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The National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) announced Thursday the launch of #MyEclipseJourney, a social media promotion in conjunction with next week's 52nd Annual Eclipse Awards that encourages horse enthusiasts to share photos of themselves as children with horses or as adults with young foals.

Participating individuals are encouraged to use the hashtag #MyEclipseJourney and tag the NTRA on social media. The NTRA will then share many of the best photos and a lucky few will be featured during the Eclipse Awards which will air live on FanDuel TV from The Breakers Palm Beach in Florida on Jan. 26 starting at 6:30 pm ET. Participants in the promotion can follow the NTRA on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram to see if their #MyEclipseJourney is shared.

In addition to FanDuel TV, the ceremony will air on Racetrack Television Network (RTN) and be streamed live on multiple outlets including: NTRA.com, americasbestracing.net, equibase.com, and NTRA's Youtube channel.

Presented by John Deere, Keeneland and The Jockey Club, the Eclipse Awards are named after the great 18th-century racehorse and foundation sire Eclipse, who began racing at age five and was undefeated in 18 starts, including eight walkovers. Eclipse sired the winners of 344 races, including three Epsom Derbies. The Eclipse Awards are bestowed upon horses and individuals whose outstanding achievements in North America have earned them the title of Champion in their respective categories.

The post NTRA Launches #MyEclipseJourney On Social Media Ahead Of 52nd Eclipse Awards appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority has sent a formal notice of multiple suspected or actual rule violations to Turf Paradise in Phoenix, Ariz., outlining its belief the track failed to comply with multiple safety rules.

The notice, dated Jan. 11, cited Turf Paradise for non-compliance on Rules 2153 (racing facilities), 2154 (racetrack surface monitoring), 2168 (equine ambulance), 2262 (void claim), 2276 (horseshoes), 2282 (riding crop violations and penalties), and 8520 (non-payment).

The track was given one week to respond, but that deadline has since been extended.

“Turf Paradise attorney Brian Imbornoni has spoken with HISA attorney Bryan Beauman and has received an extension of time to file a reply,” said Turf Paradise general manager Vince Francia when asked for comment Jan. 17 about the notice or the track's next steps.

The notice was accompanied by daily stewards reports which identify George Estrada as the resident Authority steward.

From the start of the meet, the reports note there was no paddock farrier on hand to perform random inspection of shoes to monitor compliance with the national regulations. The reports also state that prior to the start of the meet, representatives from the track, the state, and the Jockeys' Guild walked the rail and identified spots that the inside dirt track rail that they thought could be hazardous. A photograph attached to the daily reports showed what appears to be broken or sharp metal edges on the flat horizontal surface on the top of the inside rail. The report notes that while track management promised to make repairs, those had not happened as of the last notation of rail issues several days into the meet, although the notations drop out of reports after Nov. 16.

Although Arizona has no state void claim rule, it appears Authority void claim rules were in force for the first part of the Turf Paradise meet, with two claims voided in November on horses who cooled out lame. Reports indicate that HISA was assigned a detention barn area where Authority veterinarians could assess claimed horses and determine whether they were sound before facilitating transfer of the horse to its new barn.

Then, on Dec. 1, reports indicate that “track and state personnel were told that Turf Paradise cancelled their agreement with HISA” and from this point forward, reports show there was no longer an Authority veterinarian in place at the detention barn to oversee claimed horses' soundness.

No further explanation is given in the daily reports for the change, and the reports' author doesn't indicate who made the announcement to personnel or when. Days afterwards, signs appeared near the racing office reiterating the state rule language regarding claims, specifically that the title to a horse transfers once the horse becomes a starter and may not be voided.

After a catastrophic breakdown of a Quarter Horse on Dec. 15, the daily reports note the horse ambulance was “deemed partially inoperable,” was unable to back up to reach the downed animal, and was later replaced by a pick-up truck and trailer.

The replacement set-up was called into service Dec. 20.

“The ambulance was needed for the eighth race catastrophic injury, and performed adequately,” read that day's report. “There is concern of the effectiveness of the equine ambulance and whether it meets HISA's requirements.”

The original report on the Dec. 15 Quarter Horse injury also made note of ongoing track maintenance concerns, which have dominated discussion by horsemen at recent Arizona Racing Commission meetings after numerous race dates have been cancelled following rain.

“Additionally, the area in which the horse fell is an area that is believed to be an area the compromised harrow is being used to groom the track,” the Dec. 15 report noted.

Apart from enforcement issues noted in daily racing reports, the Authority states that Turf Paradise has not paid its 2022 bill for Authority costs. In June 2022, the Authority sent a letter to track owner Jerry Simms to inform him it would be sending two equal invoices of $154,611 in November and December to cover Turf Paradise's portion of costs for the Authority's operations in Arizona. According to the notice sent to Turf Paradise last week, those bills have remained unpaid.

Turf Paradise is being asked to respond to allegations of the various violations, provide results of any investigation into those violations, and outline a detailed explanation of a remedial plan the track will undertake to address those violations.

“If Turf Paradise fails to propose an acceptable remedial plan, the Authority will pursue appropriate enforcement action,” read the notice.

The notice makes reference to Rule 8300 disciplinary procedures and Rule 8200 sanctions, which state the authority may “prohibit a racetrack from conducting any Covered Horserace or impose any other sanction as a condition of participation in horseracing as deemed appropriate by the Authority in keeping with the seriousness of the violation and the facts of the case, and that is consistent with the safety, welfare, and integrity of Covered Horses, Covered Persons, and Covered Horseraces.”

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