Tag: The Biz

The richest 3-year-old prep series in the nation gets even richer in 2024 as Oaklawn announced Wednesday that it is pumping nearly $1 million more into the purses for its most important races for 3-year-old Thoroughbreds.

Oaklawn increased the purses of the four races pointing toward the Kentucky Derby a total of $600,000, with the Arkansas Derby (G1) bumped to $1,500,000 from $1,250,000; the Rebel Stakes (G2) going to $1,250,000 from $1,000,000; and the Southwest (G3) and Smarty Jones increasing to $800,000 and $300,000, respectively.

The purses for the three races for 3-year-old fillies with Kentucky Oaks aspirations were also increased substantially, with the Fantasy Stakes (G3) increased to $750,000; the Honeybee (G3) to $400,000 and the Martha Washington to $250,000 – a total increase of $300,000.

Purses were also increased for 14 additional stakes races, including the two most important races for older runners. The Apple Blossom Handicap (G1) and the Oaklawn Handicap (G2) were both increased to $1,250,000, jumping the total purses in the stakes program to a record $16.2 million.

Oaklawn also added two new races to the stakes schedule for 3-year-old sprinters, the six-furlong $150,000 Ozark and the $150,000 Mockingbird for 3-year-old fillies, bringing the total number of stakes races to 47, also an Oaklawn record.

“It's absolutely remarkable how our stakes program has grown in recent years,” said Oaklawn President Louis Cella. “We've doubled the number of stakes we offer and have added millions to the purses. We want our fans to have the opportunity to see some of the top thoroughbreds in the country, and increasing the purses to this level will bring those horses. This is what our stakes program is all about.”

There will be one bonus event during the upcoming season and it has nothing to do with racing. It's the rare total eclipse of the sun on Monday, April 8. A narrow path of totality will run through Arkansas with Oaklawn at the very center.

General Manager Wayne Smith said: “We anticipate people coming here from around the world for this special solar phenomenon, so I would urge everyone to make their racing and eclipse reservations early, whether at Oaklawn's own resort hotel or elsewhere in the area.”

Smith pointed out that people in any one particular area only get to see a total eclipse once every 360 years.

“They don't come around that often. And that's why this one is going to be a blast,” he said.

Oaklawn's 2023-2024 season will kick off on Friday, December 8, 2023, and continue for 66 race days through the first Saturday in May. Racing will generally be Friday through Sunday throughout the season, but Thursdays will be added to the racing calendar in parts of March and April.

The post Oaklawn Boosts 3-Year-Old Stakes Schedule By Nearly $1 Million appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Trainer James E. Nicholson Jr. has been suspended 15 days by stewards in Pennsylvania after his runner Rockin Cowboy tested positive for cobalt.

The 10-year-old gelding won the fourth race, a $5,000 claimer, at Parx on April 19 and was later disqualified. Nicholson waived his right to a split sample testing and to an appeal. He was also fined $500 and assigned four multiple medication violation penalty points.

Nicholson's suspension will begin July 20 and run through Aug. 3.

The cobalt positive came from a race that took place prior to the implementation of national medication regulation and testing under the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority and its enforcement arm, the Horseracing Integrity & Welfare Unit. HISA/HIWU regulations state that the presence of cobalt constitutes an anti-doping violation. It results in a provisional suspension while the case is pending and may carry as much as a two-year suspension and a fine as high as $25,000.

Cobalt is a mineral found in small amounts in horses' diets. It's considered normal to find some cobalt in a horse's blood, but excessive amounts are regulated in many states, as they're believed to come about from administration of drugs or supplements aimed at improving performance. (The concentration found in Rockin Cowboy was not listed in rulings from the Pennsylvania stewards.) For many years, regulators and horsemen believed it could be given in excess and have a performance-enhancing impact by boosting red blood cell production, based on its action in human athletes. More recently, studies have indicated it may behave differently in horses and may not have the same effects on performance or endurance.

According to Equibase, Nicholson has saddled 64 starters so far this year, with five winners.

The post Pennsylvania Trainer Suspended 15 Days For Pre-HISA Cobalt Positive appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Grade 1 winner Art Collector is among this week's list of covered horses suspended by the Horseracing Integrity & Welfare Unit (HIWU), the enforcement arm of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA), due to a violation of the evolving intra-articular injection rule.

HIWU announced last week that it will implement new enforcement protocols for the intra-articular injection rule from July 16, 2023. HISA ADMC Rule 4222 prohibits intra-articular injections on race day, within 14 days prior to post-time and within seven days prior to any timed and reported workout. Effective July 16, HIWU will sanction the responsible person of any covered horse that violates the prohibition on intra-articular injections within seven days prior to a timed and reported workout as follows (within a 365-day rolling period):

• 1st violation: $3,000 fine.
• 2nd violation: $6,000 fine, 10-day suspension.
• 3rd violation: $10,000 fine, 30-day suspension.
• 4th violation: $20,000 fine, 60-day suspension.
• 5th violation: $25,000 fine, 120-day suspension.

On July 7, HIWU released a list of 19 covered horses found to have had an intra-articular injection within seven days of a timed and reported workout, making them ineligible to race or breeze for 30 days from the date of injections. HISA had previously published an advisory stating that trainer sanctions would not be enforced relative to intra-articular injections within seven days of a workout, citing confusion about the rule. Though violations of the new rule will not result in horse suspensions beginning on July 16, there were 14 new names added to the list prior to the implementation of new enforcement protocols.

The new names are below, including trainer names where available (previous names available in this story from July 7).

Nine of the horses had additional workouts during the period of suspension, presumably prior to the notice letters for the suspensions were issued. According to the HIWU list, service of the notice letters for these suspensions was completed on or before July 13, 2023.

One horse, Celtic Treasure, even raced twice during his suspension.

New Case Resolutions

Several new case resolutions have been confirmed in the past week by HIWU.

Trainers admitting to rule violations early and accepting consequences are Scott Lake and Richard Shaffer.

Lake was fined $500 and handed 1.5 penalty points; his trainee Louella Street tested positive for the NSAID phenylbutazone after winning a starter optional claiming race at Parx on June 5, 2023. Louella Street was disqualified and her prize money ordered surrendered.

Shaffer was fined $500 and handed 1.5 penalty points; his trainee Devious Mo tested positive for the muscle relaxant methocarbamol after winning a claiming race at Finger Lakes on June 14, 2023. Devious Mo was disqualified and his prize money ordered surrendered.

A final decision was also rendered in the case of trainer Arnoud Dobber. Dobber was fined $500 and handed 1.5 penalty points; his trainee Fast Fixer tested positive for the NSAID phenylbutazone after winning a maiden claiming race at Gulfstream Park on June 2, 2023. Fast Fixer was disqualified and his prize money ordered surrendered.

Pending Violations – Controlled Substances

The following cases include pending violations for controlled substances, those that are permitted for therapeutic purposes (new cases in italics at top of list).

• Trainer Juan Quintana – La Castiglione tested positive for phenylbutazone after a workout at Canterbury Park on June 13, 2023.
• Trainer Carlos Munoz – Lovielee tested positive for phenylbutazone in a claiming race at Gulfstream Park on June 9, 2023 (finished second).
• Trainer Dennis VanMeter – Templement tested positive for phenylbutazone in an allowance race at Thistledown on June 7, 2023 (finished sixth after clipping heels at the start). VanMeter is also provisionally suspended as Templement returned a positive test for the banned substance isoxsuprene in the same race.
• Trainer James Acquilano – Sabreen tested positive for methocarbamol in a claiming race at Finger Lakes on May 31, 2023 (finished second).
• Trainer Sandino Hernandez, Jr. – Jonas' Dream tested positive for naproxen in a maiden special weight race at Gulfstream Park on May 25, 2023 (finished first).
• Trainer Wayne Sparling – Banco Medici tested positive for methocarbamol in a maiden claiming race at Finger Lakes on May 24, 2023 (finished first).

Pending Violations – Provisional Suspensions For Banned Substances

The following cases include pending violations for banned substances, those that are not permitted in horses (new cases in italics at top of list).

• Trainer Lorenzo Ruiz – two runners have tested positive for the vasodilator diisopropylamine
  • American Cat tested positive after winning a $16,000 claiming race at Los Alamitos on June 25, 2023. The 4-year-old gelding has since finished third in an allowance optional claimer at Los Al on July 9.
  • Facts Matter tested positive after winning a starter allowance race at Los Alamitos on June 23, 2023. The 8-year-old gelding has since finished fifth in a claiming race at Los Al on July 8.
  • *** Ruiz is also a multiple stakes-winning Quarter Horse trainer based at Los Al, though he has not started any Quarter Horses since 2022. Since HISA/HIWU have no jurisdiction over Quarter Horse racing, whether or not Ruiz would be able to race Quarter Horses will be up to the state racing commission and/or local racetrack. Ruiz has not started any horses, Thoroughbred or Quarter Horse, since July 9, 2023.
• Trainer Guadalupe Munoz Elizondo – Quinton's Charmer tested positive for metformin, a medication commonly prescribed in humans for type 2 diabetes, on June 11, 2023 (the New Mexico Racing Commission's Izzy Trejo confirmed that the positive test was incurred after a work before the state veterinarian in an attempt to remove Quinton's Charmer from the vet's list).
  • ***Munoz Elizondo is also a multiple graded stakes-winning Quarter Horse trainer. Since HISA/HIWU have no jurisdiction over Quarter Horse racing, Munoz Elizondo will still be able to train and race Quarter Horses in New Mexico. Trejo said that HISA gave guidance last year that jockeys suspended for whip violations on a Thoroughbred could ride in Quarter Horse races, so the NMRC has applied the same logic to a trainer with a HIWU suspension. Thus,  Munoz Elizondo is permitted to participate in Quarter Horse races. Trejo added that the commission is pushing for a state rule that will apply reciprocity at the NMRC level for HISA suspensions, but that isn't in place yet.
• Trainer Milton Pineda – four runners have now tested positive for the vasodilator diisopropylamine – find more information in this Paulick Report story, including why a supplement may be to blame for the positives
  • Chollima won an $8,000 claiming race at Los Alamitos on June 23, 2023, after which she tested positive, and has since finished second in a $12,500 claiming race
  • Big Splash won a $16,000 waiver claiming event at Santa Anita on June 10, after which he tested positive. Big Splash has since finished third in an allowance optional claiming race at Los Alamitos on June 24.
  • Flatterwithjewels finished second in a $12,500 claiming race at Santa Anita on June 9 and was claimed by Flurry Racing Stables and trainer Phil D'Amato. The claim will be voided under HISA rules.
  • Bella Renella won a $20,000 claiming race at Santa Anita on June 2, after which she tested positive. The 6-year-old mare has since won a starter optional claiming race at Santa Anita on June 18.
• Trainer Reed Saldana – Ice Queen tested positive for the vasodilator diisopropylamine after finishing third in a starter allowance at Santa Anita on June 16 – find more information in this Paulick Report story, including why a supplement may be to blame for the positives
• Dr. Luis Jorge Perez, DVM – possession of levothyroxine (violation date June 9, 2023)
• Trainer Dennis VanMeter – Templement tested positive for isoxsuprine after finishing sixth in an allowance race at Thistledown on June 7, 2023 (see above, horse also returned positive test for controlled substance phenylbutazone)
• Trainer McLean Robertson – Johnny Up tested positive for altrenogest after the gelding won a claiming race at Canterbury Park on June 4, 2023 (find more information in this Paulick Report story)
• Trainer Jeffrey Poole – possession of levothyroxine (violation date June 2, 2023)
• Trainer Jonathan Wong – Heaven and Earth tested positive for metformin after winning a maiden race at Horseshoe Indianapolis on June 1 (Wong told the Paulick Report he has been prescribed metformin, a commonly used prescription drug that treats type 2 diabetes in humans, since last year)
• Trainer John T. Brown – Rollin On Tequila tested positive for isoxsuprine after finishing sixth in a claiming race at Thistledown on May 31, 2023
• Trainer Ray Handal – HIWU has lifted the provisional suspension of trainer Raymond Handal, who was told June 30 a horse in his care tested positive for the banned substance zeranol, but the equine anti-doping notice has not been withdrawn. (Attorney Clark Brewster told the Paulick Report that literature shows mycotoxins found on corn or grain can produce zearalenone. Zeranol is a metabolite of zearalenone.)
• Trainer Mario A. Dominguez – Petulant Delight tested positive for cobalt after winning a claiming race at Parx on May 24, 2023

Last week's edition of the HIWU Weekly Roundup is available here, and all public disclosures can be found on the HIWU website.

The post HIWU Weekly Roundup: Art Collector Among Horses Provisionally Suspended Over IA Injection Rule appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Having support in Washington, D.C., is vital for any industry, but especially the horse industry. Wouldn't it be easy if you had a simple way to see if your Congressional representative is one of those that supported your lifelong passion?

Enter the American Horse Council's Congressional Scorecard.

“It's imperative that horse owners and those active within the industry are familiar with their political representatives—locally and in Congress,” says Julie Broadway, president of the AHC. “We hope that by providing a tool such as the Congressional Scorecard it makes it easier for our members to know who they can look into supporting when election time rolls around.”

The American Horse Council (AHC) regularly identifies legislation that supports the U.S. equine industry. Bills are evaluated that draw consensus among the AHC's diverse membership in issue areas such as federal resources for equine-assisted services, animal welfare issues arising under the Horse Protection Act, labor flexibility, tax reform, public trails access, USDA resources to promote equine programs and others that may emerge as the legislative process moves forward. In addition to the legislation, points are awarded to members of the U.S. Congress who support AHC through their membership in the Congressional Horse Caucus, participate at AHC events and whether they are accessible and responsive to AHC members and staff.

While reviewing the legislative record for the 118^th Congress, which has reached the midpoint of its first session, the AHC analyzed pro-industry bills, which is also referred to as “priority legislation,” and identified the bills' congressional champions. From this board list of “champions,” the AHC then assigned points based on a lawmaker's degree of support for priority bills, among other factors. The point system then makes a smaller pool of “industry champions” emerge to inform members of the horse industry which incumbents should be recognized and acknowledged for their support.

The following are the top ranking five members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives:

SENATE	HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
1. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-West Virginia)	1. Rep. Don Bacon (R-Nebraska-2)
2. Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kansas)	2. Rep. Andy Barr (R-Kentucky-6)
3. Sen. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho)	3. Rep. Jimmy Panetta (D-California-19)
4. Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Mississippi)	4. Rep. Dan Meuser (R-Pennsylvania-9)
5. Sen. John Brasso (R-Wyoming)	5. Rep. Angie Craig (D-Minnesota-2)

Those interested in viewing the Congressional Scorecard can visit the AHC website and look under “Election Center” (https://horsecouncil.org/election-center/congressional-scorecard/).

Because the AHC is bipartisan, party affiliation is not a factor in the scorecard.

“The scorecard reflects those that support bills that help the equine industry, no matter what party they represent,” says Broadway.

Some of the bills from the first half of the 118th Congress include:

• H.R. 1582 – Personal Health Investment Today Act of 2023 (PHIT Act of 2023)
  Sponsor: Rep. Mike Kelly (R-PA-16)
• H.R. 3090 – Prevent All Soring Tactics Act of 2023 (PAST Act of 2023)
  Sponsor: Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA-1)
• H.R. 1839 – Combating Illicit Xylazine Act
  Sponsor: Rep. Jimmy Panetta (D-CA-19)
• H.R. 2927 – Racehorse Tax Parity Act
  Sponsor: Rep. Andy Barr (R-KY-6)
• H.R. 2296 – Racehorse Cost Recovery Act of 2023
  Sponsor: Rep. Andy Barr (R-KY-6)
• H.R. 1250 – Family Farm and Small Business Exemption Act
  Sponsor: Rep. Tracey Mann (R-KS-1)
• H.R. 237 – Recognizing the Importance of Stepped-Up Basis under Section 1014 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 in preserving family-owned farms and small businesses
  Sponsor: Rep. Tracey Man (R-KS-1)
• S. 1108 – Death Tax Repeal Act of 2023
  Sponsor: Sen. John Thune (R-SD)
• S. 786 – Personal Health Investment Today Act of 2023 (PHIT Act of 2023)
  Sponsor: Sen. John Thune (R-SD)
• S. 993 – Combating Illicit Xylazine Act
  Sponsor: Sen. Catherine Cortez Mastro (D-NV)
• S. America's Outdoor Recreation Act of 2023 (serves as an omnibus for related bills, additional co-sponsors will be added)
  Sponsor: Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV)

For more information, or to see the top ten, visit the AHC website: https://horsecouncil.org/election-center/congressional-scorecard/ 

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