Tag: The Biz

Recently proposed changes to the Kentucky Quarter Horse, Paint Horse, Appaloosa and Arabian (KQHPAA) Development Fund expects to attract additional Quarter Horses to the Commonwealth for breeding and racing. Last month, the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission approved the proposed changes to allow Kentucky-bred Quarter Horses to race for additional purse money as early as next year.

The proposed regulation (810 KAR 7:060) changes would require a mare to conceive in Kentucky, reside in the state no less than 120 days from conception until foaling and foal in Kentucky. These proposed changes would also include horses born prior to 2024 and have met the same requirements.

Like other breed development programs in the state, the KQHPAA fund has been earning additional purse money for future races containing Kentucky breds from tax collected on parimutuel wagering on live, simulcast and historical horse racing.

“Our goal is to grow another great racing product in the Commonwealth and to increase the overall value of Kentucky Bred Quarter Horses, that have such a rich history within our state,” said Catherine Parke, chair of the KQHPAA Development Fund Advisory Committee and member of the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission.

Ralph Kinder, owner of Alliance Bloodstock Agency, says he's already signed up to participate in the Quarter Horse incentive program. “It's crazy not to do it. I grew  up in the Quarter Horse industry and east of the Mississippi, there's not a lot of Quarter Horses. I breed 35-40 Thoroughbreds a year and I have a few Quarter Horses and this helps buy the hay. When you have this kind of investment, it's insane not to be a part of the incentive funds as it supplements your business.”

The proposed changes are pending before the Legislative Research Commission.

Sandy's Racing & Gaming wrapped up their inaugural quarter horse race meet held the first week in April at the Red Mile in Lexington. During the six-day event, more than $1 million in purses were awarded, averaging $168,000 per day and included a pair of $45,000 Stakes races.

Revolutionary Racing Kentucky, in partnership with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, is investing $55 million to build Sandy's Racing & Gaming, a world-class Quarter Horse racetrack, equestrian center and gaming facility in eastern Kentucky's Boyd County. Racing will continue at the Red Mile for 2024 and then move to the new facility in 2025.

The Sandy Ridge Racing and Gaming facility, once fully operational, is expected to create an estimated 200 well-paying, full-time jobs, along with potentially generating an additional $1 million dollars in tax revenue for the Commonwealth.

Registration is open

To be eligible, Quarter Horse breeders need to answer yes to the following questions: 1. Did your mare conceive in Kentucky? 2. Did your mare reside in Kentucky for at least 120 days from conception until foaling? 3. Did you mare foal in Kentucky?

To register a Kentucky-bred Quarter Horse or find more information, visit the KHRC website or call (859) 246-2040. Mare registration fees have been waived regarding eligible foals of 2023 and 2024. The registration deadline has also been extended to Dec. 31 for both breeding years if these proposed changes are accepted.

The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission (KHRC) is an independent agency of state government charged with regulating the conduct of horse racing and pari-mutuel wagering on horse racing and related activities within the Commonwealth of Kentucky. The KHRC is a leader in the welfare of horse and rider and the safety and integrity of horse racing.

The post KHRC: Proposed Development Fund Changes Could Allow Quarter Horses To Race For Additional Purse Money Next Year appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

The 22^nd annual Track Superintendent Field Day took place this week at Horseshoe Indianapolis, with an agenda that ranged from soil science to HISA to Canada Geese.

With recent media coverage focusing on racing safety, it has become more important than ever to understand everything that goes into making surfaces safe and consistent.

Here are a few of the things we learned from Monday's sessions:

–When it comes to dirt surfaces, ideal condition doesn't depend just on the proportion of ingredients – it also depends on the sourcing of ingredients used. Clay, sand, and silt all have different particle sizes and chemical properties, which means they interact with water and machinery differently. Michael DePew, a social scientist who works regularly with Horseshoe Indianapolis, said that for him, the idea equine surface would be 70 to 85 percent properly-sized sand with the remaining material 15 to 30 percent silt/clay.

DePew said track supers often end up blending sand from two or three sources to get the amount they need. There's a significant range in particle sand particle sizes, which makes the composition more complicated. Natural sand is preferred because manufactured sand particles have jagged edges to them and continue to break down further as they're worked. Natural sand remains more consistent under machinery but it can be difficult to source, and tracks sometimes have to switch suppliers to keep surfaces refreshed.

–Chemistry of the soil matters. The water used to irrigate dirt surfaces is often richer in sodium than rainwater. That means a lot of positive ions are being poured into the surface, which can weaken the bond between some types of surface particles, causing them to break apart more easily when worked by machines.

–DePew was asked about his preferred machinery for rock removal. Rocks do appear in shipments of new dirt surface materials, and DePew likes to use beach cleaner devices because they handle moisture in the surface pretty well. There is another type of device which he described as being similar to a tiller with fingers on the back. This hit rocks in the surface and push them down through the cushion, but for DePew, that doesn't result in removing the problem so much as burying it.

–There is no single set of track conditions that's going to be ideal for all tracks and climates. As such, there's no single standard for maintenance measurements that's considered the safest option for everyone to use. Ann McGovern, who oversees the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority's Racetrack Safety Program, discussed the Authority's requirements for racetracks to report specific condition measurements. The Authority is asking for a small number of measurements at the quarter poles of each racetrack. Many track maintenance programs are taking measurements in many more spots around their ovals than what's required by the Authority. McGovern let superintendents know that the primary goal of this reporting requirement is data collection so the Authority can develop a sense of ideal ranges for a given region.

–Geese on racetracks are no joke – just ask jockey Chantal Sutherland, who suffered serious injuries in a fall she said happened after her horse spooked at a goose. Jessica Merkling, urban wildlife biologist for Indiana's Department of Natural Resources, outlined a few strategies for discouraging Canada geese from settling in racetrack infields. While some tracks may allowed limited hunting or trapping and relocation or euthanasia, Merlking said these may not be ideal solutions for a racetrack. It is legal to harass geese as long as you don't physically harm them, but you have to be persistent, sometimes chasing them away daily for weeks at a time, and many times they will come back. Also, during June and July, goslings are molting and physically unable to fly away when chased, so shooing them at certain times of the year is ineffective.

–The best strategy, Merkling said, is to make infields less inviting for them. Canada geese like areas of open, fertilized grass that comes to the edge of a body of water and will seek out those environments as their natural habitat disappears from urban development. Adding a buffer of native vegetation such as wildflowers at the edge of waterways – at least 30 feet wide and 30 inches tall – makes the area less appealing to ground-nesting geese.

The post Six Takeaways From Day One Of The Track Superintendent Field Day appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Three stakes worth a combined $425,000 highlight the 2023 Los Angeles County Fair meet at Los Alamitos.

The nine-day season will begin Friday, June 23 and continue through Sunday, July 9. Racing will be conducted Friday-Sunday the first week (June 23-25), Saturday-Tuesday (July 1-4) the middle week and Saturday-Sunday (July 8-9). the final weekend. Post time will be 1 p.m.

The richest of the stakes races is the Grade 2, $200,000-guaranteed Great Lady M. Stakes. The race at 6 ½ furlongs for fillies and mares – 3-year-olds & up – will be offered Tuesday, July 4. The initial stakes of the season is the $100,000 Bertrando for 3-year-olds & up bred or sired in California. The one-mile race will be run Saturday, June 24. The other stakes event  is the $125,000 Los Alamitos Derby for 3-year-olds at 1 1/8 miles. The Derby will be run Saturday, July 8.

Grandstand admission is $3 and $2 for seniors 62 and older. Admission to Burgart's and Vessels Club is $10. Tickets can also be purchased online at http://losalamitos.com/. Los Alamitos offers free general parking. Preferred parking is $5.

The wagering menu includes a pair of $1 Pick 4's on races 2-5 and the final four races along with a $2 Pick Six as well as the Players' Pick 5 – a 50-cent minimum bet with a reduced takeout rate of 14% rate – on the first five races.

The Pick Six will have the standard 70-30 split with 70% of the pool going to those tickets with six winners with the remaining 30% going to tickets with five of six winners.

There will also be a handicapping contest Saturday, July 8 and the Los Alamitos Racing Association will offer a cash prize and a pair of berths in the 2024 National Thoroughbred Racing Association Handicapping Championship in Las Vegas.

Cost to enter is $500. Of that amount, $100 will be placed in the contest prize pool with the remaining $400 going towards a live money wagering card.

Tournament races will include the entire card at Los Alamitos with permitted wagers including win, place, show, exactas, trifectas and daily doubles. Each entry must bet at least $50 on a minimum of five races that day, but there is no wagering limit.

The player with the highest bankroll at the end of the day will be declared the winner and the player with the second highest bankroll will be the runner-up.

The winner will receive 50% of the prize pool. The remaining payoffs: 20% (2^nd place), 15% (3^rd place), 7.5 % (4^th place) and 7.5% (Most Money Wagered).

Entries for opening day of the LACF meet will be taken Tuesday, June 20.

The post Los Angeles County Fair Meet Begins Friday, June 23; Great Lady M. Set For July 4 appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post