Tag: thoroughbred

Thoroughbred Owner Conference Session Focuses On Benefits Of Racing Clubs

Representatives from three successful racing clubs joined the seventh session of the Thoroughbred Owner Conference series on Tuesday, Sept. 7, to talk about the perks of participating in Thoroughbred ownership through racing clubs and through microshares. The panelists were Michael Behrens, MyRacehorse; Mary Cage, WinStar Stablemates; and Gary Palmisano, Churchill Downs Racing Club.

Tuesday's session was sponsored by MyRacehorse, the Daily Racing Form, and Mersant International Ltd. and moderated by TVG's Simon Bray. The conference series is hosted by The Jockey Club and the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association and presented by Bessemer Trust, Dean Dorton Equine, Stoll Keenon Ogden, and Stonestreet Farm.

The panelists talked about the origins and structures of their groups, which range from enabling individuals to buy microshares in one horse at a time (MyRacehorse) to being able to pay for leasing rights to the club's entire roster of horses (Stablemates). They also all shared success stories of shareholders who entered Thoroughbred ownership through their respective racing clubs and then went on to expand their involvement in racing and breeding.

“Our goal from the get-go is to create new owners, even when Stablemates first started and was just a fan initiative, to educate these people on the industry and everything behind the scenes, that has been the goal, to prepare them for things like this,” Cage said. “Stablemates has given them that opportunity to explore racehorse ownership, and we have had several go out on their own.”

Palmisano pointed out that more than 100 Churchill Downs Racing Club members have progressed into other forms of ownership. Last year, MyRacehorse launched Edge Racing, which is a more traditional syndicate model and is designed for those who want to take ownership a step beyond MyRacehorse's microshare structure.

“I have no doubt that [racing clubs] are becoming the breeding ground for the next generation of ownership,” said Behrens.

The racing clubs represented in the session all have plans in place for when their horses retire from the racetrack. While the WinStar fillies go on to breeding careers, MyRacehorse and the Churchill Downs Racing Club have relationships with aftercare organizations to place horses and raise money in support of those organizations.

“At the end of the day, these horses need to have a great home. Whenever you buy a horse, you need to have a plan,” Palmisano said. “The ending has to be written too, well in advance.”

All three panelists agreed that anyone joining a racing club or microshare membership should do so for enjoyment, entertainment, and to gain experience before moving into other forms of ownership.

The next session of the series, “Biomechanics in Racehorses,” will be held on Tuesday, October 5, at 2 p.m. ET. It is sponsored by Sackatoga Stable, Silver Springs Stud, and WinStar.

All sessions will be recorded and made available to registered guests. There is no registration fee for the live or recorded virtual conference series, but registration is required.

In addition to the virtual series, OwnerView will be hosting an in-person Thoroughbred Owner Conference in Del Mar, California, on November 3, to coincide with the Breeders' Cup World Championships. Registration information is available on the OwnerView website. Registration information and schedules for both the in-person and virtual conference are available at ownerview.com/event/conference or by contacting Gary Falter at gfalter@jockeyclub.com.

OwnerView is a joint effort spearheaded by The Jockey Club and the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association to encourage ownership of Thoroughbreds and provide accurate information on aspects of ownership such as trainers, public racing syndicates, the process of purchasing and owning a Thoroughbred, racehorse retirement, and owner licensing.

The need for a central resource to encourage Thoroughbred ownership was identified in the comprehensive economic study of the sport that was commissioned by The Jockey Club and conducted by McKinsey & Company in 2011. The OwnerView site was launched in May 2012.

The post Thoroughbred Owner Conference Session Focuses On Benefits Of Racing Clubs appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Reports: Jose Ortiz Off Remaining Kentucky Downs Mounts After Testing Positive For COVID-19

Top jockey Jose Ortiz has tested positive for COVID-19 and will not ride the rest of the meet at Kentucky Downs. The Daily Racing Form's Marty McGee tweeted the news on Wednesday.

Ortiz agent Jimmy Riccio told The Blood-Horse that the rider, who rode on the second Kentucky Downs card after wrapping up at Saratoga, tested positive on Sept. 7.

Riccio also said Ortiz was experiencing some congestion which prompted him to take the test, but that he was feeling mostly well.

Ortiz finished third in the Saratoga jockey race behind Luis Saez and his brother Irad.

The post Reports: Jose Ortiz Off Remaining Kentucky Downs Mounts After Testing Positive For COVID-19 appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Reader Mail Bag: Continued Outrage In The Wake Of Cobb Suspension Reduction

We received a flood of emails, social media messages, and calls from readers in reaction to the Amber Cobb case in Delaware, which we covered here and analyzed further here. Though our readership usually takes a range of viewpoints on many of the regulatory issues in racing, the mail we received almost uniformly expressed shock and outrage at the decision by the Delaware Thoroughbred Racing Commission to reduce Cobb's suspension from the two years to two months after stewards determined she exhibited cruelty to a horse.

For the sake of brevity, we opted to run one of these letters (below), which we felt was most representative of the bulk of correspondence we received. 

In addition to these notes, we were also made aware that at least one owner reached out to the commission to announce the stable's decision to no longer enter horses in Delaware as a result of the commission's decision. Many other readers likewise expressed that they had or planned to send feedback to the commission. 

 

I, like everyone else who has seen it, was utterly disgusted with not only the video depicting the actions of trainer Amber Cobb against one of her horses, but also the almost complete ignorance of the Delaware Racing Commission in reducing her suspension for those actions. How this industry continues to manage to shoot itself in the foot repeatedly is just mind boggling to me. Actions that are as heinous as those displayed by Ms. Cobb require only one reaction, and that is immediate revocation of her license to train horses anywhere in this industry (or any other equine industry for that matter).  Why it seems so hard for commissions to do the right thing in banning these bad actors for life is something I will never understand.

I am a veterinarian licensed in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. If a video surfaced of me committing those acts, I would not have my license suspended for two months or even two years. It would be gone permanently in a heartbeat, and I likely would not have the ability to obtain one in any other state in this country.

What occurred in that video is blatant animal cruelty (something I have been involved in assisting the prosecution of for the last 15 years). It can be looked upon as nothing less and should be dealt with accordingly by both law enforcement and the racing commissions. Sadly, that did not happen in the case of the decision of the Delaware Thoroughbred Racing Commission.

The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act, if and when it is finally in full effect, will hopefully put an end to this concern once and for all.  In the meantime, just because an issue like this occurred in one state does not mean other states that she is licensed in cannot act on their own. Every state in which Ms. Cobb is licensed needs to start the process of immediate revocation of that license.

I am fully aware of a person's due process rights and what can happen when racetracks or commissions take away those rights via their actions in some suspensions (the NYRA Bob Baffert case for example). I am also aware that anyone who is accused of or charged with a violation of any kind is entitled to their full due process. I urge the Commissions to do their proper investigation and due diligence on this case, and then render their decision quickly.  To me, the only decision that it can be is immediate and permanent revocation of the license.

Another thing I have learned over the years is the true power that we as the public can have in matters before a racing commission. I learned this after the intense pressure put on the PA Racing Commission by so many to get the license of the trainer of a horse named Silent Ruler permanently revoked after the horse was found in a state of severe pain and neglect from a non-attended to sesamoid fracture.

Therefore, I urge everyone who sees this letter to please write into or contact your state racing commission and politely but firmly urge them to not allow this cruelty to continue by revoking Ms. Cobb's license to train horses in that state if she holds one and to not consider granting her one if she does not.

We hear all the time how commissions and those in the industry want to bring back integrity to the sport. The Delaware racing commission has failed miserably at this. It doesn't mean that others must follow that lead.

–Dr. Bryan Langlois
Past President, Pennsylvania Veterinary Medical Association
Board Member, ThoroFan

If you would like to submit a letter to the editor on this or other topics, please reach out using the Ask Ray page. We may contact you for further information or clarification prior to publication.

The post Reader Mail Bag: Continued Outrage In The Wake Of Cobb Suspension Reduction appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Henry Cecil Open Weekend on Sept. 18-19

The Henry Cecil Open Weekend, held in Newmarket from Sept. 18-19, will allow visitors the chance to see behind the scenes at British horseracing's headquarters and visit 30 training yards. All of the activities raise money for the charities Racing Welfare, Newmarket Pony Academy and a soon to be announced community project. The two-day event is also part of National Racehorse Week, with nationwide initiatives to celebrate the racehorse and showcase the excellent care and attention they receive each day. Some of the weekend's activities include:

  • 2021 Henry Cecil Commentator Challenge, sponsored by Dr. Johnny Hon at the Rowley Mile on Sept. 18
  • Sunday's action starts on the Warren Hill Gallops, sponsored by Tattersalls, where fans can watch Palace Pier (GB) (Kingman {GB}), Mishriff (Ire) (Make Believe {GB}), and Stradivarius (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) put through their paces between 8-9 a.m.
  • 'Tattersalls Talk' will be held in the main sales ring at Tattersalls at noon, as bloodstock agent Tom Goff explains the sales process
  • Sunday afternoon sees the Severals host the Qatar Racing Pony Club Games, Fun Dog Show, sponsored by Shadwell and the Clipper Logistics Racing Personality Show Jumping Competition

Prices start at £15 per person for a weekend wristband when purchased online in advance, or £17 from various sites in Newmarket over the weekend. Children aged 16 and under are free for the weekend.

Charlie Fellowes, Chairman of The Henry Cecil Open Weekend, said, “We are delighted to be welcoming visitors back to Newmarket for the Henry Cecil Open Weekend. We have a record number of yards opening to the public on Sunday, 19th September, which is a fantastic testament to both the weekend and National Racehorse Week.

“Away from the yards we have an action-packed two days of activities, from tours to entertainments on the Severals. Named after the great Sir Henry Cecil, this weekend is all about celebration and we hope lots of people will join us and help raise money our fantastic charities.”

The post Henry Cecil Open Weekend on Sept. 18-19 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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