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Bettor-Friendly Legislation Passes Kentucky Senate

By a vote of 33-1, the Kentucky State Senate has given their stamp of approval to Kentucky House Bill 607, which modernizes the taxation of pari-mutuel wagers and, in a major victory for horseplayers, eliminates the dime breakage than has been the standard for many years in favor of penny breakage. The change in the breakage will put more money into the pockets of horseplayers and is the first such measure to be introduced in the United States. The lone dissenting vote came from Republican Senator Whitney Westerfield.

“For more than a century, horseplayers have never received a full winning dividend and today the General Assembly in Kentucky affirmed that it is beyond time to change that and respect horseplayers anywhere betting on races from Kentucky,” said Patrick Cummings, Executive Director of the Thoroughbred Idea Foundation (TIF), which has championed the cause dating back nearly four years.

“Across just the last three decades or so, approximately $1 billion has been retained from winning bets across America. The passage of HB 607 will put some of this money back in the pockets and accounts of winning bettors from future bets.'

“We are thankful for the leadership of bill's House sponsors, Representatives Adam Koenig and Al Gentry, and Senator Damon Thayer in guiding its passage.

In addition to the favorable breakage rules, HB 607 calls for taxation on pari-mutuel wagers at 1.5%, the same rate assessed on Historical Horse Racing (HHR) machines. The standardization of taxation means that bets made through and ADW by Kentucky residents will be taxed at 1.5%, up from 0.5 %.

“Horse racing must relentlessly pursue every method to make its product as competitive as possible,” said Bernick. “The market pressure on racing is stronger than ever with the rapid legalization of sports betting across the country. We hope that operators realize the importance of retaining all customers and driving their participation through the presentation of competitive racing with competitive pricing.”

HB 607 was sponsored by Representative Adam Koenig. A house committee approved the legislation Mar. 16 before referring it to the Senate for its consideration. The bill now returns to the House for concurrence, but it is expected to sail through and head to the desk of Governor Andy Beshear for his signature.

The Kentucky Equine Education Project (KEEP) released a statement Tuesday, applauding the General Assembly for the passage of HB 607.

“A tremendous amount of work went into crafting this new tax policy and KEEP is grateful to the legislators who served on the Pari-Mutuel Wagering Taxation Task Force for the time and effort they put into fully understanding the economic structure of Kentucky's horse industry,” the statement read. “We would also like to applaud Senate Majority Floor Leader Thayer and Representative Koenig for their leaderships as co-chairs of the task force. The resulting legislation was able to strike a delicate balance between increasing revenue for the state, while at the same time not arbitrarily raising tax rates in a way that would damage the economic success of the industry.

“The entire horse industry was engaged in this process and KEEP was proud to work closely with legislators to ensure that they had access to the full picture of what economic benefits the industry has on the Commonwealth.

“KEEP will continue working on behalf of Kentucky's entire horse industry and community to advocate for policies that benefit everyone within the industry's economic ecosystem. Growing the success of the industry's more than 60,000 jobs and $6.5 billion economic impact on the state benefits all Kentuckians.”

Once signed off on by Beshear, the provisions of the bill are due to take effect come August.

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Eugene Melnyk Passes Away at 62

Eugene Melnyk, the owner of the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League and a prominent horse owner and breeder who was a member of the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame, has passed away at age 62. His death was announced Monday by the Senators, which posted a statement from Melnyk's family on its website, which noted that he died “after an illness he faced with determination and courage.” The team did not disclose the exact cause of death. He underwent a liver transplant in 2015.

A native of Toronto, Melnyk won his first Queen's Plate in 1998 with Archers Bay (Silver Deputy), a horse he purchased at the Keeneland September sale for $120,000.

“It's everyone's dream,” he said of winning the Queen's Plate. “You can't imagine what it's like to come here and win the Queen's Plate. I've owned claiming horses and I've run Standardbreds at small tracks. But to have one that can win the Queen's Plate is something one can only dream. This [Woodbine] is my old stomping grounds. I used to come here every weekend.”

Over the next several years, Melnyk would invest heavily in the sport and at one point his racing and breeding stock included 500 horses. Teaming up with trainer Todd Pletcher, he won an Eclipse Award for the top sprinter Speightstown (Gone West), the winner of the 2004 GI Breeders' Cup Sprint. The Eclipse champion sprinter that season, Speightstown has gone on to a stellar stallion career standing at WinStar Farm.

For Melnyk, Pletcher developed another star in Flower Alley in 2005. The son of Distorted Humor won the GI Travers S. and three other graded stakes before being retired in 2006. Flower Alley sired 2012 GI Kentucky Derby and Preakness S. winner I'll Have Another.

Melnyk's other Grade I winners include Harmony Lodge (Hennessy), Lukes Alley (Flower Alley), Host (Chi) (Hussonet), Pool Land (Silver Deputy), Bishop Court Hill (Holy Bull), Marley Vale (Forty Niner) and Tweedside (Thunder Gulch).

Melnyk moved to Barbados, in 1991, naming nearly all of his horses for Barbadian towns and sectors, but stayed heavily involved in Canadian racing. He campaigned 12 Sovereign Award winners and was named Canada's outstanding owner in 2007 and outstanding owner and breeder in 2009. In 2017, he was inducted into the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame. His Canadian-bred stars include Sealy Hill, who swept the Canadian Filly Triple Crown in 2007 and went on to finish runner-up in the GI Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf the following season.

“Eugene Melnyk was a true Canadian sportsman, one of our leading owners, and a dear friend of Woodbine and the horse racing industry here in Ontario. His contributions to the sport were significant and he was recognized with many accomplishments and awards along the way, highlighted by Sovereign Awards, an Eclipse Award, and ultimately being enshrined in the Horse Racing Hall of Fame. On behalf of Woodbine Entertainment, we send our deep condolences to his family and friends,” said Jim Lawson, CEO, Woodbine Entertainment.

In 2013, Melnyk cut back substantially on his racing and breeding operation, offering several of his top horses through Taylor Made at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Winter Mixed Sale, where Pool Land attracted a sales-topping $900,000 from Live Oak Plantation. Sealy Hill made $590,000 from Regis Farms at the same event and would go on to become the dam of $1.25-million Keeneland September purchase GISW Cambier Parc (Medaglia d'Oro). A further sale of Melnyk racemares and weanlings was held at Fasig-Tipton in the summer of 2014, where Mahogany Lane (A.P. Indy), a daughter of Marley Vale, topped the offerings on a bid of $315,000 from Calumet Farm. According to Equibase, Melnyk made just 22 starts in 2015, eight in 2016 and ran his last horse in 2017. In addition to Pletcher, Melnyk employed the services of trainers Josie Carroll, Mark Casse and Tom Albertrani.

“I've already won a Breeders' Cup,” he said. “I've won each leg of the Canadian Triple Crown, both female and male. I've won Eclipse Awards. At one point, you've reached the peak and you've done it all and you've won it all.” He was also quoted as saying, “I bred the best to the best and some worked out, but 98% don't work out.”

Melnyk is a former trustee of the New York Racing Association, a co-recipient of the National Turf Writers Association's Joe Palmer Award and was also named Owner of the Year in 2005 by the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association.

According to Wikipedia, Melnyk was the founder, chairman, and CEO of Biovail Corporation, once Canada's largest publicly traded pharmaceutical company with more than C$1-billion in annual revenue. He sold almost all of his holdings of the company by 2010. Canadian Business magazine ranked Melnyk 79th on its 2017 list of Canada's 100 wealthiest people, with a net worth of $1.21 billion.

In 2003, Melnyk purchased the Senators along with their arena, then known as the Corel Centre, for US$92 million. The Senators played in the Stanley Cup Finals in 2007, losing in five games to the Anaheim Ducks.

“The National Hockey League mourns the passing of Ottawa Senators owner Eugene Melnyk,” NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said in a statement. “The words 'passion' and 'commitment' define the man who has owned the Ottawa Senators since 2003. While successful in business, it was our game and his Senators that he was most passionate about. Eugene was often outspoken, but he maintained an unwavering commitment to the game and his roots and he loved nothing more than donning a Senators sweater and cheering on his beloved team. On behalf of the entire National Hockey League, I extend my deepest sympathies to Eugene's daughters, Anna and Olivia, his extended family, and all those who benefited from his generosity.”

Melnyk was also known for his philanthropy and concentrated his efforts on charities that helped children and the elderly. According to Wikipedia, Melnyk donated $1 million to the Belmont Child Care Association for the construction of the child care center now known as Anna House. The facility was named after his daughter.

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Shoppers Out in Force Ahead of Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream Sale

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – A day after a well-attended breeze show and a day ahead of sale time, shoppers were out in force at the Fasig-Tipton sales barns at Gulfstream Park on a brilliantly sunny Tuesday morning.

“It's been very steady,” consignor Steve Venosa of SGV Thoroughbreds said as he watched his popular Practical Joke filly (hip 63) head out for another show Tuesday morning. “We started with our first show roughly around 8 a.m. and it's been non-stop for the last three hours. The usual faces are here and there are a few new ones, which is always pleasant to see.”

Venosa said the Gulfstream sale, which will be held in the track's paddock beginning at 2 p.m. Wednesday, is always a major stop on the calendar for his consignment.

“I think this is the best place to sell a 2-year-old in the world,” Venosa said. “It's a great surface and Fasig-Tipton is a world-class company. The weather is beautiful and I think the sale has been well-received with the amount of people that are here. This is the most important horse sale that I go to. Every year.”

Of the absence of some key consignors, Venosa added, “I am surprised. Because I think, by the amount of people who were here at the breeze show yesterday, and with the state of the market, people want to buy and it's unfortunate they didn't show up. But hopefully the people who are here are going to be rewarded for their efforts.”

Torie and Jimbo Gladwell, whose Top Line Sales had a seven-figure sale at the OBS March sale two weeks ago, will look to keep the momentum going with a three-horse consignment at Gulfstream.

“We always try to bring five or six to Gulfstream,” Torie Gladwell said. “A couple of clients had a few cross-entered into March and April and we lost one or two. And we ended up with three down here. So it's a typical consignment for us.”

Following Monday's breeze show, consignor Ciaran Dunne of Wavertree Stables described the importance of the Gulfstream sale with its South Florida backdrop and proximity to high-class racing both encouraging buyers to dream big.

“We're selling the dream,” Dunne said.

Gladwell echoed those sentiments Tuesday.

“I think we definitely need to continue this sale down here,” she said. “It's such a great market. A lot of these buyers that come from overseas just really like the atmosphere here and come down with big clients and big owners. It's a sale that we need to continue. Boyd and the Fasig team do a great job entertaining and offering all the hospitality.”

Top Line Sales was represented during Monday's breeze show with a colt by City of Light (hip 100) who worked the furlong in a co-second fastest :9 4/5.

“The track was great yesterday,” Gladwell said. “Horses seemed to go a little faster. They were getting across it a little easier than in previous years. The gallop-outs were faster and they came back not blowing and not as tired.”

Of activity at the barns Tuesday, Gladwell said, “It's been steady. The majority of the big buyers are here. There are some middle-market buyers who are showing up, so I think it's going to be a good market overall. The trainers haven't shown up yet, but I expect they'll come after training hours later today.”

Among the trainers at the barns late Tuesday morning were Bob Baffert, along with bloodstock agent Donato Lanni, as well as Simon Callaghan and agent Ben McElroy, Dale Romans and Gustavo Delgado. Representatives from Stonestreet, Spendthrift and WinStar Farms and major buyer Larry Best were busy shopping, as were agents Pete Bradley, Deuce Greathouse, Fabricio Buffolo, John Dowd, Dennis O'Neill, Jaime Hill, Conor Foley, Justin Casse, Raime Lightner, Joe Brocklebank and Patrick Lawley-Wakelin.

Hoby Kight was enjoying the view from the Hartley/de Renzo Thoroughbreds consignment as a Medaglia d'Oro colt (hip 88) he purchased for $225,000 at last year's Keeneland September sale made repeated trips from the barn to shows Tuesday morning.

“According to my consignors, they said he's been very popular and he's been out all morning,” Kight said with a smile.

Of the colt's appeal as a yearling, Kight said, “I loved his angles. As a 2-year-old guy, you want to buy a horse that you are able to see something that in the future is going to be good, something that for whatever reason, the big guys didn't go for. That's what we do. Everybody sees the obvious horse, but we have to buy the potential.”

The dark bay colt, who worked a furlong in :10 flat Monday, is the second horse Kight has bought for clients Marvin Boyd and Charlie Allen.

“They bought one a couple of years ago and it turned out good,” Kight said. “So this is the second horse they've had with me to do this. I bought the horse [hip 88] and they bought him from me within five minutes.”

Kight agreed the Gulfstream sale was an important stop on the juvenile sales season, particularly because of the Hallandale oval's dirt track.

“It's phenomenal,” he said of the sales results. “You look at all the great horses who have come out of this sale, per number, it's unbelievable.

He continued, “First of all, it's the dirt. There isn't any faking it. They are what they are. It separates them out. I have a couple of other horses for people scattered around because I am a full-fledged supporter of a good dirt horse sale. I believe in it. For what I do, I buy a horse who is always going to be a Corvette. At OBS, they all go fast. On the dirt, you can't do that.”

Danzel Brendemuehl's Classic Bloodstock consignment at Gulfstream includes a colt by Nyquist (hip 62) who worked a furlong in :9 4/5.

“It's been pretty busy,” Brendemuehl said of activity at her sales barn Tuesday. “Especially with just two horses, it's been steady and I've gone through most of my cards already. All of the right people are here. This sale has been a good sale and Boyd and Fasig have taken care of us over the years. We come because of that. The right buyers are always here. They did a great job on the breeze show. They kept the track in great shape. We were lucky the wind died down and we didn't have to deal with that like we did last year.”

Susan Montanye of SBM Training and Sales saw plenty to be optimistic about ahead of Wednesday's sale.

“It looks like there are a lot of people here,” she said. “I think everybody who needs to be here is here. It's beautiful weather and it looked like it was a great breeze show. The track was great. So I think it will be a successful sale for a lot of people. Just from the looks of it, people are here to buy.”

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White Abarrio Given Green Light For Florida Derby

C2 Racing Stable LLC and La Milagrosa Stable LLC's White Abarrio (Race Day) was confirmed a starter for Saturday's GI Curlin Florida Derby presented by Hill 'n' Dale at Xalapa Tuesday morning by trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr. The gray colt, last seen (No dominating in the GIII Holy Bull S. Feb. 5, spiked a fever the on the Tuesday before his final drill, which was to be Sunday. He signaled his readiness for this weekend's task by blowing out three furlongs in :34.96 over a glib Gulfstream Park main track the morning of Mar. 29.

“He breezed phenomenal. He went super easy,” Joseph, Jr. said. “The track was probably faster because of the [Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream Sale breeze show] yesterday. Visually, he looks well. Energy-wise he looks well. I think we've been more worried than he is. As a trainer, you're always concerned about something.

He continued, “He had his major work two weeks ago. He checked out good on Monday. On Tuesday [last week], he was supposed to go to the track to jog and he had a temp of 101.5, so we had to back off him for two days,” Joseph said. “We had to change things around.”

Winner of his first two local appearances last season, the $7,500 OBS January short yearling turned $40,000 OBS March breezer was third–with future GIII Sam F. Davis S. and GII Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby hero Classic Causeway (Giant's Causeway) second–in the GII Kentucky Jockey Club S. last November. He sat a perfect trip in the Holy Bull, easily defeating a troubled Simplification (Not This Time) by 4 1/2 lengths.

Joseph, Jr. said he is unconcerned about the final work coming essentially on top of the race.

“As far as blow-out, working close, that's how I grew up in Barbados,” he said. “We always blew out on Wednesday or Thursday before the race. I learned that style, but obviously I train different over here, but sometimes I would work three days before a race. I'm not concerned about that. The thing in the back of your head is he did spike a temperature last week. That's always a concern.”

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