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Del Mar to Trim Fall Meet Purses in 3-11% Range

Purses at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club are getting a haircut for the 13-date fall meet that spans Nov. 10-Dec. 3.

Del Mar executives speaking about the meet at Thursday's California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) meeting did not initially mention the purse cuts when making their standard presentation for licensure, which the CHRB unanimously granted.

But Del Mar's president, Josh Rubinstein, detailed the reductions when directly queried about the state of purses by CHRB vice chair Oscar Gonzales.

“We have reduced purses slightly for this fall meet,” Rubinstein said. “[We're] coming off two years of record wagering at Del Mar in 2021 and '22, and what we've seen nationally this year across the board in the industry, handle has been down eight of nine months.

“We think there are multiple reasons for that,” Rubinstein continued. “My own personal view is we're in a fairly soft economy right now–higher interest rates, inflation concerns–and there's just less discretionary income that people have. So we are matching purse levels to what we believe will be the handle generation for the meet.”

Rubinstein termed the cuts as “a market correction from where we were the last two years. So depending on the race, anywhere from 3% to 11%, but still some of the highest purses in the country during this time.”

Tom Robbins, Del Mar's executive vice president for racing and industry relations, told the CHRB that the 15-stakes schedule “remains intact” compared to last fall's meet.

Rubinstein noted that the fall season at Del Mar is traditionally a scaled-back version of racing compared to the track's nationally prominent summertime flagship meet that extends over two months. Instead of some 2,000 horses being stabled on the grounds, there are more like 350-400, with the remainder of runners shipping in from Santa Anita Park or Los Alamitos Race Course.

To help defray the costs of travel, Del Mar will be paying trainers a $250 stipend on each racing day they participate in the fall meet.

“We realize it's expensive for trainers to come down to Del Mar,” Rubinstein said.

Del Mar will race Fridays (8 races), plus Saturdays and Sundays (nine races). A Thanksgiving Thursday holiday program will also be carded.

Horses will be allowed to ship in for stabling Sunday, Nov. 5, the day after the Breeders' Cup at Santa Anita. Del Mar opens for morning training Nov. 6.

Del Mar has scheduled November/December fall meets regularly since 2014, when the track filled a void in the Southern California racing schedule after Hollywood Park's 2013 closure. Prior to 2014, Del Mar's only other attempt at autumn racing was a 20-date October meet in 1967.

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Wanamaker’s Accepting Entries for PA Sale

Wanamaker's is currently accepting entries for the the third annual Pennsylvania Horse Breeders' Association (PHBA) Pennsylvania-Bred Sale which will be held in January.

“Continuing the Wanamaker's digital sale has been very helpful to our breeders who would like to offer their horses without all of the costs involved in a public sale,” said Brian Sanfratello, Executive Secretary of the PHBA. “Wanamaker's is easy to work with and does a great job of advertising to prospective buyers.”

“We are delighted to announce our continued partnership with PHBA,” said Wanamaker's CEO Liza Hendriks. “Over the past two years of hosting PA-bred sales, we have received exceptional feedback from satisfied buyers and sellers, and we will continue our commitment to providing a seamless, cost-effective way for regional breeders and owners to showcase their horses.”

Entries for the auction close Jan. 2. The catalogue will be released the following day. Bidding will open Jan. 7 at 8 a.m. ET and close Jan. 11 at 5 p.m.

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NYRA Partners with Ed Brown Society

The New York Racing Association will partner with the Ed Brown Society to fund the non-profit's expansion into New York State and create opportunities for young people of color to establish careers in Thoroughbred racing.

Founded by Living The Dream Racing & Stables, a group of racing syndicates managed by Greg Harbut and Ray Daniels, the Ed Brown Society celebrates the rich history of African-Americans in the equine industry by identifying and supporting college students of color who have demonstrated the skills necessary to become successful professionals in a variety of different roles within the sport.

“Horse racing is a powerful economic engine that creates jobs and opportunities in every corner of New York State,” said Dave O'Rourke, NYRA President & CEO. “The Ed Brown Society is focused on ensuring those opportunities are shared equitably to increase diversity for the betterment of the sport. NYRA applauds the Ed Brown Society for what they have accomplished, and we look forward to anchoring this important work here in New York.”

NYRA will work with the Ed Brown Society to develop Ed Brown Scholars and Fellows who will qualify for paid internships at Aqueduct Racetrack, Belmont Park and Saratoga Race Course. To support these opportunities, NYRA has made a significant financial contribution to the Ed Brown Society.

“As a third-generation horseman, and one of the few African American professionals in the industry, I am very excited to begin this important work in New York,” said Ed Brown Society Chairman Greg Harbut. “NYRA is committed to our mission of expanding diversity, equity and inclusion in horse racing, which is exactly what this partnership will accomplish.”

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Provisional Suspension Against Brion, Four Others, Dropped by HIWU

Trainer Keri Brion, who was provisionally suspended by the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit (HIWU) after a horse she trained allegedly tested positive for cocaine, has been cleared.

The suspension was lifted pursuant to HIWU Rule 3247 (e). The rule reads: “…if it considers it appropriate to do so on the specific facts of the case, the Agency may lift the Provisional Suspension.”

Suspensions that had been issued to R. McLane Hendriks, Carlos Milian, Javier Morzan and Guadalupe Munoz Elizondo were also lifted.

A full hearing in all five cases are still pending.

Like Brion, Hendriks was facing a cocaine positive. Milian had a horse test positive for the diuretic hydrochlorothiazide and Morzan and Elizondo had trainees test positive for metformin, a medication commonly prescribed in humans for type 2 diabetes.

It is not clear why the suspensions were lifted, but in the case of Brion, HIWU likely factored in the possibility that the positive test for cocaine was the result of environmental contamination. Brion, a former assistant to Jonathan Sheppard, was facing a suspension of up to two years.

The Brion-trained Chasing After You (Speightstown) tested positive after winning a Sept. 19 claiming race at Presque Isle Downs.

“Obviously, it's been a very stressful week,” Brion said. “I was totally blindsided by this. I don't give my horses cocaine. It's good that they are continuing to change protocols, what they do and how they handle things. It's just a shame that it has to happen through trial and error. In my case, I was written up in the TDN about being suspended for a banned substance. That's hard. I'm hopeful that it's all heading in the right direction. I think they are taking what they are learning from these situations and trying to make the system better. I am appreciative of that.”

Brion believes that this was a case of environmental contamination and that it emanated from the receiving barn at Presque Isle Downs.

“I believe it came through the receiving barn at Presque Isle,” she said. “Trainers are held 100% responsible and I'm all for being held responsible. But we don't scrub, clean and power wash receiving barns, so when we ship in, we don't have control over that. The receiving barns aren't clean. If we are going to be held to this level, zero tolerance, and everything falls back on us, then tracks need to make sure that the stalls we ship into are completely sanitized. And that's not the case at most of the tracks we go to.”

Brion noted that other trainers have found themselves in similar situations.

“I applaud what they are trying to do, but there have been a couple of positives where the levels are very low and it seems to be contamination,” she said. “We are not the bad guys. I have been training for only three years and when something like this happens, it really rocks you.”

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