By David Hooper, Executive Director, Texas Thoroughbred Association
AUSTIN, (TTA) – Eligible Texas Thoroughbred Association members elected three new directors and returned four incumbents for 3-year terms in the 2012 election. Results were tallied under the supervision of TTA First Vice President Dr. Gearald Farris and Director Heidi Maikranz in the TTA offices on December 16.
The three new directors are Dr. Tom Bradfield, Mark Martinez and Hal Wiggins. Martinez was successful as a candidate in the statewide election of 12 at-large candidates. Dr. Bradfield won the Central Region election, and Wiggins tallied the most votes to become the new director for the East Region.
Ed Few, Eddie Milligan, Dr. Jacquelyn Rich and Danny Shifflett were the successful incumbents elected to serve at large.
Martinez has been a San Antonio resident for the past 25 years. He founded M2Technology in 2000 and is currently CEO of the Texas-based company that sells high performance computing solutions.
Martinez’ M2Technology has sponsored the last eight runnings of the La Senorita Stakes, one of Retama Park’s annual twin added-money features. He races under the Agave Racing banner.
Bradfield, a Texas native and graduate of Texas A&M, retired from a mixed animal veterinary practice three years ago to devote attention to Red Fence Farm, a 20-acre nursery located west of Austin, and continue breeding and racing operations that have been in place since the 1980s.
Wiggins, a Houston resident and also a Texas A&M graduate, retired as a trainer after reaching the pinnacle of a 30-year career by developing 2009 Kentucky Oaks winner Rachel Alexandra, eventually voted Horse of the Year. Since his retirement from training, Wiggins has redirected his interest to breeding and sales representation and participation.
Few, a prominent Jasper native and businessman, has been one of the leading Texas owners and breeders for several years raising runners at his Glorianna Farm. Milligan owns and operates Twin Oaks Training Center, one of the top breaking, training and rehabilitation facilities in the Southwest located in Murchison. Dr. Rich, a past 4-term TTA president, is the current president of Texas Horse Organizations for Racing, Showing and Eventing (Texas HORSE). With her husband Gerald, she owns and operates Deer Haven Farm, a Thoroughbred nursery in Lott. Shifflett has managed Lane’s End Texas, formerly known as Huisache Farm, for Will Farish near Hempstead for more than 35 years during which time the farm’s extensive breeding, stallion and sales operation has made it a leader in the Southwest.
TTA wishes to thank the three outgoing directors, Dr. Shirley Browne, Sue Dowling and Bill Jordan for their years of service, and Jerry Chapman, Jack Cook, Carl Davis, Lewis Hall, James Hughes, Mike Rose and Brent Savage for their interest and willingness to run for the Board in the 2012 election.
The first meeting of the new TTA Board is set for Texas Champions weekend on January 21.
LONE STAR PARK’S REMODELED SIMULCAST PAVILION RE-OPENED TO PLAYERS
After nearly six months of renovations and more than $3 million in expenditures, Lone Star Park’s remodeled state-of-the-art simulcast pavilion re-opened to players on December 5. The down time wait may have inconvenienced some bettors for a while, but they should find the wait very worthwhile.
Upon entering the remodeled facility, simulcast players and sports fans alike will find customer service representatives available to answer questions or provide assistance in finding smoke-free or smoking areas filled with carrels and flat-screen TVS at each end of the pavilion, a spectacular sports bar with high-definition TVs showing live races and sports events in the center, and three new VIP rooms.
The formal grand opening is scheduled for January 12, with horsemen invited to a preview showing on January 7.
SAM HOUSTON RACE PARK STABLE AREA OPEN FOR 2012 THOROUGHBRED MEET
Thoroughbreds have begun to ship into the Sam Houston Race Park stable area for the 31-day 2012 meet that begins on a high note with Texas Champions Weekend headlining the first two programs on Friday, January 20, when filly and mare stakes take center stage, and Saturday, January 21, when the stakes for colts and geldings are featured..
Eric Johnston, SHRP’s vice-president of racing and racing secretary, said that he and his staff had screened more than 1,300 stall applications for the meet that will extend eight weeks on a 4-day week schedule except for being dark on Super Bowl Sunday. SHRP will run at night on Fridays and Saturdays, have a 5pm post time on Sundays and offer afternoon racing each Monday.
RACING COMMITTEE RECOMMENDS SHORTENING PREMIERE TO 6½ FURLONGS
TTA’s Racing Committee met via conference call on December 16 to discuss the proposed 2012 Lone Star Park stakes schedule with special attention being paid to movement of the TTA Sales Futurity one week later in June, and to try to find a way to provide a sprint stakes for older Texas-bred males.
The original stakes proposal called for the $50,000 Premiere for older Texas-breds to be run at one mile in its traditional spot as the first race of the season. The schedule had one other older Texas-bred stakes, the 1 1/16-miles, $50,000 Assault, another 2-turn race, on Stars of Texas Day at the meet’s end.
The committee also took into consideration that Sam Houston Race Park’s 6-furlong, $50,000 Spirit of Texas was the only stakes presently scheduled for older Texas-breds and that race will be run on January 21 on Texas Champions Weekend. After considering several possibilities, the committee came to unanimous agreement on a recommendation to change the distance of the 2012 Premiere to 6 ½ furlongs.
The committee also sent its unanimous support of locating the 2012 TTA Sales Futurity on the third Saturday in June, one week after the Belmont Stakes and three weeks before the first two races in the new Texas Stallion Stakes Series for 2-year-olds. The new date will make the 2012 TTA Sales Futurity a stand-alone stakes event, rather than competing with the last leg of the Triple Crown.
Terry Blanton, representing Texas Horsemen’s Partnership, agreed with the committee’s recommendations, which were submitted to Lone Star Director of Racing Bart Lang last weekend.
VOTING FOR 2011 ACCREDITED TEXAS-BRED CHAMPION CLAIMER BEGINS ONLINE
Voting has begun online to determine the 2011 Accredited Texas-bred Champion Claimer with the choice coming from among 22 Texas-breds, each of which won at least three claiming races at Texas tracks during the past Thoroughbred season. Past performances can be viewed by accessing the Equibase horse search page.
The claiming horse receiving the most votes will be honored along with the 2011 Texas Horse of the Year and all Texas-bred divisional champions at TTA’s Annual Awards Luncheon at a time and date to be determined in the near future. Voting closes on Friday, January 13 at 5pm.
Fast furlongs……Congratulations to Carl Moore on the return to winning form of his 2010 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint champion Chamberlain Bridge as the soon-to-be 8-year-old looked like his old self taking the $73,500 Bonapaw Stakes at Fair Grounds last Saturday……Maryland horsemen and Maryland Jockey Club officials have resolved a dates dispute and agreed to a 146-day schedule for 2012…Monmouth Park will conduct a 141-day meet in 2012 with purses based only on handle while the state of New Jersey reopens bidding for a long-term lease……Northern Kentucky lawmaker has pre-filed a bill to allow the state’s five racetracks to add casinos or slots providing local voters pass a referendum……The American Horse Council reports that the U.S. Congress has taken action that prohibits the Department of Labor from implementing a new wage rule for the H2-B program on January 1, 2012…The December 17 edition of Thoroughbred Daily News featured a “TDN Q&A” with TTA Director Tod Wojciechowski, who will join the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Company on January 1 as director of sales……Last Friday, The Jockey Club launched a public website, www.thoroughbredrulings.com, to make regulatory information more easily accessible and allow users to search rulings by trainer, horse, track and jurisdiction……Churchill Downs will allow up to four also-eligibles, based on graded stakes earnings, to be able to draw into the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks by 9am EDT the day before each stakes in case of scratches from the original 20-horse Derby field or 14 fillies in the Oaks……Lane’s End Texas stallion Too Much Bling had two good winners on the Atlantic and Pacific coasts on December 10 and 11th with Bling Cha Bling scoring smartly over 6 furlongs in 1:09.78 at Hollywood Park on Saturday and Sam Sparkle posting a mild 7-1 upset of three others in Aqueduct’s 6-furlong, $60,000 Hunch Stakes in 1:10.38 on Sunday……Finder’s Key, a failure as a Thoroughbred racehorse losing all three $2,500 maiden claiming starts, is a star in the much-hyped movie “War Horse,” directed by Steven Spielberg and set to debut on December 25…Jeanine Edwards, the talented ESPN senior broadcast analyst, will become the first female to emcee the Eclipse Awards when the 2012 edition, sponsored jointly by Daily Racing Form and Breeders’ Cup, is held in Beverly Hills, CA, on January 16……Santa Anita’s traditional December 26 opening looms as a post-Christmas holiday treat……The 2012 Texas Thoroughbred Stallion Register is available online and in hard copy……Get well wishes are extended to Betty Davis, who is recovering from recent surgery, and TTA Director Danny Shifflett, who is on the mend after being badly bruised when his truck was broad-sided by a driver running a red light……The TTA office will close at 3pm December 23 and re-open on the 27th……Merry Christmas!!!
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